What card does unemployment use in California EDD - Money Network or something else?

Thank you! So the card just comes in the mail on its own? I haven't received anything that looks like a card yet, only the DE 429Z. How long after approval does it usually take to arrive?

The card came about a week after I got my DE 429Z, but mine had already been in the mail when I got the award notice. If you haven't seen it in another week or so, definitely check with EDD because you need it set up before your first payment processes.

Heads up on the Bank of America thing - EDD hasn't used them for unemployment cards for a few years now. Money Network is definitely correct. If anyone still has an old BofA EDD card it won't work anymore.

Does changing to direct deposit delay anything? Like if I switch it now before I certify for the first time, will the first payment still go through okay or should I wait until after?

Switching before you certify is actually the ideal time to do it. If you switch after a payment is already processing it might still hit the card for that cycle. Set it up now and you should be good.

The 1-866-333-4606 number is good to know, I didn't realize that line was 24 hours. I always thought you had to call during business hours for any EDD info.

That's actually a really useful thing to know about activating the card before your first payment. I'll make sure to activate it right when it arrives. Did EDD give you any trouble about the adjudication delay when you called?

The adjudication issue was already resolved by then so the agent was just focused on the card question. The main thing they confirmed was my balance and that the pending payment wasn't going anywhere. Activated the card and it was accessible the same day.

The card activation thing is a real gotcha. Mine sat in a drawer for three days because I thought the payment would trigger the activation reminder but it doesn't, it just sits there waiting.

Wait I didn't know the Money Network card had a routing number. Can you use it like a bank account for things like setting up automatic bill pay?

You can, but honestly I just switched to direct deposit into my actual bank account because it felt simpler to track everything in one place. The card does work as a debit card at stores and ATMs though.

My card came with a little insert that had all the activation info and the app download link. Way easier than I expected to set up honestly.

Good point about the address - I actually moved a few months ago but updated my address when I filed so it should be okay. Can you update it in UI Online if something changes after you've already filed?

You can update address info in myEDD. I'd double check it's reflecting correctly before your card ships just to be safe.

I had my card go to an old address because I forgot to update it. Took almost two extra weeks to get a replacement. Definitely verify the address first thing.

Is the Tele-Cert line different from the main EDD line? I always call 1-800-300-5616 for everything but I didn't realize there was a separate certification number.

Yes, they're separate. The 1-866-333-4606 is specifically for certifying and checking payment info, available 24 hours. The 1-800-300-5616 is for reaching an actual EDD agent about claim issues, and that one is weekdays 8 to 5 only.

That's really helpful, I've been calling the main line even just to check my payment status and sitting on hold forever. Will use the other number next time.

Does UI Online show the actual dollar amount for each week under Payments, or just that a payment was sent?

It shows the amount for each week, yes. You can see exactly what's pending, what's been paid, and what weeks are still showing as pending if anything got held up.

The Payments tab also shows any weeks where they deducted earnings if you reported work. Mine showed a reduced payment one week and I could see exactly how the math worked out.

The card question aside for a second - if you're traveling internationally you need to make sure you're still able and available for work every week you're certifying. Being out of the country can affect eligibility. That's a bigger thing to sort out than the card mechanics.

oh wow I hadn't even thought about the availability thing. I guess I assumed as long as I had my phone I could certify. is there an exception for visiting family briefly?

EDD requires you to be genuinely able to work and available for work every week you claim benefits. Whether a brief trip counts is something EDD decides, not something any of us can tell you for sure. If you have questions about your specific situation during travel, I'd ask EDD directly before you go.

That's reassuring! Did your card arrive with any paperwork explaining what to do with it, or did you have to figure it out on your own?

There was a small paper insert inside the envelope with the card. It had the activation number and basic instructions. Pretty clear actually.

The old BofA info still comes up in a lot of search results which is genuinely confusing. Money Network is current and correct.

I literally called EDD to ask about this because I read like four different articles and they all said Bank of America. The agent confirmed it's Money Network now. Good to have that cleared up here too.

Ten days without the card after your DE 429Z is on the longer side. I'd log in to myEDD and double check your mailing address is correct. If it's right and still nothing, calling EDD at 1-800-300-5616 on a weekday between 8 and 5 would be the move.

My address looks correct in the system. I'll try calling tomorrow morning. Hopefully it just got delayed in the mail.

Mornings right when they open at 8am tend to have slightly shorter waits in my experience. Still can be a lot of hold time but better than midday usually.

You can set up direct deposit in myEDD at any time, you don't have to wait for a determination. Getting that set up now means when payments do process they'll go where you want them without any extra steps.

Perfect, doing it tonight then. I've been reading about the phone interview and I know benefits can't actually be paid until after the interview and certification and EDD decides, so I figured I'd use the waiting time to get the payment side ready.

Good to know about reopening situations. Mine is a brand new claim so hopefully the new card just comes through automatically. Have you had any issues with the new card compared to the old setup?

Honestly the Money Network card is fine. The app is decent, you can see your balance and transactions. The only annoying part is ATM fees if you withdraw cash at certain machines, but free ATM networks exist.

The reopen thing is important. I reopened a claim once and assumed my old card still worked. Had to wait an extra week for the new one. Always check if you're reopening.

Exactly right. When you report earnings during certification, EDD takes the first $25 or 25 percent of your gross for that week - whichever is the bigger number - and doesn't count it, then subtracts the rest from your weekly benefit amount. So you'd still get a payment, just a reduced one for that week.

Okay that actually makes sense. So full-time work in a week means no payment for that week entirely, but part-time still gets you something depending on what you earned. Got it.

Make sure you report earnings for the week they were actually earned, not when you got the paycheck. That tripped me up early on - I reported based on my pay date and had to contact EDD to correct it.

I actually hadn't thought about CalJOBS at all since I was focused on the payment card question. I should check if I got a notice about it. Does everyone get one or only some claimants?

EDD tells you if you need to register. If you got the notice (DE 8405) in your stack of mail, that means you need to do it within 21 days of its date. If you didn't get that notice, EDD determined you didn't need to for your claim. Check your mail from EDD carefully.

The CalJOBS site is caljobs.ca.gov for anyone who needs to find it. The resume requirement is real and payments can stop if you miss the deadline on your notice.

Pending in UI Online usually just means EDD is processing it. For a first certification it can take a bit longer because they're also working through the initial application review. Two days in isn't a cause for alarm yet, though it can feel like forever when you're waiting on money.

Okay, that's reassuring. I keep refreshing UI Online like that'll make it go faster lol. Good to know it's not necessarily a flag for something wrong.

The first payment almost always takes longer than subsequent ones. After that initial one comes through the system tends to process faster. Hang in there.

If it stays pending for more than a couple weeks with no explanation or new mail from EDD, that's when it's worth reaching out. But for a brand new first cert, give it some time.

The Report Wages tool confusion is real - I thought it was an edit function at first too. It just shows you how wages affect your payment amount before the actual certification question. It doesn't update anything already submitted.

Exactly. I wish there was just a simple correction option in UI Online but there isn't. The message through UI Online worked but it took about a week to get sorted.

What do you even say in the message when you're reporting a mistake like that? I'm paranoid about somehow making it worse.

I just stated the week in question, what I reported, what the correct earnings were, and that I reported by pay date instead of earn date. Keep it factual and simple. EDD sorted it without any issues on my end.

The interview time matching between the DE 4800 notice and UI Online is good to know. I had the same nervousness before mine - kept second-guessing whether I'd read the notice right.

The agent was pretty clear that the UI Online homepage will show it and that's the time the interviewer phones at. Knowing both sources matched made me feel a lot better.

Your DE 429Z shows what your claim could pay out, but it's not a decision on eligibility. If EDD decides you qualify, the signal is that your certified weeks start getting paid - there's no separate approval letter for that. If EDD decides against you, then you get a Notice of Determination (DE 1080CZ) with an appeal form. So if weeks start paying, that's your answer.

Okay so I'm watching for either payments to process or the DE 1080CZ in the mail. That's clearer than what I'd read elsewhere. Thank you.

The 'no approval letter' thing trips up almost everyone. The DE 429Z looks official enough that people assume it's the approval. It's really just the award calculation notice. Keep certifying every two weeks in the meantime either way.

Payment method changes can sometimes take a cycle to fully update in the system. The card payment that was already in process might have been too far along when you switched. Your next certification after that should route to direct deposit correctly.

That's what ended up happening - the following payment went straight to my bank account like normal. I just panicked thinking the switch hadn't worked.

Claimyr was actually how I sorted out a similar question on my end - I had a payment routing question and wanted to confirm what was showing on my account before my next cert. The agent could see exactly where my payments were set to go and confirmed the direct deposit was active.

Good to know there's a way to actually confirm it rather than just guessing. I ended up just waiting and it resolved itself but that option would've been helpful.