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If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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NOBODY at ESD cares about us!!! I waited 11 WEEKS only to get DENIED because my employer LIED about why they fired me!!! Now I'm in the middle of an appeal and that's taking FOREVER TOO!!! The system is DESIGNED to make you give up!!! Don't trust ANYTHING they tell you!!!
I'm sorry you're having such a difficult experience. Appeals can take 8-12 weeks right now, unfortunately. Make sure you have documentation ready for your hearing that supports your side of the story - texts, emails, performance reviews, etc. The OAH judges are actually pretty fair if you have evidence to support your case.
UPDATE: I just wanted to let everyone know what happened in case it helps someone else. I responded to those messages in my Secure Message Center about my past employment, and then I used the Claimyr service that was recommended here. It actually worked - got me through to an agent in about 40 minutes (which is WAY better than the hours I spent trying on my own). The agent told me my claim was stuck because they needed to verify wages from a part-time job I had for 3 weeks last year (which is what the secure message was about), but the system hadn't properly flagged it for follow-up. She was able to update my claim right on the spot, and she said I should see payments for all my back weeks within 48-72 hours. I'm still holding my breath until the money actually hits my account, but at least now I know what was happening! Thanks everyone for your help and advice!
That's great news! Thanks for updating us. It's so common for claims to get stuck on small technical issues that could be resolved quickly if you could just talk to someone. Hope your payments come through soon!
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Does anyone know if this backpay means you have to report it on your FAFSA too? My kid is in college and I'm worried this will mess up her financial aid if I suddenly have $5000 more income when we fill out the FAFSA in October...
Yes, unemployment compensation is considered income for FAFSA purposes. Since this payment was received in 2025, it would potentially impact the FAFSA for the 2026-2027 academic year (depending on which tax year they're using - the FAFSA rules have been changing). You might want to speak with your college's financial aid office about your specific situation and whether you can request a professional judgment review if this one-time payment significantly affects your aid eligibility.
I remember being so confused about this too! Everyone's right that it goes on the year you received it. But make sure you're setting enough aside for taxes. When I got backpay, I assumed the 10% withholding would cover it, but unemployment doesn't withhold for state taxes if your state has income tax. And yeah, it pushed me into a higher federal bracket too. Better to save too much than too little!
I'm in Washington so at least I don't have state income tax to worry about! Small blessing there. Thanks for the warning though - I'll definitely put aside more than I think I need just to be safe.
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my cousin said if u make even $1 over ur weekly benefit they take EVERYTHING away for that week... is that true?? seems so unfair if you just barely go over
Yes, unfortunately that's how it works. If you earn even slightly more than your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive benefits for that week. It's definitely a cliff-edge rather than a gradual reduction, which can feel unfair. This is why some people carefully manage their hours if they're doing part-time work - but never misreport! ESD will eventually catch any discrepancies and you'll owe it all back plus penalties.
Just don't forget to answer "YES" to the question about whether you're able and available for work during the weeks you're on this temporary job. I made that mistake once because I thought "well I'm already working so I'm not available" - but that's not what they mean. As long as you WOULD be available for a permanent full-time job if offered (even if it means quitting the temp job), you should answer yes. If you answer no, they'll deny your benefits AND it can complicate things when your temp job ends.
Oh wow, I wouldn't have thought about that! Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely answer yes to being available since I would take a permanent position if offered one.
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Glad you got some clarity! Just a heads up - during adjudication, they may ask if you brought up your concerns about the new contract to your employer and attempted to resolve the issue before refusing to sign. Make sure you have documentation of any conversations about trying to negotiate or express concerns about the new terms. This demonstrates you took reasonable steps to preserve the employment relationship before it ended.
Liam McConnell
Went through an appeal back in January for something similar. One thing nobody mentioned yet - take notes during the entire hearing! The judge might make important comments or your employer might contradict themselves. Having detailed notes helped me when it was my turn to give closing remarks. Also, dress professionally even though it's probably going to be over the phone. It puts you in the right mindset. And have a glass of water nearby - your mouth gets dry when you're nervous talking for that long!
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Jamal Brown
•Great advice about taking notes! I won my appeal last month and taking detailed notes during my former employer's testimony revealed several contradictions that I was able to point out during my questioning. The judge specifically mentioned those inconsistencies in her decision letter granting me benefits.
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Ethan Wilson
Thank you everyone for the incredibly helpful advice! I'm feeling much more prepared now. I've got all my evidence organized, written out my opening statement, and prepared questions based on your suggestions. Will update after the hearing tomorrow to let you know how it goes!
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