Will I still qualify for EDD benefits after a 6-week contract job ends?

Yes, you can accept the contract job and still qualify for unemployment after it ends. When you have the job, you report your earnings each week when you certify and EDD will reduce or pause your benefits depending on how much you earn. After the contract ends, you'll just certify again showing no earnings and your benefits should resume automatically - no need for a new claim as long as it's within your benefit year. This is actually how the system is designed to work - encouraging people to take temporary work without penalizing them.

i did this last year and it was fine, just make sure u report ALL earnings or they can hit u with overpayment later

CAREFUL!!! This depends on if you're an actual contractor (1099) or if they're hiring you as a W2 temp employee!!! When I took a contract job, they paid me through a staffing agency as W-2 and it completely messed up my claim. EDD treated it like I had a whole new employer and I had to do a phone interview to explain everything. It was a NIGHTMARE getting benefits restarted!!

You're getting some good advice here, but let me clarify a couple things since I went through this exact situation: 1. Yes, you can take the 6-week job and return to your existing claim afterward 2. Keep certifying every two weeks and report all earnings accurately 3. When reporting wages, report them when EARNED not when PAID (this trips up a lot of people) 4. If your weekly earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive $0 for that week but still remain on your claim 5. When the job ends, simply continue certifying, report zero income, and benefits should automatically restart One important note: if your benefit year expires during this 6-week job, then you would need to file a new claim. Check your UI Online account for your benefit year end date.

My cousin took a temp job last summer and then when it ended EDD made him wait like 3 weeks before paying him again. Something about a "false statement penalty week" even though he didn't lie about anything? The whole system is rigged I swear.

When my contract job ended in January, I couldn't get through to EDD at all to resolve issues with my claim going from pending to paid. After trying for days, I used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They basically call EDD for you and then connect you when they get through. Saved me so much frustration! Check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

Question - does anyone know if taking a temp job can actually INCREASE your weekly benefit amount afterward? My friend swears this happened to him but that makes no sense to me...

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I feel much better about accepting this contract position now. Just to summarize what I've learned: 1. I'll keep certifying every two weeks and accurately report my earnings 2. I'll report wages when EARNED not when paid 3. My benefits will be reduced or paused while I'm working 4. After the contract ends, I'll continue certifying and benefits should restart automatically 5. If there are any issues with my claim going from pending to paid, I now know about the Claimyr option This temporary job is actually a great opportunity and I'm glad I don't have to choose between it and my unemployment eligibility. Will update here if I run into any issues!