What happens if you file unemployment while working full time in California EDD?

Okay that timing thing is exactly what I was confused about, thank you. So if I earned $270 that week I report $270 that week, not whenever I actually got paid?

Exactly right. The week you did the work, that's the week you report it. EDD is very specific about this.

Also worth knowing - the first $25 of what you earn in a week or 25% of your earnings, whichever is bigger, gets set aside and doesn't get subtracted from your benefits. The rest comes off your weekly amount. So with a $390 weekly benefit, earning $270 in a week means roughly $67.50 is protected (25% of $270) and the remaining $202.50 gets subtracted from your $390, leaving you about $187.50 for that week.

Does EDD actually cross-reference with employer payroll records? That's good to know, I was wondering how they'd ever find out if someone just didn't report.

Yeah they do match it up, usually after the fact. That's literally why overpayment notices exist. It's just not worth the headache.

Employer puts wages on a DE 1101CZ or through their own reporting to EDD. The numbers get matched. Report everything.

The pending weeks part is what worries me too - mine have been sitting there. Good to know an agent can actually look at it specifically.

Partial week work while a claim is open is confusing enough that having someone walk through your specific numbers makes a real difference.

My claim had something similar and I eventually got through too - the agent found that one of my weeks was flagged because my employer's report hadn't come in yet. Once it matched up, the pending cleared.

How does EDD define full time? Like is it strictly 40 hours or is there a different threshold?

EDD doesn't publish a specific hour number for 'full time' the way you might expect - it's more about the nature of the work and what's customary for that job. But if your employer considers you full time and pays you accordingly for a week, that week generally isn't eligible. Worth asking EDD directly for your specific situation.

I think people overcomplicate this. If you work your normal full schedule you don't certify that week. If it's genuinely reduced hours you do certify and report what you made. That's the practical reality.

Self-employment income goes on the report too, yes. It's on EDD's list of wages to report when you certify. The same partial earnings formula applies.

ugh okay so i have to track every doordash dollar. thanks i guess

Track it by the week you did the gig work, not when the app deposits it. Same rule as regular wages.

That's exactly the kind of mistake I'm trying to avoid. The week-you-earned-it vs week-you-got-paid thing seems like a really common trap.

It got me and I'd read the instructions. The language in the certification isn't super clear about it in my opinion.

The appeal process for overpayments that aren't your fault is there for a reason. Keep all your pay stubs and records of when you actually did the work so you can prove the timing if it ever comes up.

Yeah this trips people up. At the wage most people earn doing part time work, the percentage almost always beats the flat $25.

Wait so the $25 flat rate is basically only relevant if you earn like $100 or less in a week?

Exactly - 25% of $100 is exactly $25 so at $100 and below the flat amount would match or beat the percentage. Above that the percentage wins every time.

Gross before taxes, got it. I was wondering if it was net or gross.

Always gross. EDD handles the math from there.

I didn't get severance from this layoff but good to flag for anyone who did. I know some people assume severance means they can't file at all.

Severance doesn't block you from filing - you can file right away. But yes, you report it and EDD decides how it factors in. The rule that it's not wages in the traditional sense is EDD's call to make, not yours to decide.

Exactly, don't try to interpret it yourself, just report it and let EDD sort it out. That's true for vacation pay and holiday pay too.

Apply as soon as you can - the claim starts from the Sunday of the week you apply, so you can't recapture those past weeks you didn't file. Get in there now.

wait i cant get back pay for the weeks i already missed?? ugh

Unfortunately no - the claim week starts when you file. EDD's own guidance is to apply as soon as you're out of work or your hours drop. Waiting costs you those weeks.

In-lieu-of-notice pay is one I had never thought about. Good to know it goes on the report too.

The reporting list is longer than most people expect. Tips, bonuses, vacation pay, holiday pay, pension income - all of it. Report wages in UI Online lets you work through it before you certify.

Pension income based on past work can reduce your weekly benefit amount - EDD decides by how much in your specific case. Not something anyone here can tell you a number on. The place to get a real answer is EDD directly.

That's what I figured, just hoping someone had been through it. I'll ask EDD.

Social Security is specifically excluded and doesn't get deducted or reported, just so you're not lumping that in with pensions. But a company pension from a former employer, yes, EDD makes that call.

Check your UI Online account - the homepage and Claim History section can show what EDD has on file. If your address is wrong in myEDD you need to update it. The 21-day clock runs from the date on the DE 8405 so if you can figure out when that was sent you'll know where you stand.

okay i updated my address in myedd. is there any way to know if my payments will be held up because of this

Not registering in CalJOBS when required can stop payments, yes. The faster you register at caljobs.ca.gov and post a resume, the better. If your payments are already pending because of it, phoning EDD to explain the situation is worth doing.

Good to hear from someone who actually ran through the whole thing. Did you ever get audited or questioned about your reported wages?

Never got questioned. My employer filed their wage reports on time so when EDD cross-referenced everything matched. Kept all my pay stubs just in case.

I already got my DE 429Z so I know my $390 amount, but good tip for people who haven't filed yet.

Right, then you're set on that piece. The partial earnings formula with your known weekly amount makes it pretty simple to calculate what you'd get in any given week of part time work.

Employer delays are super common and people always assume the pending is their fault. Sometimes EDD is just waiting on the other side of the equation.

Exactly. I called in and an agent confirmed the employer response was the holdup. Cleared up about a week after the employer finally submitted.

How do you even find out that's what the holdup is? Can you see that in UI Online?

8am has worked for me too, any later and you're waiting forever or just getting cut off

The live chat in UI Online from the Help button is also worth trying, runs weekdays 9 to 2. Sometimes faster than the phone depending on the day.

Pending weeks from early in a claim that never cleared - I was worried that might happen to me too. Good to know an agent can actually look into what's holding specific weeks up.

My weekly benefit amount on those weeks was $310 so it was worth getting sorted out. Once I submitted what they needed the pending weeks processed within a few days.

okay this is making me realize i have a lot to figure out. i've been freelancing and had no idea unemployment was taxable at the federal level

You can opt into withholding right in the certification flow - it asks you each time. The 1099G EDD mails each January shows what you were paid and what was withheld, same form is in UI Online under Payments.

wait so unemployment income shows up on taxes? i never knew that either

That's a relief - I was wondering if earning too much in a week would somehow recalculate my benefit amount downward. Good to know it doesn't change the weekly amount, it just reduces what I get paid for that specific week.

Exactly right. The weekly benefit amount is fixed from the DE 429Z. Part time earnings reduce what EDD pays out for that week but they don't recalculate the base.

In-lieu-of-notice pay and holiday pay the same way - all of it goes on the report and EDD makes the call on how it factors in. Don't try to guess the outcome, just report it accurately.

Exactly. I didn't try to interpret it, just answered the certification questions honestly, and it resolved on its own after a couple weeks.

Mine was a straight layoff with no payout so hopefully the reporting side stays simple for me. This thread has cleared up basically every question I had though.

Important clarification. Some people think having a part time gig means they don't have to do their work search. That's not how it works.

so if i have a few freelance clients that take up like 20 hours a week, im still supposed to be looking for more work?

Yep - the certification asks if you were able, available and looking for work every week. If you can't honestly say yes to all three, that's a week you shouldn't certify for benefits.

Starting that habit today. This whole thread was incredibly helpful - I feel way less anxious about the whole thing now. Going to certify this weekend and report my part time hours properly.

You've got the right approach. Report everything accurately, do it by the week you earned it, and the system works the way it's supposed to.

Agreed - partial claim situations are really common and EDD handles them all the time. The anxiety comes from not knowing the rules. Now you know them.

Using Claimyr to call EDD if anything weird shows up in your Claim History is a good backup plan. Got myself through to an agent when my second certification came back with a pending flag I didn't understand, and the agent walked me through exactly what it meant and what, if anything, I needed to do. Turned out it just needed another day to process.