What happens if you collect unemployment while working in California EDD?

That's actually really reassuring to hear. I've been assuming worst case scenario since I read about people getting hit with penalties on top of the overpayment. Do you know if they actually pursue the penalty thing when someone comes forward voluntarily?

yes the penalty thing is real, its like a 30% additional penalty on top of whatever you owe, but that's usually reserved for clear fraud cases not accidents or omissions that people correct themselves

exactly what they said above. the 30% penalty and potential disqualification from future benefits is for when EDD builds a case against YOU. when you self-report you're essentially cooperating and they treat it differently in most cases

Wait so I might have actually still been entitled to SOME benefit even with the work? I didn't realize the formula worked that way. So I'm not necessarily guilty of fraud I'm just guilty of not understanding the rules?

Correct. The partial benefits system is specifically designed for people who pick up part-time work. The law assumes some claimants will work part-time. Not reporting it is still a problem but the intent matters a lot in how EDD handles it. Your actual overpayment might be smaller than you think once they recalculate using the correct formula.

this is so important and most people don't know this when they first file. the 25% earnings disregard has been around for a long time and EDD does not explain it well at ALL during the initial claim process

This is really useful, I've already tried calling twice and couldn't get through. I'll check out that video, honestly at this point I just need to talk to someone who can actually look at my claim.

seconding claimyr, used it when my adjudication was dragging on forever and it genuinely worked. edd phone lines are impossible

I'm always skeptical of stuff like this but if it actually gets you through to EDD I guess that's the most important thing here. OP really does need to talk to a live agent given the situation

yeah the edd phone system is legitimately broken. anything that helps people actually get through is worth trying

I appreciate the honesty. I've been trying not to catastrophize but I also don't want to be naive about this. For what it's worth I had zero other weeks where I worked so there's no pattern of hiding wages — it was genuinely new territory for me.

That actually helps your case a lot. A one-time reporting error during your first experience with part-time work while on UI is a very different situation than systematic concealment. Keep records of everything.

This is good advice. I'd add — if EDD sends you an overpayment notice, respond within the deadline. People get hurt not by the initial mistake but by ignoring the paperwork.

Your math is in the right direction but the formula works slightly differently. EDD deducts the earnings above the 25% threshold from that week's benefit. So if OP earned $300 one week: $300 minus $130 = $170 deducted from the $520 benefit = $350 paid instead of $520. The overpayment for that week would be $350 not the full $520. You're right that it's way less than if they treated it as full fraud.

ok so it's definitely not as catastrophic as OP feared. that's actually good news

This is making me feel a LOT better. I had this terrifying image of owing thousands but if the actual number is a few hundred I can handle that.

No it was legitimate payroll, I have pay stubs through their ADP portal. So that part should be easy at least.

Good. Organized documentation when you talk to an EDD agent makes a big difference. Have those ready before you call.

also keep a record of when you called, who you spoke with, and what they told you. EDD calls are supposed to be recorded but having your own notes protects you

Yeah I stopped certifying entirely once I realized what I'd done which I guess was also wrong but I panicked. I have 3 weeks of uncertified weeks now.

You should certify those missed weeks and report your actual earnings correctly for each one. You can still certify backdated weeks in UI Online, they'll just need to be reviewed. Better to have them on record accurately than to leave gaps.

yes this — leaving gaps in your certification creates its own set of problems. certify everything, report everything, let EDD sort out the math

A repayment plan sounds manageable. Did they let you choose the monthly amount or did they set it?

They asked what I could afford and I said $75 and they said fine. I think there's a minimum but they were pretty reasonable about it honestly. The key was being cooperative and not defensive when I explained what happened.

this matches what I've heard from others. EDD would rather get their money back slowly than spend resources on full fraud prosecution for a few hundred dollars

This is exactly the kind of clarity I needed. The distinction between overpayment and fraud has been muddy in everything I've been reading online.

Good breakdown. I'd add that EDD also has a formal appeals process if they DO classify something as fraud and you disagree with that determination. You have 30 days from the notice date to file an appeal with the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

Right, and the CUIAB appeals process is actually fairly claimant-friendly compared to what people expect. You can represent yourself and present your own evidence.

Lesson learned for sure. I think I was also confused because my hours are inconsistent week to week and I didn't understand that you report what you EARNED that week not what you get paid — or is it when you get paid? I'm still confused on this.

Great question and this trips everyone up — in California you report earnings in the week you PERFORMED the work, not when the paycheck arrives. So if you worked Monday through Friday of certification week 3, you report it during week 3's certification even if payday isn't until week 4.

This is exactly right and it's one of the most common honest mistakes people make. The EDD instructions could be much clearer on this.

the chat is basically useless for anything account specific. it can answer general questions but can't access your claim information. for actually resolving an overpayment situation you need a live agent

yeah that tracks. it's good for like 'how do I certify' questions but not for 'I made an error and need it fixed

I'm definitely going to try this. I've been avoiding calling because of the phone system nightmare but putting it off is only making things worse.

second time this has been mentioned in the thread, must actually work. gonna bookmark it for myself too

the edd phone situation is genuinely terrible so any tool that helps is worth knowing about

I did not know about the tax refund thing. That's motivation to get this sorted out proactively for sure.

yeah EDD can intercept state AND federal tax refunds through the California Interagency Intercept Collection program. it's not a great situation to end up in when you could have just called and worked something out

Also worth knowing — if you're ever certified for future benefits while an overpayment exists, EDD can offset your new benefits to recover the old debt. Proactive resolution avoids a lot of these downstream complications.

100% agree. the UI Online interface is not intuitive and the FAQ is buried. most people figure out how it works through trial and error or by asking on forums like this

I learned about the 25% rule from this exact type of forum post after making my own mistake lol. the official EDD materials are not written for normal people

exactly. if they explained it clearly upfront there would be way fewer accidental overpayment situations

Yes. You report every dollar. There is no 'too small to report' threshold in California UI. Any amount of earnings during a certification week must be reported.

ok yikes i did not know that. i thought it was only if you earned above a certain amount. fixing this immediately

This is actually one of the more common misconceptions. People assume there's a de minimis threshold but there isn't. Every dollar, every week, full stop.

Will do. I'm going to try calling this week using that Claimyr service since the regular line has been impossible. I'll report back once I actually get through to someone and know what I'm dealing with. Thank you everyone in this thread, I came in here panicking and now I actually have a plan.

good luck! the fact that you caught this yourself and are fixing it proactively really does put you in a much better spot than you think

rooting for you. the EDD system is not designed to be user-friendly but most agents are human beings who understand that people make honest mistakes

lmaooo can you imagine calling the fraud tip line on yourself. but honestly i can see how someone panicking might think that's what they're supposed to do

I've genuinely seen people ask if they should do this on various forums. Panic does strange things to decision-making.

the EDD website navigation doesn't help. nothing is labeled intuitively and when you're already stressed finding the right contact path is hard

This is really useful context. So I'm not in immediate danger of getting a notice next week but I should absolutely not use this as an excuse to sit on it.

Exactly right. The smart move is to resolve it before the cross-match rather than after. The window is there but it's not infinite.

Good point. The quarterly reporting cycle is why some people don't find out about overpayments until months after the fact, which makes it even more confusing and jarring when the notice finally arrives.

35 minutes is still wild for a government service but yeah apparently they did hire more staff. still not consistently reliable though

I tried on a Monday morning two weeks ago and gave up after 90 minutes. So either it depends heavily on the day/time or you got lucky

probably a bit of both. monday mornings are notoriously bad. i called wednesday around 10am which might have helped

This is such practical advice. I have a tendency to over-explain when I'm nervous and I can see how that would make a complicated call even more complicated.

Scripting out what you're going to say before you call is underrated. I did this and it made the whole conversation way smoother.

also have your claim ID number, SSN, and the specific week ending dates you need to correct all written down before you dial. nothing slows down an EDD call like fumbling for information while the agent waits