Reporting 1099 out-of-state earnings on EDD certification - when and how?
Hi everyone, I finally managed to get some work this week (thank goodness!) but it's a 1099 contract job in another state. The company told me payment will take 3-4 weeks to process. I'm really confused about how to handle this with my EDD certification that's due today. Two things I'm struggling with: 1) Should I report these earnings on this week's certification even though I haven't received any money yet? Or wait until the payment actually hits my account? 2) In the certification where it asks for employer info - what do I put? Am I considered self-employed now? Do I list myself or the company I did the contract for? I'm nervous about messing this up since I've heard horror stories about overpayment notices. Thanks for any advice!!
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TechNinja
You ALWAYS report earnings for the week you performed the work, NOT when you get paid. EDD goes by when the work was done. For the employer section, put the company name that hired you as a contractor. Even though you're technically self-employed as a 1099 worker, EDD wants to know who's paying you.
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Lena Müller
•Thank you! That makes sense. So even though the money won't hit my account for weeks, I need to report it now. I appreciate the clarity!
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Keisha Thompson
I went thru this same thing last yr. Report the $ when u earn it not when paid. They dont care bout the payment date just when u did the work
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Paolo Bianchi
Wait but what if the contract job falls through and they never pay you?? I had that happen once and I reported earnings I never actually got! Then I had to call EDD like 50 times to fix it and they were SO unhelpful. I ended up just giving up because it was only for like $300. Now I always wait until the money is actually in my account because otherwise it's just a disaster waiting to happen.
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TechNinja
•That's actually incorrect advice. The EDD regulations clearly state you must report wages when earned, regardless of payment timing. If payment falls through, you would need to contact EDD to correct your certification, but you should never delay reporting work just because payment hasn't been received yet.
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Yara Assad
I've been dealing with 1099 work while on unemployment for about 8 months now. Here's exactly what you need to do: 1. Report earnings for the week you WORKED, not when paid 2. For employer name, put the actual company that contracted you (not yourself) 3. Calculate your gross earnings (before any taxes or expenses) 4. Keep detailed records of all work dates and hours The one tricky part with 1099 work is you can't deduct business expenses when reporting to EDD - you have to report the full amount. You'll get those deductions when you file taxes, but EDD wants the gross amount. Also, remember if you earn over 1.33x your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive benefits for that week, but you'll still have those weeks available in your claim balance.
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Lena Müller
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! One follow-up question - do I need to report travel expenses separately? The job was out of state so I had to pay for flights and hotel, which ate into what I actually earned quite a bit.
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Yara Assad
•Unfortunately, EDD doesn't let you deduct any expenses - not even travel costs. You report the full gross amount of what you earned. The travel expenses will be deductible on your taxes, but not for unemployment reporting purposes. It's frustrating, I know.
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Olivia Clark
Omg the EDD system is INFURIATING with these kinds of situations!! I got hit with an overpayment notice for $4,250 because I reported my 1099 earnings wrong. Had to go through their ridiculous appeal process which took MONTHS. The phone lines are always busy and when you finally get through after 200+ calls, they transfer you and you get disconnected. SO DONE with their incompetence.
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Javier Morales
•Try using Claimyr to get through to an EDD rep quickly - it worked for me when I had a similar issue with reporting my 1099 work. The service connects you to EDD without all the endless calling and getting disconnected. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km that shows how it works. I was skeptical but got through to a rep in about 20 minutes instead of spending days redialing. Worth checking out at claimyr.com if you're still having issues.
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Olivia Clark
•Thank you!! I'll check this out. At this point I'd try anything to get a human on the phone who can actually help.
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Natasha Petrov
congrats on finding work! thats the most important thing
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Paolo Bianchi
This is why I'm terrified of taking any side gigs while on unemployment... the reporting is so confusing and if you make a mistake they act like you committed fraud. Anyone else feel like the system is designed to trap people??
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Keisha Thompson
•100% agree!! my cousin got disqualified for 5 weeks bcuz he reported a 1-day gig wrong. whole system is a joke
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Lena Müller
Thank you all for the helpful responses! Just to update - I reported the earnings for the week I did the work as suggested, and put down the contracting company as the employer. I'll keep track of everything in case there are any issues down the road. It's definitely stressful navigating this system but I feel better now knowing how to handle it correctly.
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Yara Assad
•You did exactly right! One more tip: take screenshots of your certifications after you submit them. They're good to have if there's ever a dispute about what you reported.
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