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Fatima Al-Sayed

What are the quarters for unemployment? Trying to understand California EDD base period

I've been trying to figure out how California EDD actually calculates what you get paid each week and I keep running into this term 'quarters' and 'base period' but nobody explains it in plain English. Like what does a quarter even mean for unemployment purposes? Is it just January through March, April through June, etc.? And which quarters do they actually look at when deciding your weekly benefit amount? I got laid off from my restaurant job about six weeks ago and I had one really strong quarter last year where I picked up a ton of overtime plus banquet shifts, so I'm hoping that counts. My DE 429Z just came in the mail and the weekly amount seems lower than I expected. Would really appreciate if someone could break this down simply.

Calendar quarters are exactly what you think they are - Jan through March, April through June, July through September, October through December. Each one is a quarter. What EDD does is look back at a specific window of those quarters, called the base period, and finds the one where you earned the most. That highest quarter is what your weekly amount comes from. The more you made in that best quarter, the higher your weekly check, up to $450 max. The DE 429Z you got shows which quarters they used and which one was your highest - take a look at that document carefully and see if the numbers match what you actually earned.

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Ok so I looked at the DE 429Z again and the highest quarter they're showing is from early last year, but my really big overtime quarter was more recent than that. Like the last few months before I got laid off. Why wouldn't they use that one?

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The base period doesn't include the most recent quarter you worked - it goes back further than that. The window they look at ends before your claim starts, so wages you earned close to your layoff date often fall outside it. That's just how the standard window is set up, it's not a mistake on EDD's part.

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yeah same thing happened to me, my best months were right before i got laid off and EDD basically ignored them, really frustrating

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Quarters tied to your layoff timing mattered a lot on my claim. The standard base period EDD uses is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim started. So if you filed in, say, October 2026, the fifth most recently completed quarter would be July through September 2026, and EDD skips that one, then looks at the four before it. Your big overtime stretch might have landed right in that skipped quarter or in the most recent partial one, which is why it's missing from your award letter. I ran into the same thing and had to look quarter by quarter at my pay stubs to see where my wages actually fell. Claimyr (claimyr.com) got me on the phone with an EDD agent pretty quick - the hold times were brutal every time I tried on my own - and the agent pulled up my claim, confirmed exactly which four quarters they used, and told me my highest quarter was Q2 of last year, not Q3 like I thought. The video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10 shows how reaching a live person at EDD actually works if you want to see it. Once I knew the right quarters I could verify the math myself against my W-2.

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Wait so they literally skip the quarter right before you file? That seems like it would hurt a lot of people who had their best earnings recently.

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Yep, that's the standard window. The logic is they want completed quarters with verified employer wage reports, not the most recent partial or just-finished one. Annoying but that's how it's set up.

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this is the clearest explanation ive seen of the base period thing, spent like an hour on edd.ca.gov trying to figure this out

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Makes sense they'd want finalized wage data. The employer has to report and certify those wages before EDD can rely on them for a benefit calculation.

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Something worth knowing - there is an alternate base period option that uses the four most recent completed quarters instead of the standard window. EDD is supposed to check automatically if the standard base period doesn't give you enough wages to even have a valid claim. It doesn't bump up your weekly amount if you already qualify under the standard one though, so if your DE 429Z shows a valid award it means you qualified and EDD used the standard window. The alternate is really only a lifeline for people who wouldn't have a valid claim otherwise.

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Mine does show a valid claim amount so I guess EDD went with the standard window. I just wish my big quarter had fallen inside it.

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i thought the alternate base period was something you could request anytime to get a higher weekly amount, glad someone cleared that up bc i was about to call and ask for it

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A lot of people think that - the alternate base period gets you in the door if the standard window leaves you without enough wages, nothing more. EDD runs the check for you so you don't have to ask.

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The minimum to even have a valid claim tripped me up when I first filed. You need at least $1,300 in one quarter of your base period, OR at least $900 in your best quarter AND your total base period wages need to be at least 1.25 times that best quarter amount. EDD runs the numbers both ways and if either one works, you've got a valid claim. Most people with steady employment clear it easily but gig workers and part-timers sometimes cut it close.

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I definitely had over $1,300 in my best quarter so I should be fine on that threshold. The issue is just that my actual highest earning quarter isn't in the window they're looking at.

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the 1.25 times rule is confusing, do you have an example of how that works

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Say your best quarter had $900. Then your total wages across all four base period quarters need to be at least $1,125 (which is $900 times 1.25). If they are, you qualify under the second path. EDD's calculator on their site can estimate it if you plug in your quarterly numbers.

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NOBODY explains that there are essentially two different formulas EDD can use and you have no say in which one applies - the system just runs them. I had three different people tell me three different things when I was trying to understand my award letter. One person said it was based on annual salary, another said it was based on your last paycheck, and a third said it was your highest month. All wrong. It's the highest QUARTER, full stop, and there's a cap at $450 a week no matter how much you made.

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The misinformation about how EDD calculates weekly amounts is genuinely wild. I told a coworker it was based on his highest quarter and he didn't believe me, thought it was some average of everything he earned.

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People spread the annual salary thing constantly and it sends everyone down the wrong path trying to do math that doesn't match how EDD actually works.

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worth adding that the $450 cap means high earners get cut off even if their highest quarter math would produce more - EDD's benefit calculator on their site shows you pretty quickly where you land

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Layoffs in the restaurant industry hit different because the quarterly wages swing so much depending on the season and event bookings. If your banquet overtime quarter ended up in the skipped slot, there's not much to do about it on a standard claim. I'd still double-check the actual dollar amounts EDD has on record for each quarter against your pay stubs or W-2 - sometimes an employer reports wages in the wrong quarter and that can undercut your weekly amount in a way that actually can be fixed.

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Oh that's a really good point about employer reporting errors. I do have a W-2 somewhere, should I be comparing that to what the DE 429Z shows?

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Exactly - cross-reference the quarterly earnings on the award letter with your own records. If a number is off, you'd want to contact EDD and flag it, because an employer misreporting a quarter is different from the base period window just not favoring your timing.

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my employer reported my tips in the wrong quarter two years ago and EDD's records were off by like $800 for one quarter, definitely worth checking

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Had a question reading through this - does the base period reset if you go back to work and then get laid off again? Like if I collect some benefits now and then get rehired and laid off again next year, would they look at a whole new set of quarters?

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A new claim filed after your current benefit year ends would have its own base period calculated from the quarters before that new claim date. So yes, a later claim would look at later quarters and potentially capture that strong overtime stretch you mentioned earning recently.

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that actually makes me feel better about my situation, the timing on my current claim is bad but future-me might do better

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Keep in mind you can't file a new California claim until the benefit year on your current one ends, even if you use up all the weeks early.

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The EDD Unemployment Benefit Calculator on edd.ca.gov is actually useful for running different quarterly scenarios before you file or if you're trying to verify your award letter. You put in estimated quarterly wages and it spits out a weekly benefit estimate. It won't match the DE 429Z exactly since it uses your actual employer-reported wages, but it's good for sanity-checking the ballpark.

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I wish I had used that before filing so I'd know what to expect. The number on my DE 429Z surprised me and I didn't know if it was an error or just how the math worked out.

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It's still useful now - plug in the quarterly amounts from the award letter and see if the calculator gives you the same weekly amount. If the math checks out, the award is probably right and it's just about which quarters fell into the base period window.

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ran the calculator for a friend and it was within like $5 of what EDD actually gave her, pretty accurate tool

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Two jobs in my base period quarters made this even more confusing for me. I had a part-time retail job and a full-time warehouse job during overlapping quarters and wasn't sure if EDD added them together or just took the higher-paying one. Turns out they add all wages from all employers together within each quarter, so both jobs' earnings combined into the same quarterly total. That actually helped my claim because the combined quarter came out higher than either job alone.

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Oh I didn't know they combined wages from different employers in the same quarter, that's really useful to know.

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Yeah it's the total wages you earned in that three-month window regardless of how many jobs it came from. EDD gets the wage reports from each employer separately and they add up.

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i had a side gig during my main job and was nervous about how to handle it, good to know it just all stacks together in the quarter

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same here, two jobs at once and EDD just added them up no problem

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Timing of when you got laid off within a quarter can actually matter a lot for your base period. If you got laid off in the first few weeks of a new quarter, that quarter is still in progress and not a completed calendar quarter yet, so the standard base period skips back further. Getting laid off in December versus January can mean very different quarters end up in your window even if your pay was similar both years.

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I got laid off in late October so I'm guessing the July-September quarter was the most recent completed one and that's the one that got skipped?

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Right - October through December would be the quarter you're currently in or just entered, July through September would be the most recent completed one, and that's the fifth completed quarter EDD skips. So your base period would be April through June, January through March, and two quarters from 2025.

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i never would have thought the layoff date itself affected which quarters got used, assumed it was always the same four

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Something that caught me off guard - my pension from a previous employer showed up as income I had to report when certifying. It doesn't go into the base period quarters the way wages do, but EDD can reduce your weekly benefit by some portion of it. I called EDD to ask how much it would take off and the agent told me EDD makes that calculation on my specific claim. Couldn't get a straight formula out of anyone.

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Pensions are one of those things where EDD decides the reduction amount on your individual claim rather than it being a fixed published formula. Best advice is exactly what you did - ask EDD directly about your own situation rather than trying to calculate it yourself.

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yeah it was frustrating not getting a clear number but I get that it's claim-specific. At least I knew to expect some reduction rather than being blindsided.

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Reading this thread because I was confused about the same quarters question. Mine is a little different though - I worked in California for two years but then moved to Nevada and worked there for about six months before getting laid off. My recent quarters are mostly Nevada wages. Do I file here in California or through Nevada since that's where I was working most recently?

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If your wages are split between California and another state over the last 18 months you'd file a combined wage claim with California EDD, but that has to be done by phone, fax or mail rather than online through UI Online. The agent can explain how the quarters and wages from both states factor into the base period for a combined claim.

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wait really, i cant do it online? that's annoying. ok i'll call EDD then to figure it out

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Combined wage claims just have that extra step - the same 1-800-300-5616 number applies, Monday through Friday 8 to 5.

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My situation is that I actually got a decent weekly amount but the waiting week thing is what threw me. First week of the claim is unpaid no matter what, so even though my DE 429Z showed my weekly benefit amount, I didn't get a dime for that first certified week. I thought something was wrong with my claim for two full weeks before someone explained the waiting week to me.

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Oh I actually hadn't thought about the waiting week yet, good heads up. So the first certification usually covers the waiting week plus one paid week?

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Exactly. The waiting week still needs to be certified - you just don't get paid for it. After that the weekly amount kicks in for real. It doesn't change the total your claim can pay out over its life though.

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the waiting week got me too, panicked thinking my payment was wrong when it was just the normal unpaid first week

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Since we're on the topic of the DE 429Z and understanding your award - if something on that letter looks wrong to you, like a quarterly wage amount that doesn't match your records, you have 30 days from the mailing date to appeal it in writing. The form to use is included with the notice. Most people don't realize the award letter itself is appealable if the numbers are off.

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30 days from the mailing date - ok I need to go find when mine was actually mailed. I've been sitting on it for about a week already trying to understand it.

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Check the date printed on the letter itself, not the postmark or when it arrived. That's the date EDD uses for the 30-day window.

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EDD really buries that appeal information at the bottom of the letter in small print, easy to miss

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Honestly the whole base period thing clicked for me when I drew it out on paper. I literally made a grid with all the quarters labeled and then marked which four fell into my standard base period window and which one got skipped. Then I wrote in my earnings for each from my pay stubs. When I could see it visually the math made total sense. If you're a visual person that method helps a lot more than trying to follow a written explanation.

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That's actually a great idea, I might try that tonight with my pay stubs and my W-2.

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If your quarterly earnings on the grid don't match what EDD shows on the DE 429Z for the same quarters, that's the signal to contact them because an employer may have mis-reported something.

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Two months into my claim right now and still had a question about quarters that nobody answered for me - if I do some part-time work while collecting, do those new wages affect the base period quarters EDD already calculated? Like does earning money now change my weekly benefit amount going forward?

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Wages you earn while already on a claim don't change the base period that was set when you filed. The base period is locked in at the start. What you earn while collecting affects your weekly payment for whatever week you worked - there's a formula where the first $25 or 25 percent of gross weekly earnings (whichever is bigger) doesn't count against you, and the rest gets subtracted from that week's benefit. But your quarterly base period stays fixed.

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oh good, so my $425 weekly amount isn't going to drop permanently just because I pick up some shifts, it just adjusts that specific week

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Exactly right. Each week stands on its own for the earnings deduction. Your base weekly amount on the award letter doesn't change.

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and you have to report those wages in the week you earned them not when you get paid, that part trips people up a lot

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I tried calling EDD four times over three days trying to ask about my base period quarters and kept getting dropped after waiting forever. Benefit year ending on my current claim is coming up and I needed to know if I could file again and use more recent quarters that were stronger. Claimyr got me through to a live agent and I asked exactly that - the agent looked at my claim, confirmed the benefit year end date, and told me the quarters that would fall into the base period if I filed a new claim after that date. Helped me plan out whether it was worth trying to pick up more hours in a specific quarter to boost a future claim.

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Good timing on this comment, I need to do something similar - figure out when my benefit year ends and what a new claim would look like. Did you go through claimyr.com to reach them?

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Yeah, the site is claimyr.com - I'd just kept striking out getting through on my own and needed actual answers about my specific claim dates, not just general info.

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The question of planning around quarters for a future claim is something I hadn't thought about at all, good point to raise with EDD while you have them on the phone.

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Something I got wrong early on that someone corrected me about - I thought self-employment income counted differently toward the base period quarters, like maybe only partial credit or something. Actually if you paid into the system through your employer it's just all wages, doesn't matter if it was W-2 work or multiple types. Though I'll add that actual self-employed independent contractor income where no contributions were made is a different situation - EDD's regular UI program is based on covered employment wages reported by employers.

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I was also confused about this, I had one quarter where I did some 1099 work alongside my regular job and wasn't sure how EDD would count it

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The W-2 wages from your regular job would be in EDD's system from employer reports. The 1099 side income is worth asking EDD about directly since it depends on whether UI contributions were made on it.

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gig work and independent contractor stuff is genuinely one of the more complicated areas for base period questions, smart to ask EDD directly on that one

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My layoff came with a severance package and I was totally lost about whether that money counted as wages in one of my base period quarters or bumped my weekly amount. I ended up getting to an EDD agent through Claimyr after three failed attempts to get through on my own - kept getting into the phone tree and hitting a dead end. The agent told me my severance was separate from the base period wage calculation and that I should still report it when certifying as the certification form asks. She also confirmed which quarters EDD had on record for my claim and the numbers matched my W-2, so at least that part was right.

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The severance thing is something I might need to ask about too if the restaurant offers anything when they officially close the location. Good to know it's separate from the base period quarters.

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Yeah severance doesn't change the quarterly earnings EDD calculated when you filed - that calculation is done. It's just something to report when you certify for the week you receive it and EDD handles it from there.

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Reading back through all of this I think the main thing that helped me finally understand the quarters question was realizing there are two separate things people mean when they say 'quarters for unemployment' - there's the question of WHICH quarters get looked at (the base period window), and then there's HOW your highest quarter determines the weekly amount. People mix those two questions together and get confused. OP's question about the overtime quarter not showing up is a base period window question. The math of how earnings become a weekly check is a separate step after that.

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You're right that I was actually asking about both things at once without realizing it. The base period window explains why my best quarter isn't included, and separately the highest-quarter formula explains how the weekly amount is calculated from whatever IS in the window.

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Exactly. Once those two questions are separated it's easier to figure out if you have a complaint (wrong wages reported) versus just an unlucky timing situation (best quarter outside the window).

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this distinction should honestly be pinned somewhere because every new claimant gets confused mixing those two things together

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