ID.me login issues with old email - can't access EDD account for weeks

I had a similar issue last month. Unfortunately ID.me has very limited options when you can't access your original email. What worked for me was creating a completely new ID.me account with your current email, but you'll need to contact EDD afterward to link it to your unemployment claim. When you create the new account, you'll need to complete the video verification process again, but it's faster than trying to recover the old account.

omg this happened to my boyfriend too!! id.me is THE WORST. he had to start over with whole new account and then EDD got all confused beause there were two id.me profiles with his SSN ugh

I work with claimants regularly, and this is a common issue. ID.me does actually have a recovery process for lost email access, but it's buried in their help section. You need to: 1. Go to help.id.me and select "Account Recovery" 2. Choose "I don't have access to my email" 3. Complete their trusted referee video call process where you'll need to show your ID documents live If that doesn't work, then creating a new account may be your only option. When you need to contact EDD afterward to link your new ID.me verification, use Claimyr to get through to an agent quickly instead of spending days redialing. I've seen people have success with it at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The key is explaining to the EDD agent that you had to create a new ID.me account due to lost email access. They can update your profile in their system.

honestly the whole system is DESIGNED to make it impossible to get benefits!! they make these IMPOSSIBLE hoops to jump through then blame YOU when their stupid technology doesn't work right. i spent 5 WEEKS trying to fix my id.me before i got my first payment. the government doesnt care about regular people at all!!!!

Has anyone tried contacting ID.me through their social media? I've heard people sometimes get help through their Twitter support. Might be worth trying while you work on the other solutions.

Actually, I went through something similar in 2023 when I couldn't access my university email anymore. What nobody tells you is that ID.me has a special process for this exact situation! You need to do a Trusted Referee video call where you verify your identity live. It took about 45 minutes on hold but worked perfectly. Here's what to do: 1. On the ID.me login screen, click "Trouble signing in?" 2. Select "Recover account" 3. When it asks for email verification, look for the tiny link at the bottom saying "Can't access this email?" 4. This routes you to their video verification option After completing this process, they can help you update to a new email address. Much better than creating a new account which can cause problems with your EDD claim history.

my freind had same problem she ended up having to make new account and then called edd like 20 times before getting thru but they fixed it

Quick update on your options: If you do need to contact EDD after trying the ID.me recovery process, using Claimyr definitely worked for me when I was in a similar situation. Better than spending days trying to get through. Once you get an agent on the phone, ask specifically for a "claim specialist" who can handle ID.me account issues. Regular agents sometimes can't help with this specific problem.

Please let us know what ends up working for you! This is such a common problem and it would be helpful for others to know the solution that finally worked.

I went through this exact same nightmare about 6 months ago! What finally worked for me was a combination of approaches. First, I tried the Trusted Referee video call that others mentioned - it took 3 attempts because their system kept glitching, but on the third try it worked and they were able to update my email address while keeping my original account intact. The key things that helped: - Have ALL your documents ready (driver's license, Social Security card, utility bill) - Use a laptop/desktop with good lighting and camera quality - Be patient - the whole process took about an hour including wait time If the Trusted Referee doesn't work for you, creating a new account is your backup option. Just make sure to screenshot/document your old account details before you abandon it, because EDD will ask for proof that both accounts belong to you when you call to merge them. Hang in there - I know how stressful this is when you need those benefits! The system is broken but there are ways through it.

This is such a frustrating situation that way too many people are dealing with! I had a similar issue last year when my old work email got deactivated. What saved me was being super persistent with ID.me's live chat feature - if you can catch them during business hours (9am-5pm PT), they can sometimes manually verify your identity over chat and help update your email. It's not well advertised but if you keep clicking through their help options, you can eventually get to a live agent. Also, one thing I learned the hard way - if you do end up having to create a new ID.me account, make sure you use the EXACT same personal information (name spelling, address format, etc.) as your original EDD claim. Even small differences can cause the accounts not to match up properly when EDD tries to link them. Keep pushing - I know it's exhausting but you'll get through this! The system shouldn't be this complicated but there are people here who've figured out the workarounds.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My old college email got deactivated last year and I've been dreading having to deal with ID.me again. Reading through all these responses gives me hope that there are actual solutions. I'm definitely going to try the Trusted Referee video call first since it sounds like that keeps your original account intact. If that doesn't work, I'll go the new account route and use Claimyr to get through to EDD. One question - for those who successfully did the Trusted Referee call, did you need any specific documents beyond the usual ID and Social Security card? Want to make sure I have everything ready before I attempt it. This whole system is so unnecessarily complicated but I'm grateful for everyone sharing their experiences here!

I'm going through this exact same thing right now and this thread is a lifesaver! I've been locked out for 2 weeks because my old school email was deactivated. I had no idea about the Trusted Referee video call option - that sounds way better than starting over with a new account. Quick question for those who've done it successfully - about how long did you have to wait to get connected for the video call? I'm trying to plan when to attempt it since I need to make sure I have a good internet connection and quiet space. Also really appreciate the tip about having all documents ready beforehand. This whole ID.me situation is such a mess but at least there seem to be actual solutions that work!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Been locked out for almost a month because my old work email got deactivated. This thread is giving me so much hope - I had no idea about the Trusted Referee video call option or the live chat during business hours. I'm planning to try the video call first thing Monday morning since it sounds like that's the best way to keep your original account. If that fails, I'll create a new ID.me account and use Claimyr to get through to EDD like several people mentioned. One thing I'm curious about - for those who had to create new accounts and then contact EDD, did the EDD agents give you any pushback about having two ID.me profiles? Or were they pretty understanding once you explained the email access issue? Just want to be prepared for that conversation if I end up needing to go that route. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice that actually helps when you're stuck in bureaucratic hell!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My college email got deactivated 6 months ago and I've been putting off dealing with unemployment benefits because I knew ID.me would be a nightmare. This thread is incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the Trusted Referee video call option! Based on what everyone is sharing, it sounds like the best approach is: 1. Try the Trusted Referee video call first (keeping original account intact) 2. If that fails, create new ID.me account with current email 3. Use Claimyr to get through to EDD and have them link the new account I'm definitely going to try the video call option tomorrow during business hours. Really appreciate everyone sharing their actual experiences instead of just the generic "contact support" advice you get everywhere else. This is exactly the kind of real-world problem-solving this community is great for! Will report back on what works - hopefully this helps the next person who gets stuck in ID.me hell.

I just went through this exact same situation last week and finally got it resolved! Reading through everyone's experiences here, I want to add a few tips that made the difference for me: The Trusted Referee video call is definitely the way to go first - but here's what nobody mentions: make sure you clear your browser cache and cookies before starting the process. I failed twice because of browser issues, and on the third attempt I used an incognito window and it worked perfectly. Also, when you're waiting for the video call, don't close the browser tab or navigate away. I made that mistake the first time and lost my place in the queue after waiting 40 minutes! Keep that tab open and just wait it out. One more thing - if you do end up needing to create a new ID.me account, take screenshots of your old account dashboard first if you can still log in partially. EDD asked me for my old ID.me email address and the approximate date I first verified, which I wouldn't have remembered without those screenshots. The whole process took about 3 weeks from start to finish, but now I'm finally getting my benefits again. Hang in there everyone - there really are solutions that work, you just have to be persistent and try multiple approaches!

I'm currently going through this exact same nightmare! Been locked out for 2.5 weeks now because my old university email was deactivated after graduation. Reading through all these responses gives me so much hope - I had no idea about the Trusted Referee video call option! Based on everyone's advice, I'm planning to: 1. Try the Trusted Referee video call first using incognito mode (great tip about clearing cache!) 2. Have all my documents ready and use good lighting 3. If that fails, create new ID.me account and use Claimyr to reach EDD The technical tips about browser issues and keeping the tab open are exactly what I needed to know. This thread should honestly be stickied - it's the most helpful resource I've found for this specific problem. Will definitely update with my results to help the next person stuck in ID.me purgatory!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! My old work email got deactivated about a month ago and I've been dreading having to deal with this ID.me mess. This thread has been absolutely incredible - I had no idea there were so many actual solutions that work! I'm definitely going to try the Trusted Referee video call first thing tomorrow morning. The technical tips about using incognito mode and clearing cache are exactly what I needed to know - I would have definitely made those mistakes otherwise. Having all the documents ready and good lighting setup makes total sense too. If the video call doesn't work out, it's really reassuring to know that creating a new account and using Claimyr to reach EDD is a viable backup plan. The fact that multiple people have had success with that approach gives me confidence there's actually a way through this nightmare. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and specific tips - this is exactly the kind of real-world problem solving that makes all the difference when you're stuck in bureaucratic hell. I'll make sure to update with my results to help the next person dealing with this ID.me disaster!