When to reapply for EDD benefits - before or after benefit year end date?

You should wait until your benefit year actually expires before filing a new claim. EDD doesn't process new claims until the current benefit year is completely over. If you try filing early, the system might reject your application or it could cause confusion in their system. I reapplied back in March after my benefit year ended and it took about 10 days for approval.

u can acually file up to 2 weeks b4 ur BYE date, thats what the rep told me when i called. they just wont process it til after ur year ends but at least its in the system

The official EDD guidance is to wait until after your benefit year end date to file a new claim. However, you can prepare by gathering all your employment information for the previous 18 months, having your ID documents ready for verification, and ensuring your UI Online account is accessible. When your benefit year ends on January 15th, you should file on January 16th or after. Yes, there will likely be a 2-3 week gap while your new claim is processed, but starting early won't actually speed things up and may cause complications in their system. If you're currently receiving benefits and still have a balance, make sure to certify for all weeks up to your benefit year end date. The system will prompt you if you need to file a new claim when you try to certify after your benefit year ends.

Just FYI, when my benefit year ended last month, I tried filing 3 days before and the system rejected it with an error saying I couldn't file until my BYE date. So yeah, don't waste your time trying early.

I was in this EXACT situation in November and I'll tell you what happened to me. I waited until the day AFTER my benefit year ended to file a new claim. Then I got stuck waiting 5 WEEKS with no money because EDD was "reviewing" my application!!! They never told me there was a problem, I just kept checking UI Online and it said "pending" forever. I finally got through to a rep who fixed something in their system and my payments started the next day. If I were you, I'd start calling EDD now to find out what the current processing time is. Good luck even getting through though - I had to call like 57 times before I didn't get the "too many callers" message.

its so stupid how they make u reapply every year even when nothing changed!!!! why can't they just continue ur benefits????

To give you the factually correct information: 1. You must wait until after your benefit year end (BYE) date to file a new unemployment claim 2. The earliest you can file is the day after your BYE date (January 16th in your case) 3. There is typically a processing gap of 1-3 weeks for a new claim, sometimes longer during high volume periods 4. If you qualify for a new claim, benefits are not retroactive to your BYE date - they begin when the new claim is processed 5. You should prepare all employment information for the base period (typically the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters) 6. You'll need to complete ID.me verification again for a new claim if you haven't done so in the last 12 months This is based on current EDD procedures as of 2025. The guidance about filing 2 weeks early is incorrect and will cause problems with your claim.

Since you're planning ahead, here's a tip that helped me: Take screenshots of your current claim information (especially your payment history) before your benefit year ends. Sometimes when you file a new claim, you temporarily lose access to your old claim details in UI Online. Having those screenshots can be helpful if there are any questions about your previous benefits. Also, when you do file on January 16th or after, try to do it early in the morning when the system is less busy. I've found the website works much better before 8 AM.