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!

Good luck with the contract position! You've got all the key points covered. One small addition - make sure to keep good records of your work dates and earnings during the 6 weeks. Having documentation handy can speed things up if EDD needs any clarification when you restart benefits. Also, don't stress if your first certification after the contract ends shows "pending" for a day or two - that's pretty normal as the system processes the change back to no earnings.

Just wanted to add my experience - I took a 5-week contract job while on unemployment last fall and it worked exactly as described here. The key thing that helped me was setting up calendar reminders for my certification dates since it's easy to lose track when you're working temporarily. Also, when the contract ended, I made sure to certify on my usual schedule even though I was nervous about whether it would work. Sure enough, my benefits resumed automatically the next week. The earned vs. paid reporting is crucial - I almost messed that up on my first certification while working. Document everything and you'll be fine!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in HR and deals with these situations regularly. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that you should clarify with your contract employer upfront whether this is truly a 1099 independent contractor position or if you'll be a W-2 employee (even temporarily). This distinction can affect how EDD processes your claim when you return to benefits. Also, if the contract has any possibility of extension beyond 6 weeks, make sure you understand those terms before accepting. Some "6-week" contracts turn into longer commitments, which isn't necessarily bad but could affect your unemployment strategy. Overall though, you're making a smart move - taking work when available is exactly what the system is designed to support!

Another thing to keep in mind - if your contract position is through a staffing agency or temp agency, they might handle your unemployment reporting differently than direct contract work. I had a 4-week temp assignment last year through Robert Half and they actually coordinated with EDD to make the transition smoother. Some agencies are really good about helping temporary workers maintain their unemployment benefits properly. It's worth asking the agency (if there is one) if they have experience with workers who are also on unemployment - they often have processes in place to make sure everything gets reported correctly. Good luck with the position!

One more tip that saved me when I was in a similar situation - take screenshots of your UI Online account showing your current benefit balance and weekly benefit amount before you start the contract job. Also screenshot your certification history. If there are any glitches when you return to benefits (which honestly can happen even when you do everything right), having those records makes it much easier to explain your situation to an EDD representative. I learned this the hard way when my account showed some weird discrepancies after a temp job and I had to piece together my benefit history from memory during a phone interview. Having the documentation upfront would have saved me hours of stress!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who just went through this exact situation, I want to add one more practical tip - when you're working the contract job and certifying each week, be super careful about the question "Did you look for work?" If your contract is full-time hours, you typically answer "no" because you're working, but if it's part-time, you might still need to conduct job search activities. I made the mistake of answering this inconsistently during my 5-week contract and it flagged my account for review. The EDD rep told me that as long as you're working and earning wages, the job search requirement is usually waived, but the way you answer needs to be consistent with your work schedule. Just something to keep in mind when you're certifying those weeks!

I went through almost the identical situation about 8 months ago! Took a 7-week marketing contract while on unemployment and everything worked exactly as people described here. One thing I'd add is to double-check that your contract employer won't try to classify you as a regular employee for those 6 weeks - some companies get confused about temp vs contract work and that can create complications with EDD. Also, if you're in marketing like me, make sure the contract work doesn't have a non-compete clause that might affect your job search afterward. Overall though, taking that contract was one of the best decisions I made - it kept my skills sharp, gave me recent experience to talk about in interviews, and I was able to return to benefits seamlessly when it ended. The extra income during those weeks was also really helpful for my finances. You're making a smart move!