Impossible to reach EDD by phone - any tricks for getting through busy signals?

Your prob calling the wrong # have u tried the claims status line instead of the main one it worked for me

The trick is to call right before lunch (11:30am) or about an hour before closing (around 7pm). Most people try early morning which is why you're hitting the volume limits. Also, when you get through the initial menu, select the employer option first, then ask to be transferred to claims. The employer queue is usually shorter and they can transfer you to the right department. Make sure you have your claim ID and last employer information ready when you do connect - this speeds up verification and reduces the chance they'll need to transfer you again.

After weeks of facing the same frustration, I found this service called Claimyr that actually worked for me. They basically keep dialing EDD for you using their system until they get through, then connect you directly with an EDD rep. I was super skeptical but was desperate after trying for 3 weeks on my own. Got connected to an agent in about 45 minutes while I just went about my day. They have a video demo of how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km and their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It saved me from losing my apartment while waiting for my claim to process.

Long-time EDD navigator here. There's actually a specific pattern to their phone system that can increase your chances of getting through. 1. Call the main line (866-333-4606) at 8:01am, 10:31am, or 3:01pm exactly. These are times when their call system refreshes its queue. 2. When prompted, choose option 1 (for English), then option 1 again (for UI claim questions), then option 3 (for claim status). 3. When they ask for your SSN, enter it, but purposely enter the LAST digit incorrectly. This will flag your call for a representative rather than the automated system. 4. When asked to verify, say it's incorrect, and you'll get routed to a person who can manually verify your identity and help with your claim. This works about 70% of the time for my clients. The key is timing your call exactly at those system refresh points. Also, have all your information ready - claim number, last employer details, and dates of employment. This reduces transfer time once you do connect. I hope this helps! Let me know if you get through.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU GIVE UP!!!!! I called 67 TIMES IN ONE DAY and never got through. They don't want to pay you so they make it IMPOSSIBLE to talk to anyone. I finally had to contact my state assembly person to get help. Look up who represents your district and email them - they have special EDD contacts that regular people don't have access to. It's CRIMINAL how they treat us!!!!

i had same issue last month. try calling right at 8:12am. thats wen the first batch of calls end and they take new ones. worked for me on 3rd try

I experienced the exact same frustration with EDD phone lines during my unemployment period. After countless failed attempts, I discovered a few effective strategies that might help: 1. Try calling on Thursdays - their call volume is typically lower mid-week. 2. Use the comma trick if you're on a mobile phone: Save the EDD number in your contacts with commas to add pauses and automatically enter your selections. For example: 1-866-333-4606,1,2,4 (the commas create a 2-second pause before entering each number). 3. If your claim is pending for 6+ weeks, you qualify for an escalation. When you do get through, specifically ask for a "claim escalation due to hardship" - this puts your claim in a priority queue. 4. Have you tried the UI Online messaging system? Sometimes it's faster than phone support. Go to your UI Online account, select "Contact Us" and send a detailed message about your situation. Request a callback in your message. Also, document every attempt to contact them - dates, times, and what happened. This creates a paper trail if you need to prove you've been actively trying to resolve the issue. Hope one of these methods works for you!

my brother works at edd (not telling which office lol) and he says they're understaffed by like 40% right now so thats why its impossible to get through. he said best time to call is tuesday and wednesday afternoons around 2-3pm. good luck!

UPDATE: I finally got through!!! Used a combo of the tips here - called at 10:31am exactly like @helpfulEDDguy suggested, used the wrong SSN trick, and got transferred to a real person after about 10 minutes on hold. The agent was actually super helpful and found that my claim had a "quarterly review flag" that was causing the pending status. Said my payments should release within 48 hours. THANK YOU all for the help - was seriously about to lose my mind!

So happy to see you got through @Ava Martinez! This thread is going to be so helpful for others dealing with the same nightmare. I've been battling EDD for 4 weeks now and was starting to feel completely hopeless. Reading everyone's strategies gives me renewed hope that there actually ARE ways to beat this broken system. Going to try the 10:31am timing trick tomorrow along with the wrong SSN method. It's honestly ridiculous that we need to use "hacks" just to speak to someone about our own benefits, but here we are. Thanks to everyone who shared their tips - this community is literally saving people's sanity and livelihoods!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue and have been calling for 3 weeks straight! Reading through all these tips gives me hope that there's actually a way to get through. I'm definitely going to try the 10:31am timing trick and the wrong SSN method tomorrow. It's absolutely insane that we need to use these workarounds just to access our own benefits, but I'm desperate at this point. My claim has been pending for 5 weeks and I'm behind on bills. Thank you everyone for sharing your strategies - this thread is a lifesaver for people like us who are stuck in EDD hell!

Just wanted to add another tip that worked for me after 4 weeks of hell trying to get through - try calling the TTY line at 1-800-815-9387 even if you're not hearing impaired. Sometimes they have shorter wait times and can still help with basic claim issues. When they answer, just explain that you're having trouble getting through the main lines and ask if they can assist or transfer you to someone who can help with your claim status. Also, if you're really desperate, try calling your local EDD office directly instead of the main call center. Google "EDD office near me" and call the local branch. They often have different phone systems and sometimes can help or at least give you better guidance than the automated system from hell. The fact that we all have to become detective experts just to access our own benefits is absolutely ridiculous, but I'm glad this thread exists to help people navigate this broken system!

I've been lurking on this thread for a while dealing with the same EDD nightmare and finally decided to share what worked for me after 5 weeks of hell. I combined several tips from here and got through yesterday! Here's exactly what I did: Called at 10:31am sharp using the wrong SSN trick from @QuantumQuasar, but I also had a backup plan. I saved the number in my phone with the comma trick that @Amina Diop mentioned: 1-866-333-4606,1,1,3 so it would automatically navigate the menu. When I got the busy signal the first time, I immediately called back and got into the queue on the second try. The key thing the rep told me that I haven't seen mentioned here yet: if your claim has been pending for over 4 weeks, you can specifically ask for a "Tier 2 specialist" who has more authority to resolve complex issues on the spot. The first rep I talked to could see my issue but said she couldn't fix it, but when I asked for Tier 2, she transferred me and that person cleared up my pending payments in literally 3 minutes. Also want to echo what others said about documenting everything - I kept a spreadsheet with every call attempt and it really helped when explaining my situation to the reps. Don't give up everyone! This system is broken but there ARE ways through it. This thread has been a lifesaver!

Reading through this entire thread has been both heartbreaking and incredibly helpful. I'm currently on week 3 of trying to reach EDD with a pending claim, and like many of you, I was starting to lose hope. But seeing @Ava Martinez's success story and all the detailed strategies everyone has shared gives me renewed determination to keep fighting this broken system. I'm going to create a battle plan combining the most successful tips from here: the 10:31am timing trick, wrong SSN method, comma navigation setup, and having my Tier 2 specialist request ready. I'm also going to start that documentation spreadsheet @Ava Kim mentioned - wish I had been tracking everything from the beginning. What really strikes me about this thread is how we've all had to become experts at gaming a system that should just work properly in the first place. The fact that we need secret timing windows and deliberate mistakes just to access our own benefits is absolutely disgraceful. But I'm grateful for this community sharing real solutions when the official channels have completely failed us. Will definitely update once I try these methods. Thank you all for not giving up and for sharing what actually works!

Just wanted to share another method that finally worked for me after reading through all these amazing tips! I was stuck in EDD hell for 7 weeks with a pending claim and tried everything mentioned here. What ultimately got me through was calling the Spanish language line (1-866-333-4606 and selecting option 2) even though I don't speak Spanish fluently. When the Spanish-speaking rep answered, I politely explained in English that I had been trying to reach someone for weeks about my pending claim and asked if they could help or transfer me to an English-speaking agent. The rep was incredibly understanding and was able to assist me directly (she spoke perfect English too). Turns out the Spanish line has way shorter wait times because fewer people think to try it. She found that my claim had an "identity verification hold" that wasn't showing up in my online account - something that apparently happens frequently but isn't visible to claimants. She was able to clear it immediately and my payment processed the next day. I know it might feel awkward calling a non-English line, but the reps are bilingual and super helpful. Sometimes thinking outside the box is what it takes to beat this impossible system. Hope this helps someone else who's struggling!

This thread has been absolutely incredible - I just spent the last hour reading through everyone's strategies and success stories, and it's given me so much hope! I've been stuck in EDD purgatory for 4 weeks now with a pending claim and was honestly starting to think it was impossible to get through. What amazes me is how this community has basically created the ultimate EDD survival guide that's more helpful than anything official. The combination of timing tricks (10:31am, 3:01pm), the wrong SSN method, asking for Tier 2 specialists, trying the Spanish line, and even using services like Claimyr - there are so many options I never knew existed. I'm going to start with the 10:31am timing trick combined with the wrong SSN method tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, I'll try the Spanish line approach. The documentation spreadsheet idea is genius too - starting that tonight to track all my attempts. It's absolutely shameful that we need to use these workarounds just to access benefits we've earned, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing what actually works. This thread should be required reading for anyone dealing with EDD! Will definitely update with results - fingers crossed one of these methods breaks me out of this nightmare.

Wow, this thread is absolutely incredible! I just discovered this community while desperately searching for EDD help and I'm amazed at how much more useful information is here than anywhere else online. I've been battling the phone system for 2 weeks with a pending claim and was starting to feel completely defeated. Reading through everyone's detailed strategies has given me so much hope - the timing tricks, wrong SSN method, Tier 2 specialist requests, Spanish line hack, and even the comma navigation setup. It's like you've all created a masterclass in beating this broken system! I'm definitely going to try the 10:31am approach with the wrong SSN trick first, and keep the Spanish line as my backup plan. The documentation spreadsheet idea is brilliant too - I wish I had been tracking everything from day one. Starting that tonight along with setting up the comma shortcuts in my phone contacts. It's absolutely infuriating that we need these elaborate workarounds just to access our own benefits, but I'm so grateful for this community sharing real solutions when the official channels have completely abandoned us. This thread should be pinned as the definitive EDD survival guide! Will definitely update once I try these methods. Thank you all for not giving up and for helping fellow people in need!

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredible thread! I've been dealing with EDD phone hell for 3 weeks now and was completely losing hope until I found this community. All these strategies are pure gold - way more helpful than anything on the official EDD website. I tried the 10:31am timing trick with the wrong SSN method yesterday and actually got through on my second attempt! The rep found that my claim had a "work search requirement waiver" that needed to be updated, something that wasn't visible in my online account at all. She fixed it immediately and said payments should process within 24-48 hours. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here - when you finally get a rep on the phone, ask them to email you a summary of what they did to fix your claim. The rep I spoke with was super helpful and actually sent me a detailed email explaining the issue and resolution, which gives me peace of mind that it's actually been handled. It's absolutely criminal that we need to use these elaborate hacks just to get basic customer service, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing what actually works. This thread is literally saving people's financial lives! Keep fighting the good fight everyone - there IS hope!

Just joined this community after desperately searching for EDD help and I'm blown away by how much incredible information is in this thread! I've been trying to get through for 5 weeks with a pending claim and was honestly about to give up completely. Reading everyone's success stories has given me renewed hope - especially the 10:31am timing trick combined with the wrong SSN method that seems to work consistently. I'm also fascinated by the Spanish line hack and the Tier 2 specialist request that several people mentioned. It's amazing how this community has basically reverse-engineered the entire EDD phone system! I'm setting up my battle plan tonight: comma navigation shortcuts in my phone, documentation spreadsheet to track attempts, and I'll start with the 10:31am approach tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll try the Spanish line and TTY line methods as backups. It's absolutely disgraceful that we need these elaborate workarounds just to access benefits we've paid into, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing real solutions when the official system has completely failed us. This thread should honestly be featured on the EDD website - it's more helpful than anything they've published! Will definitely update with results once I try these methods. Thank you all for creating this incredible resource and giving hope to those of us stuck in this nightmare!

This thread is absolutely incredible and has become my lifeline! I've been stuck in EDD phone hell for 8 weeks now with a pending claim and was honestly ready to give up until I found this community. Reading through everyone's detailed strategies and success stories has given me so much hope when I was feeling completely defeated. I've been trying the traditional approach of calling first thing in the morning with zero success, but now I have a whole arsenal of methods to try thanks to everyone here. The 10:31am timing trick with the wrong SSN method seems to have the highest success rate, and I'm definitely going to try the Spanish line hack too - that's such brilliant outside-the-box thinking! Setting up my documentation spreadsheet tonight and programming those comma shortcuts into my contacts. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to become phone system ninjas just to access our own benefits, but this community proves that together we can beat even the most broken bureaucracy. Special thanks to everyone who shared their exact methods and timing - @QuantumQuasar, @Amina Diop, @Hattie Carson, and all the others who took time to help fellow people in crisis. This thread should be required reading for anyone dealing with EDD. Will definitely report back with results once I implement these strategies!

Just found this thread through a desperate Google search and I'm honestly amazed at how much more helpful this is than the official EDD website! I've been trying to reach them for 3 weeks straight with a pending claim and was starting to think it was literally impossible. Reading through all these success stories and detailed strategies has given me hope for the first time in weeks. The 10:31am timing trick with the wrong SSN method seems like pure genius - I never would have thought to deliberately enter wrong information to get routed to a human! And the Spanish line hack is brilliant too. I'm definitely going to set up that comma navigation system in my contacts tonight and start the documentation spreadsheet. It's absolutely insane that we need to become EDD phone system experts just to access benefits we've paid into, but this community has basically created the ultimate survival guide. Planning to try the 10:31am approach tomorrow, and if that doesn't work I'll move through the other methods everyone shared. Thank you all for not giving up and for sharing what actually works - this thread is literally saving people's sanity and financial lives! Will update once I try these strategies.