Will part-time work reduce my EDD benefits? Questions about partial UI payments and benefit extensions

when i worked part time last year they took away more than i thought!! they use this weird formula and its not just 75% like you think. they took like 90% of what i made from my benefits. not worth it for me but your situation might be different ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Ugh, that's what I'm afraid of. Did your claim last longer at least, since you weren't collecting the full amount each week?

The calculation EDD uses is actually different from what you described. Here's how it works:\n\n1. You report your gross earnings (before taxes) when you certify\n2. EDD disregards the first $25 or 25% of your earnings (whichever is greater)\n3. The remainder is subtracted from your weekly benefit amount\n\nIn your case, with $250 earnings:\n- 25% of $250 = $62.50 (this is the disregard amount)\n- $250 - $62.50 = $187.50 (this is what gets subtracted)\n- $575 - $187.50 = $387.50 (your reduced UI payment)\n\nSo you'd get $387.50 from EDD plus your $250 paycheck = $637.50 total (before taxes).\n\nAnd yes, working part-time does extend your claim! Your claim balance gets used up more slowly since you're drawing less each week. Instead of using $575 weekly, you're only using $387.50, so your benefits will last longer.

Thank you so much for breaking this down! This makes it much clearer. So it seems like I'd actually make more money overall by taking the part-time job AND extend how long my benefits last. That's a win-win!

be careful!! i had a friend who didnt report her part time earnings and ended up getting hit with an overpayment notice and fraud penalty. make sure u report everything exactly right when you certify every 2 weeks

Oh definitely, I'll report everything accurately. I'm more concerned about understanding how it affects my benefits than trying to hide anything.

Just to add some clarity - when you're receiving partial unemployment benefits, you're still using up

Wait I'm confused. So the OP still only gets 26 weeks total? Or they get more than 26 weeks? Your first paragraph sounds like they only get 26 weeks no matter what but your second paragraph says the benefits last longer than 26 weeks. Which is it???

Sorry for the confusion! To clarify: Regular UI claims have TWO limits - a dollar amount (your total claim balance) and a time limit (typically 26 weeks). You can receive benefits until you either exhaust your dollar balance OR reach the time limit, whichever comes first.\n\nIf you're collecting partial unemployment, you'll reach your time limit (26 weeks) before exhausting your dollar balance, unless there's a formal extension program in place.

I had a similar situation last year. Make sure to accurately report your hours AND wages each certification period. You have to report gross wages (before taxes) for the week you EARNED them, not when you got paid. That tripped me up and I almost had an overpayment issue.

FWIW THE EDD SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN!!!! I reported my part-time earnings correctly for MONTHS and they still somehow messed up my claim and put me in pending for 6 WEEKS trying to fix it. Had to call like 200 times to get through to someone who could help. The whole system is designed to make you give up!!!

After dealing with similar frustrations, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. Saved me days of redialing. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km and their website is claimyr.com. Definitely worth checking out if you hit any roadblocks with your partial benefits and need to speak with someone.

Thanks for the tip! I'll keep this in mind if I run into problems. My anxiety about these things is through the roof so knowing there's a backup plan helps.

also dont forget that you have to report your work search activities every week even with part time work! i got confused and thought i didnt have to do that anymore when i started my part time job and almost lost my benefits completly

One more important thing: When you start part-time work, continue answering \

This is really helpful - I'll definitely keep detailed records. Do you know if there's any specific form or format EDD prefers for tracking this information? Or just any spreadsheet/notes will do?

Any organized format works - EDD doesn't require a specific form for your personal records. A simple spreadsheet with dates worked, hours each day, and weekly earnings is perfect. Just make sure the numbers you report when certifying match your records exactly. I also recommend taking screenshots of your certification submissions as extra protection.

I've been on partial unemployment for 3 months now and it's working great for me. I'm making more overall and my claim is lasting longer. The key is being super accurate with reporting. I always calculate everything before certifying and double-check my math. \n\nOne weird thing I noticed is sometimes the payment doesn't match my calculations exactly - usually off by a dollar or two. I think it has to do with how they round numbers or calculate taxes. Nothing to worry about though.

I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been super helpful! One question I haven't seen addressed - if I'm working part-time and collecting partial benefits, what happens if the part-time job ends unexpectedly? Do I just go back to collecting my full weekly benefit amount, or do I need to reopen my claim somehow? Also, has anyone dealt with having multiple part-time jobs while on unemployment? I might have an opportunity for two different part-time gigs and I'm wondering how complicated the reporting gets with multiple income sources.

This thread is so informative! I'm actually in almost the exact same situation as you, Fatima. I've been hesitant to take on part-time work because I was worried it would mess up my benefits, but seeing everyone's explanations about the 25% disregard rule and how it can actually extend your claim duration makes me feel much better about it. One thing I'm curious about - does anyone know if there's a maximum number of hours you can work part-time while still qualifying for partial unemployment? I've heard conflicting information about whether there's like a 30-hour limit or something like that. I don't want to accidentally work too many hours and lose my benefits entirely. Also, thank you to everyone who mentioned keeping detailed records. That seems like it's going to be super important if EDD ever questions anything. Better safe than sorry with their system!

This is such a timely thread for me! I just started a part-time gig last week making about $300/week and was stressing about how it would affect my $450 weekly benefit amount. Reading through everyone's explanations about the 25% disregard calculation really helped me understand what to expect. I'm actually documenting everything in a Google Sheets file with columns for date, hours worked, gross pay, and then what I plan to report when I certify. After seeing all the warnings about accuracy and overpayment issues, I'm being extra careful to track every detail. One thing I'm grateful for from this discussion is learning that partial unemployment can actually extend your claim duration. I had no idea about that! I was worried I was "wasting" my benefits by not collecting the full amount each week, but it sounds like it's actually the opposite. Has anyone had experience with seasonal part-time work while on UI? My job might only last through the summer, and I'm wondering if there are any special considerations when the hours fluctuate week to week or when it eventually ends.