Will partial work days mess up my EDD benefits? Confused about reporting earnings
Just got approved for UI benefits at $450/week and now my former employer is asking me to work a few days next week (possibly the full week after). I make roughly $190 per day at this job. I'm totally confused about how to handle this with EDD. If I work 2 days and earn $380, will EDD just subtract that from my weekly benefit and send me $70? Or does working at all completely disqualify me for that week? I've never been on unemployment before and don't want to mess anything up or get accused of fraud. Also wondering if I should just tell my old boss no since it might complicate things... but I could really use the extra money if it's worth it.
18 comments
Landon Flounder
Working part-time while on unemployment is completely fine! When you certify, you'll report your gross earnings (before taxes) for the week. EDD uses a formula where the first $25 or 25% of your earnings (whichever is higher) doesn't count against your benefits. Then the remainder is subtracted from your weekly benefit amount. So with $450 weekly benefit and $380 in earnings: - First $95 (25% of $380) doesn't count - Remaining $285 is subtracted from $450 - You'd receive approximately $165 in UI benefits for that week Make sure to report your earnings for the week you WORK, not when you get paid. And always report gross earnings (before taxes).
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Jacinda Yu
•Thank you so much for explaining! I didn't know about the 25% part. That makes working those days actually worthwhile. Do I need to do anything special when I certify besides just entering the amount I earned?
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Callum Savage
i was in teh same situation last month. you definetly want to take the work!!! you end up with MORE money total when you combine the partial UI + work then just UI alone. just make sure u report exactly when u worked not when u get paid.
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Ally Tailer
•NOT ALWAYS TRUE!!! Sometimes working part-time can completely disqualify you depending on how much you earn. My friend lost her whole week of benefits for working ONE DAY because she's a nurse and made too much. You have to do the math carefully!!!
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Aliyah Debovski
Be extremely careful with reporting your earnings. Always report your GROSS wages (before any deductions) for the week you perform the work, even if you don't get paid until later. When you certify, you'll answer "yes" to the question about working, then enter the days worked and gross earnings. The EDD formula is: 1. They subtract 25% of your earnings from your total earnings 2. They subtract that amount from your weekly benefit With $450 weekly benefit and $380 earnings: - $380 - $95 (25% of earnings) = $285 - $450 - $285 = $165 in benefits for that week So you'd make $380 from work + $165 from UI = $545 total for the week, which is better than just the $450 from UI alone. If you work full-time one week, you'll report that and receive $0 for that week, but your claim stays open and you can collect benefits again when your work hours reduce. Just keep certifying every two weeks even if you work full-time occasionally.
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Jacinda Yu
•This is super helpful - thank you for the detailed breakdown! So basically I should just be honest about exactly what I earn each week and EDD will do the calculations? And my claim stays active even if I have some weeks where I don't get benefits?
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Miranda Singer
When i was on unemployment last year i worked like 3 days a week sometimes and other times none. it was a huge pain trying to get anyone at EDD on the phone when i had questions about reporting!!! kept getting the stupid "we're experiencing high call volume" message for days!!! so frustrating!!
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Cass Green
•I had the same issue trying to reach EDD about earnings reporting questions. After wasting days trying, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km The EDD rep explained exactly how to report my earnings correctly and fixed a mistake I had made on a previous certification. Definitely worth it since having earnings reporting errors can lead to overpayment notices later.
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Finley Garrett
I think ur overthinking this. Just report ur earnings honestly and the system figures it out. I worked on and off during my whole claim last year and it was fine. The only annoying part is when u work just enough that ur UI payment is like $12 lol happened to me once.
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Aliyah Debovski
One more important thing: if you work full-time hours in a week (40+ hours), regardless of how much you earn, EDD typically considers you fully employed for that week and you won't receive benefits. But as others have said, your claim stays open and you can receive benefits in future weeks when you work reduced hours again. Also, make sure you're still doing your required work search activities for any week you're claiming benefits, even partial benefits. You need to log at least 3 work search activities per week unless you have a work search exemption.
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Jacinda Yu
•Oh! I didn't realize I still needed to do the work search activities if I'm working part-time. Thank you for pointing that out - I would have definitely messed that up.
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Ally Tailer
BE CAREFUL!!! When you certify, they'll ask if you refused any work. If your boss offered you full-time work and you turned it down to stay on unemployment, that could make you ineligible for benefits!!! EDD takes this VERY seriously!
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Jacinda Yu
•That's a good point I hadn't considered. My boss is only offering temporary work, not my full-time position back, so I think I'm okay on that front. But definitely something I'll keep in mind!
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Aliyah Debovski
Just to clarify on work search requirements: When you work part-time in a week and claim partial benefits, you still need to meet your work search requirements. However, each day you work can count as a work search activity. So if you work 2 days in a week, you'd only need 1 additional work search activity to meet the minimum of 3. And regarding the earlier comment about refusing work: Your commenter is correct that refusing suitable work can disqualify you. However, if your employer is only offering occasional days here and there (not permanent regular work), it's generally fine to accept or decline these individual days without affecting your eligibility. Just don't refuse an offer to return to your regular position.
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Madison Tipne
Wait has anyone mentioned that you need to report your earnings when you WORK not when you get PAID?? This is super important and trips up so many people! If you work on Thursday but don't get paid until the following Friday, you still report those earnings for the week you did the actual work.
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Jacinda Yu
•Yes, several people mentioned that - but thank you for emphasizing it! I definitely would have reported based on when I got paid if I hadn't gotten this advice.
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Cass Green
After reading all the advice here, I would definitely recommend taking the work. Just make sure you: 1. Report your gross earnings for the week you WORKED (not when paid) 2. Continue doing your work search activities (working days count toward this) 3. Keep certifying every two weeks even if you have a week of full-time work The formula others explained is correct - you'll actually come out ahead financially by working part-time. Plus, maintaining a connection with your former employer could lead to full-time work again.
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Jacinda Yu
•Thank you! I'm definitely going to take the work now that I understand how it affects my benefits. I appreciate everyone's help - this community is amazing!
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