Must I report Social Security retirement income to EDD while claiming unemployment benefits?
Hi everyone, I'm currently helping my father with his unemployment situation and we're really confused about how to handle his Social Security retirement benefits. He just started receiving unemployment benefits through EDD last month, but he's been on Social Security retirement for about 2 years now. We're worried because he's not sure if he needs to report his Social Security income when certifying for UI benefits each week. He didn't mention it in his initial application because he didn't think it counted as 'income' in the same way as work earnings. Now he's panicking that he might get in trouble for overpayment or even fraud. Has anyone dealt with this situation before? If he does need to report it, where exactly on the certification form should he put it? He really doesn't want to mess this up and potentially lose both benefits.
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Dmitry Sokolov
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.
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Sofia Torres
•Thank you so much! That's a huge relief to hear that it won't reduce his benefits. Do you know if he needs to call them about the previous certifications, or can he do that online somehow? I'm worried about him spending days trying to get through on the phone.
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Ava Martinez
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
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Sofia Torres
•That's really helpful to know, thank you! Did your mom have to report the gross amount before Medicare is taken out or the net amount that actually hits her bank account?
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Miguel Ramos
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!!!
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QuantumQuasar
•I know right?? The forms are so confusing. I spent 2 hours on hold last week just to ask a simple question about reporting my pension.
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Zainab Omar
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.
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Sofia Torres
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I'll make sure he reports the gross amount going forward. I'll look into Claimyr too - he gets so anxious about these phone calls and waiting on hold makes it worse.
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Connor Gallagher
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???
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Dmitry Sokolov
•You only need to report YOUR income, not your spouse's. Your husband's Social Security doesn't affect your unemployment benefits. The original poster is asking about someone who receives BOTH Social Security AND unemployment themselves.
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Yara Sayegh
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.
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Sofia Torres
•Thank you for the detailed process! That's exactly what we needed to know. He'll start doing this right away for his next certification.
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QuantumQuasar
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!!!
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Yara Sayegh
•That's strange since Social Security retirement doesn't actually reduce UI benefits in California. Maybe there were other factors involved or your neighbor is in a different state? Or perhaps it wasn't Social Security retirement but another type of benefit?
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Sofia Torres
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.
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Zainab Omar
•Great to hear it worked out! Self-reporting is always the best approach when you realize there's been an error. And yes, in California, Social Security retirement doesn't reduce UI benefits, but it still needs to be reported. Glad your dad got it sorted!
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