Why does my EDD claim first week say 'waiting period served' but no payment?

This is completely normal and how the system is designed to work. The first week of every new UI claim serves as an unpaid "waiting period" week. You won't get paid for that first week, but it needs to be certified for and approved before you can start receiving payments for subsequent weeks. Think of it as a deductible on your unemployment insurance. The waiting period helps reduce costs in the EDD system, and you'll still get your full benefit amount for all your other eligible weeks. No need to call about this - it's standard procedure.

YEP its BS but thats how they do it. EVERY claim has a waiting week that u dont get paid for. its like they STEAL a week from us when were already broke and desperate SMH. and btw its not a "new" thing, its been this way for YEARS! the only time they waived it was during covid but thats over now so back to screwing us over as usual!!

Just adding some clarity to what others have mentioned: The waiting period is established by California unemployment insurance law. It's not unique to California - most states have a similar waiting week policy. The waiting period applies to your benefit year, so if you need to reopen your claim within the same benefit year, you wouldn't serve another waiting period. Also important to note that while you don't receive payment for that week, it still counts toward your total claim duration, and you must certify for it just like any other week. If you don't certify for the waiting period week, it can delay your subsequent payments.

To answer your question @profile8 - Yes, State Disability Insurance (SDI) also has a waiting period, but it works slightly differently. For SDI, there's a 7-day waiting period before benefits begin. However, unlike unemployment, this waiting period doesn't have to be certified for specifically. Your first payment will simply be delayed by one week from your disability start date.

I had the same exact issue when I filed my claim in January! I spent HOURS trying to get through to EDD on the phone to ask about it. Kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message and getting disconnected. Super frustrating! I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. The rep confirmed what others here are saying - it's just a standard waiting period week that everyone has to serve. Wish they made that clearer on the website!

i think its kinda messed up they dont explain this better when ur filing. like they should have a big notice saying YOU WONT GET PAID FOR THE FIRST WEEK so people dont freak out. when i saw that on my claim i was so confused.

My husband got laid off in february and had the same thing on his claim. waiting period served. no payment for that week. the rest of the weeks were fine tho. i guess thats just how they do it

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I feel much better knowing this is normal and not something wrong with my claim. It would definitely be nice if EDD made this clearer during the application process, but I'm grateful I didn't waste time calling them about something that's just standard procedure. Onto week 4 of certifications now!

Just wanted to add that this waiting period rule also applies if you're collecting partial unemployment benefits while working reduced hours. I work part-time at a retail store and when my hours got cut drastically, I applied for partial UI benefits. Even though I was still technically employed, I still had to serve the unpaid waiting week for my first week of benefits. It's worth noting for anyone in a similar situation - the waiting period isn't just for people who are completely unemployed.

Just to add another perspective - I've been through this process twice now (once in 2022 and again this year after another layoff), and the waiting period applies each time you start a NEW benefit year, not just your first claim ever. So even though I had been on unemployment before, when I filed a new claim this year after my benefit year expired, I had to serve another waiting week. It's tied to the benefit year, not your history with the system. Just wanted to clarify that for anyone who might be in a similar situation!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm new to unemployment benefits and just filed my first claim last week. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really reassuring - I was definitely going to panic when I see that "waiting period served" status on my first week. It's frustrating that EDD doesn't make this clearer upfront, but I'm glad there are communities like this where people share their knowledge. Now I know what to expect and won't waste time worrying about it or trying to call their overwhelmed phone lines. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain how this works!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - this is totally normal! I went through the exact same confusion when I first filed. The waiting period is basically California's way of making sure people don't file frivolous claims, since you have to "invest" that first week without getting paid. It's annoying when you're already struggling financially, but at least it's consistent for everyone. One thing I learned is that you should still keep track of that waiting week in your records since it does count toward your total claim duration. Also, make sure you're still looking for work during that week and keeping your work search log updated - all the same requirements apply even though you're not getting paid for it.

Just went through this exact same situation last month! I was so confused when I saw "waiting period served" on my first week and thought there was an error with my claim. Spent way too much time stressing about it before I found out it's completely normal. The waiting period is basically like a one-week deductible that everyone has to serve - it's been California law for decades. What helped me was thinking of it as the "cost" of accessing the unemployment system rather than them taking away benefits I was entitled to. Still sucks when you're already financially stressed from losing your job, but at least it's predictable and happens to everyone. The good news is that all your subsequent weeks will be paid normally as long as you keep certifying and meet the requirements!

I'm really glad I found this thread! I just certified for my first week yesterday and was already starting to worry about what that "waiting period served" status would mean when it shows up. It's such a relief to know ahead of time that this is completely normal and not something I need to stress about or call EDD over. The way everyone has explained it here - like a deductible or the "cost" of accessing the system - really helps put it in perspective. I wish EDD would just put a simple explanation right on the certification page saying something like "Your first week serves as an unpaid waiting period - this is normal and required by law." Would save so many people from unnecessary anxiety! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently in week 2 of my claim and was definitely confused when I saw "waiting period served" for my first week. Reading everyone's explanations here makes so much more sense than anything I could find on the EDD website. It's reassuring to know this is just standard procedure and not an error with my claim. I especially appreciate the perspective of thinking about it like a deductible - that really helps reframe it mentally. For anyone else who's new to this process like me, this community is such a valuable resource for understanding how things actually work versus trying to decode the official EDD information!

This whole thread has been so eye-opening! I'm actually still in the process of filing my initial claim (just submitted it two days ago) and had no idea about this waiting period thing. I was already planning my budget around getting paid for that first week, so I'm really glad I stumbled across this discussion before I certified and got confused or panicked. It definitely seems like EDD could do a much better job explaining this upfront - maybe even during the application process itself. I mean, when you're already stressed about losing your job and worried about finances, the last thing you need is surprise confusion about why you're not getting paid for a week you thought you'd be covered for. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and explain how this works. This community is honestly more helpful than the actual EDD resources!

I'm going through this exact situation right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! I filed my claim two weeks ago and just got my first certification results back. Seeing "waiting period served" with no payment for that first week had me questioning everything - I thought maybe I filled something out wrong or that there was an issue with my application. It's such a relief to know this is completely standard and happens to everyone. I really wish EDD would just add a simple note during the filing process that says something like "Note: Your first week will serve as an unpaid waiting period as required by state law." Would save so many people from unnecessary stress! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this community is way more helpful than trying to navigate the official EDD website or spending hours on hold trying to reach someone by phone.