Must I report Social Security retirement income to EDD while claiming unemployment benefits?

Yes, your father absolutely needs to report his Social Security retirement income when certifying for unemployment. It goes under the "other income" section when he certifies every two weeks. However, Social Security retirement benefits DON'T typically reduce unemployment benefits in California (unlike in some other states). EDD still needs to know about all income sources though. Make sure he reports it going forward, and he might want to contact EDD to correct his previous certifications if he hasn't been reporting it.

my mom went thru this exACT thing last year!! social security is fine with edd they dont count it against ur benefits. she reported it every time in the "other income" box and put the amount and wrote "social security retirement" and everything was approved no problems

I'm going through something similar but with disability payments not Social Security. EDD is SO confusing about what counts as income!!! Every person I talk to tells me something different. I'm terrified of getting hit with an overpayment notice months from now. The whole system is designed to trick people into making mistakes so they can punish you later!!!

To clarify what others have said: 1. Your father MUST report Social Security retirement benefits when certifying for UI benefits under the "other income" section. 2. In California, Social Security retirement benefits are NOT deducted from unemployment benefits (this is different from some states). 3. He should report the GROSS amount before any deductions. 4. For previous certifications, he should contact EDD to correct them. This is considered self-reporting an error, which is much better than them discovering it later during an audit. If he's having trouble reaching someone at EDD to report the previous error, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to an EDD representative without the usual hours of hold time. There's a good video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It saved me days of frustration when I needed to fix an issue with my claim.

wait i'm confused, do you HAVE to report social security?? i thought that was only for work income or state disability. i've been on unemployment for 3 months and haven't been reporting my husband's social security at all!! am i in trouble now???

I went through this exact situation last year. Here's what I learned: Social Security retirement MUST be reported, but it DOES NOT reduce your UI benefits in California. Also, for those wondering about the reporting process - when you certify every two weeks, on Question 2 "Did you receive any other type of income?", answer YES. Then select "Other" from the dropdown menu, and in the box that appears, type "Social Security Retirement" and enter the appropriate amount. Regarding the previous certifications, I would recommend your father call EDD to correct them. It shows good faith that he's trying to fix the mistake, which helps avoid any potential fraud accusations.

my neighbor got in BIG trouble for not reporting his social security. they hit him with an overpayment notice AND fraud penalty. not worth the risk!!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! My dad called EDD this morning (using Claimyr actually - that worked amazingly well!) and got it sorted out. The representative confirmed that while he does need to report his Social Security retirement under "other income" when certifying, it won't reduce his unemployment benefits. They also helped him correct his previous certifications, and since he self-reported the error, there won't be any penalties. Such a relief! He'll make sure to report correctly going forward.

So glad everything worked out for your dad! This is such a common confusion point for people receiving both benefits. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation - the key takeaways are: 1) Always report Social Security retirement income under "other income" when certifying, 2) In California, it won't reduce your UI benefits but must still be reported, 3) If you realize you've made an error in previous certifications, self-report it ASAP to avoid penalties. The EDD representatives are generally understanding when you're proactive about fixing mistakes. Thanks for updating us on the resolution!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my uncle who's been on Social Security disability (not retirement) and just started receiving unemployment. From what I've read here, I understand that Social Security retirement doesn't reduce UI benefits in California, but I'm wondering if the same applies to Social Security disability? The forms and requirements seem so similar but I want to make sure we're reporting everything correctly. Has anyone here dealt with SSDI specifically alongside unemployment benefits?

I'm new to this community and this thread has been a lifesaver! My mom is in almost the exact same situation - she's been receiving Social Security retirement for about 18 months and just applied for unemployment after being laid off from her part-time job. We were so confused about the reporting requirements and honestly terrified about making a mistake that could jeopardize either benefit. Reading everyone's experiences here, especially Sofia's update about her dad getting everything sorted out, gives me so much confidence that we can handle this correctly. I'm definitely going to have her report the Social Security under "other income" from the start, and it's such a relief to know that in California it won't actually reduce her unemployment benefits. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge - communities like this make navigating these confusing systems so much easier!