Why is unemployment so low 2024 and how does California EDD calculate your weekly amount?

From what I'm reading in this thread it sounds like you can appeal it within 30 days of the mailing date if you think they used the wrong wages. So check that date immediately.

Yeah the 30-day window on the DE 429Z is real, don't sleep on it. If EDD didn't have all your wages when they ran the numbers that's exactly what the appeal is for.

Oh no. So I definitely should have listed the weekend job even though I quit it before I lost the main job? I didn't think it counted since I wasn't working it anymore.

Yep, all jobs from the last 18 months go on the application, even ones you already left before you filed. EDD's calculator pulls from every employer in that window. Get your documentation together and appeal.

Same thing happened to my application — left off a seasonal job I'd had earlier in the year because I figured it was done and gone. EDD only used one employer's wages and my weekly amount was way lower than it should have been. Appealing fixed it.

Wait, what is the DE 4800? Nobody mentioned that to me in any paperwork I've gotten so far.

It's the notice EDD mails when they schedule a phone interview — it has the date and time printed on it, and that same time shows up on your UI Online homepage. The interviewer phones at the time listed on it. If you haven't gotten one yet keep checking your mail and your UI Online main page.

The pending weeks and the missing wages from that second job are probably two separate things to deal with. The interview is about why you left your main job, the missing wages question gets handled through the appeal on the DE 429Z.

Is there a way to know which employer filed something with EDD that caused the hold? Like does it tell you on the pending screen?

So even if I was making like $28 an hour at the full-time job, the quarterly amount might still work out low depending on how many hours I had?

Exactly. Hours matter as much as the rate. If you had any slow weeks, light schedules early in the quarter, or if you started mid-quarter, it pulls the total earnings down and the weekly benefit amount follows.

There's a calculator on EDD's site that can estimate your weekly amount before you even file — wish I had used it when I first applied so I wasn't surprised by my number.

Exactly this. The base period thing is what gets people. If you got a raise or switched to a better-paying job right before you lost it, those recent higher wages might not even be in the standard base period because it goes back further than people expect.

Right — and EDD does have an alternate base period that uses more recent quarters, but only if the standard base period doesn't get you enough wages to have a valid claim at all. It doesn't just automatically get used to give you a bigger weekly amount if you already qualify, which trips people up.

wait does that mean if i make more money recently i could actually get LESS than someone who made the same money but older because of the base period timing? that seems wrong

Not exactly less than someone else, but yeah, your highest quarter might be an older one that falls in the standard base period instead of your most recent one. It's genuinely confusing.

I haven't gotten any DE 4800 in the mail yet. How long after applying does it usually take to show up? I applied about three weeks ago.

Three weeks in you really should have gotten something by now. Check UI Online's main homepage for any scheduled interview time before anything else. If nothing's there and nothing's in the mail, messaging EDD through your UI Online account to ask about your open issues is probably your next move.

Had mine arrive on day 19 after I filed. The UI Online homepage showed the appointment before the paper notice even landed in my mailbox, so check there first.

That's not how it works at all. EDD looks at what you earned at past jobs during the base period — a specific stretch of time before you filed. What you're making now or at a new job has nothing to do with the formula. Your cousin might be thinking of how earnings from part-time work affect your weekly payment while you're certifying, which is a different thing.

ok that makes way more sense. she was so confident lol

Do I keep certifying while the appeal is being reviewed? I don't want to mess anything up.

Yes, keep certifying through the whole process. If the appeal goes in your favor they can only pay the weeks you actually certified. Don't stop.

This is the right answer. Keep certifying no matter what else is pending or in question. I stopped once during a weird period on my claim and lost weeks I couldn't get back.

I did get something called the DE 8405 in my stack of EDD mail and honestly kind of set it aside. Going to log into CalJOBS right now.

Good call. The deadline on that one is real and it's easy to miss in the pile of other mail EDD sends when you first file.

CalJOBS registration tripped me up too. I thought it was optional until a rep mentioned it was flagged on my account as incomplete.

I have pay stubs saved in my email from the weekend job. Would those work or do I need an official W-2?

Pay stubs showing your earnings per pay period should be enough to get the appeal started. EDD can also cross-reference wages through employer tax records. Just send what you have.

That's exactly the base period timing issue. It catches a lot of people off guard, especially if someone moved to a new job for less money for a while and then went back to higher wages right before losing work.

yeah and i didn't even know you could appeal the award amount until i read about it online. edd doesn't exactly make it obvious

This is good to know. I picked up a few weekend shifts and was scared to certify because I thought I'd lose everything for those weeks.

Report it honestly — you're protected by that earnings formula. Full-time work is a different story, that ends your eligibility for that week regardless of the amount, but part-time hours work in your favor under the formula.

wait so if i work one day a week i can still get unemployment for that week? i thought any work meant zero benefits

Thank you for saying this. I see people use those words interchangeably all the time and they really aren't the same step at all.

I've definitely been using them wrong in my head. So right now my Pending weeks mean I'm in adjudication, not that I've been denied anything yet, right?

Exactly right. Pending means EDD is still working through the eligibility question. A denial would come with an actual written Notice of Determination, which you'd then have 30 days to appeal if you wanted to fight it.

I've tried calling twice and got cut off both times. Does it help to try different days or is it basically always busy?

Honestly mid-week tends to be a little better than Monday or Friday in my experience. Some people have luck with the live chat option in UI Online too — it's available through the Help button on weekdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tried live chat twice and both times I waited the whole session before getting disconnected. Phone was not much better. EDD contact is just rough right now.

An EIN mismatch — is that something that happens a lot? I wonder if something like that could explain why my second job wages aren't showing up.

It's not super common but it does happen, especially with smaller employers or if there were any payroll processing changes. If your weekend job was at a small business it might be worth asking EDD to check the wage records tied to your SSN.

How did you even know to ask about the EIN thing? I wouldn't have known what question to ask the agent.

After the phone interview EDD still has to review what both you and your employer said, make a determination, and then process the certified weeks. It doesn't happen the instant the call ends, unfortunately. If it's been more than a few weeks post-interview with zero movement, messaging EDD through UI Online asking for a status update is a reasonable next step.

I sent a message two weeks ago and got an automated reply. Nothing since. At what point does waiting become something you actually push back on?

Frustrating as it is, the best lever you have is to keep certifying every two weeks so the weeks are on record when they do process, and to keep trying to reach EDD by phone or live chat to ask what specifically is still unresolved.

Always the highest single quarter. EDD takes the wages from your best quarter in the base period and uses that number to calculate your weekly benefit amount. The other quarters matter to establish that you have a valid claim at all, but the weekly amount itself comes from just that one highest quarter.

That explains so much. I had two really good quarters but one weaker one ended up being my 'highest' because of timing. No wonder my number seems low.

The timing of when you filed relative to the calendar quarters is everything. Someone who files one week later than you with identical total earnings can end up with a different weekly amount because a different quarter falls in their base period.

I didn't have a severance but this is reassuring because I was going to ask if vacation payout from my old job would do the same thing. Sounds like filing right away was the right call regardless.

Vacation payout is on the list of things to report when you certify, same as severance. File right away and report what you get when you certify — EDD works out the rest.

The 'you can't collect if you have severance' thing is one of the most common myths I see repeated. File immediately when you lose work, let EDD determine what affects what.

Hours cuts count. You can apply even without a full layoff if your hours dropped significantly. EDD looks at what you're earning now versus your weekly benefit amount and applies the earnings formula to figure out what, if anything, they pay on top of your reduced wages.

Oh wow I didn't know that was even possible. I thought you had to be completely out of work. Going to apply this week.

Partial claim is the term for it, and it's definitely a real thing. Report your actual hours and earnings honestly every time you certify and EDD handles the math.

Not going to lie I've had that conversation. Each lender handles it differently. All I can say is be upfront with them early rather than waiting — some have hardship programs or forbearance options that aren't advertised.

Yeah I figured I'd have to just call them and see. Worth knowing there might be options.

Going to try that calculator tonight. If the number is significantly higher with both jobs included that's going to make my appeal letter a lot easier to write.

Bring the calculator result plus all your documentation. The appeal letter doesn't have to be fancy — just explain that the second employer's wages were left off your original application and attach the proof.

Keep it simple and factual in the appeal. EDD doesn't need a sob story, they need the wage records. Numbers and documentation win appeals, not explanations of hardship.