Reporting new job to EDD before start date - do I still need to job search?

Congrats on the new job! You don't need to report the job offer to EDD until you actually start working. When you certify for the weeks before your start date, you'll answer "no" to the question about working and receiving income. Then, when you certify for the week you start working, you'll answer "yes" and report your earnings. As for job searching - technically yes, you ARE still required to meet the work search requirements until your last certification. EDD's rules don't have an exception for people with future job offers. You need to continue making at least 3 work search activities each week until you actually start working.

I was in the same boat last year! You actually DO need to keep doing job search activities until you officially start working. EDD doesn't care that you have a job lined up - only that you're not working yet. I just did the bare minimum - looked at job postings online and documented them. Took like 10 mins a week.

To add to what others have said, when you certify for the week you start working, make sure you report your earnings for that week (not your offer letter date). For job search activities, you can actually list things like "reviewed employee handbook" or "prepared for new position" as valid work search activities. Just document them properly. Also, don't forget to request your claim be closed after your last certification. This helps avoid confusion later if you ever need to file again. You can do this through UI Online by selecting "Stop Certification for Benefits" from your dashboard.

I went thru EXACTLY this last summer! Called EDD to ask about my job offer and them put me on hold for 3 HOURS only to disconnect me!! RIDICULOUS!!! Finally got thru two days later and they told me I still had to do job search until my actual start date. Something about "anything could happen before you actually start the job" 🙄 WASTE OF TIME but whatever, I just did what they said. And YES make sure to ACTUALLY report your income correctly when you start. They will check with your employer and the last thing you want is an overpayment notice.

congrats on the new job!! just make sure when u start working u report ur earnings correctly. my cousin had a similar situation and messed up the reporting - ended up with a fraud investigation! not fun!!

To answer your follow-up question about closing your claim - yes, there's a specific option. Log into UI Online, go to the main menu and look for "Contact EDD" or sometimes it's under "More Services." Then select "Stop Certifying for Benefits" from the drop-down menu. You'll get a confirmation message and should receive an email confirming your request. Regarding reporting earnings: report what you actually earned during the certification period, not when you get paid. For example, if you work Mon-Fri but don't get your first paycheck until 2 weeks later, you still report those earnings for the week you performed the work. This is a common mistake people make.

why is edd so complicated??? my girlfriend just went thru this whole thing and ended up with an interview cuz she didnt do her work search after getting her offer letter. such bs. just do the minimum search to check the boxes til ur actually working.

i had a job offer that fell thru last year after i stopped my certifications early. had to reopen my claim and it was a mess. dont close anything until u actually start!!

Just to summarize the correct approach for everyone: 1. Continue certifying normally until you start working 2. Continue doing and documenting work search activities until your last certification 3. On the certification that includes your first day of work, answer "yes" to working and report your gross earnings 4. Only close your claim after you've successfully started your new job 5. Keep documentation of everything (offer letter, first day confirmation, etc.) Congratulations again on the new position, and best of luck with the transition!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - when you're doing your required work search activities while waiting to start your new job, you can actually be pretty creative with what counts. I did things like "researched company culture at new employer," "reviewed industry trends relevant to new position," and "networked with future colleagues on LinkedIn." EDD accepted all of these as valid work search activities. Just make sure you document the date, company/website, and specific activity for each one. This way you're staying compliant but also doing something that's actually useful for your upcoming role!

Great advice from everyone here! Just wanted to add something that might help - when you're documenting your work search activities, be specific about what you did and where. Instead of just writing "job search online," write something like "researched marketing coordinator positions on Indeed.com" or "reviewed job requirements for digital marketing roles on LinkedIn." EDD can be really picky about vague documentation, and having specific details makes it much easier if they ever ask for clarification. I always kept a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, activity type, company/website, and brief description. Took maybe 2 minutes per activity to log but saved me tons of stress later. Also, since you mentioned you're starting at a marketing firm - you could definitely count things like "researched current digital marketing trends" or "studied new marketing tools relevant to position" as valid work search activities. Just make sure each activity is aimed at finding or preparing for work, and you're golden!

Congratulations on landing the marketing position! 🎉 This thread has been incredibly informative - I'm actually saving it as a reference because the advice is so comprehensive! I just wanted to add something that might help with the work search documentation that I learned from my own experience. When you're doing those required activities while waiting to start, make sure to be as specific as possible in your logs. Instead of writing "researched marketing trends," write something like "researched Q1 2024 digital marketing trends on MarketingLand.com, focusing on AI integration in email campaigns." The extra specificity serves two purposes: it makes your documentation bulletproof if EDD ever asks for details, AND it forces you to actually engage deeply with the material rather than just skimming. I found that this approach made my prep time genuinely valuable for my new role. Also, since everyone's mentioned keeping good records, I'd suggest creating a backup of your documentation. I kept my main tracking spreadsheet in Google Drive but also emailed myself a copy every week. Sounds paranoid, but technology fails at the worst times and you don't want to lose weeks of documentation! The whole EDD process can feel overwhelming, but it sounds like you've got a solid plan now thanks to all the great advice here. Best of luck with the transition to your new marketing role - June will be here before you know it! 🚀