What is EDD phone number - been searching everywhere can't find the right one
I've been trying to figure out what is EDD phone number for unemployment claims and I'm getting different numbers everywhere I look. Some sites say 800-300-5616, others mention 833-978-7653. Are these the same line? I need to call about my pending claim but don't want to waste time dialing the wrong number. Has anyone had success with either of these recently?
56 comments


Ravi Sharma
Both numbers go to the exact same call center - 800-300-5616 and 833-978-7653 are literally the same line. Don't let anyone tell you one is better than the other, it's complete BS.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Thank you! I was worried I was missing some secret number everyone else knew about.
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Freya Thomsen
•Yep, learned this the hard way after spending two days alternating between both numbers thinking one was faster.
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Omar Zaki
The menu pattern is 1-wait about 70 seconds-1-1-***. Don't wait for all the prompts, start pressing buttons early to save time on each redial.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Wait about 70 seconds after pressing 1 the first time? I've been waiting for the full menu every time!
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Omar Zaki
•Yeah, you can cut that wait time down significantly. I usually wait about 45-60 seconds then hit the next sequence.
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AstroAce
I gave up after 200+ attempts over three days. Found this service called Claimyr that dials for you and calls you back when they get an agent. Cost me $20 but got through in 15 minutes. Sometimes it's worth paying to save your sanity.
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Chloe Martin
•Is that legit? I'm skeptical of paying for something I should be able to do myself.
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AstroAce
•I was skeptical too but check their reviews. They have a website claimyr.com and thousands of people have used it. Way better than spending 8 hours a day redialing.
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Diego Rojas
•My coworker used them last month, said it was the best $20 she ever spent. Got her call back in under 30 minutes.
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Anastasia Sokolov
Pro tip: Never call between 12pm-1:30pm. The entire call center takes lunch and nobody answers. Learned this after wasting hours during that time slot.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Are you serious? The whole call center goes to lunch at the same time?
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Dead serious. It's not officially posted anywhere but try calling during lunch - you'll just get busy signals or immediate hangups.
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Sean O'Donnell
Wednesday afternoons around 2-3pm seem to have the best success rate. Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons completely.
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Ravi Sharma
•Monday mornings are a nightmare. Everyone's calling about weekend issues plus new weekly claims.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Good to know! I was planning to try first thing Monday morning.
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Freya Thomsen
Just be prepared for the hold time. Even if you get through the busy signal, you're looking at 1.5-2 hours on hold minimum. And about 40% of calls get dropped.
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Omar Zaki
•The dropped calls are the worst part. Nothing like waiting 2 hours just to hear a dial tone.
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Isabella Ferreira
•40% get dropped?! That's insane. How is that acceptable?
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Freya Thomsen
•It's been a known issue for years. Their phone system can't handle the volume but they haven't upgraded it.
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Diego Rojas
I tried calling 85 times yesterday starting at 8am sharp. Got the 'too busy' message every single time until I gave up at 3pm. This system is broken.
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Chloe Martin
•85 times in one day? That's dedication. Did you try the early morning strategy?
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Diego Rojas
•I was literally calling at 7:55am before they even opened. Still couldn't get through to hold.
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Zara Ahmed
Hours are Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm Pacific. Don't bother calling outside those hours, you'll just get a recording.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Thanks for clarifying the hours. I wasn't sure about the time zone.
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Chloe Martin
There used to be a 'specialist line' that was supposed to be less busy but they discontinued it during COVID. Anyone telling you about secret numbers is spreading old info.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Yeah, I keep seeing people mention this mysterious specialist line but it doesn't exist anymore.
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Sean O'Donnell
•Good point. A lot of outdated calling advice floating around from 2020-2021.
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AstroAce
Update: Used Claimyr again this morning for a follow-up question. Got called back in 22 minutes with an agent on the line. Honestly worth every penny when you calculate the time saved.
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Omar Zaki
•22 minutes vs potentially all day of redialing? That's a no-brainer.
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Isabella Ferreira
•You've convinced me. Going to check out their website.
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StarStrider
Make sure your phone is fully charged and you have a backup power source if calling manually. Nothing worse than your phone dying while on hold.
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Diego Rojas
•Learned this lesson the hard way. Phone died after 90 minutes on hold.
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Freya Thomsen
•I keep a charger next to me whenever I attempt the EDD phone marathon.
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Luca Esposito
For anyone wondering, both the 800 and 833 numbers connect to the same system. You're not getting any advantage using one over the other.
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Ravi Sharma
•Exactly what I said earlier. People waste time thinking one number is a secret shortcut.
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Nia Thompson
The key is persistence and realistic expectations. Plan to spend your entire day calling if you're doing it manually. It's not a quick 10-minute task.
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Isabella Ferreira
•This is what I needed to hear. I was expecting it to be much easier.
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Sean O'Donnell
•Set expectations low and you might be pleasantly surprised. But yeah, block out your whole day.
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Mateo Rodriguez
Thursday mornings around 10am have worked well for me twice. Seems like there's a sweet spot after the initial Monday rush dies down.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Thursday seems to be the most consistently good day based on what I've seen here.
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Aisha Abdullah
Whatever you do, don't call after 4pm any day. They seem to stop taking new calls even though they're officially open until 5pm.
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Zara Ahmed
•Makes sense. They probably need time to wrap up existing calls before closing.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Good tip. I would have definitely tried calling at 4:30pm thinking I still had time.
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Ethan Wilson
Just to summarize for anyone reading: 800-300-5616 or 833-978-7653, both same line, call Wednesday/Thursday 10am-3pm avoiding lunch, expect 50+ redials just to get on hold, then 2+ hour wait. Or use a callback service like Claimyr to skip the hassle.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Perfect summary! This thread has been incredibly helpful.
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AstroAce
•Agreed, wish I had found this info before I spent three days calling manually.
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NeonNova
One last tip: If you do get disconnected while on hold, try calling back immediately. Sometimes you can get lucky and slip back into the queue faster.
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Omar Zaki
•Interesting, I've never thought to try that. Usually I just get frustrated and take a break.
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Yuki Tanaka
The phone system hasn't been upgraded in years and can't handle current call volume. It's not going to get better anytime soon, so plan accordingly.
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Luca Esposito
•Sad but true. The infrastructure just wasn't built for this many people needing help.
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Carmen Diaz
For what it's worth, I had better luck with shorter calls. When I finally got through, I had my questions written down and kept it under 10 minutes. Longer calls seem more likely to drop.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Smart approach. I'll definitely prepare my questions in advance.
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Andre Laurent
Final reality check: Manual calling is essentially a part-time job. If your time is worth anything, paying for an auto-dialer service makes financial sense. That's just math.
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Aisha Abdullah
•This is the hard truth nobody wants to admit. Your time has value.
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Isabella Ferreira
•You're right. I need to stop thinking of it as 'free' when I'm spending entire days on this.
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