Approved for ESD overpayment waiver from 2020 - what worked?

Yes! I got my $4,200 overpayment waived last month. The key is proving financial hardship AND that it wasn't your fault. I included my last 3 months of bank statements showing my account balance under $1000, my rent statement showing I'm behind, and utility bills. For the "not my fault" part, I wrote a detailed explanation about how confusing the weekly claim questions were during the pandemic and how I misunderstood the definition of "available for work" while taking care of my sick parent. The waiver process took about 8 weeks but they approved it fully!

i got denied twice before i got approved. don't give up!!!!!! the trick is to REALLY show them ur broke. i had to send my eviction notice and show that my bank account was negative. they dont care if ur confused about the rules, they only care if u can pay or not tbh.

I had a similar situation with a $5,900 overpayment from pandemic unemployment. I tried calling ESD about 20 times and kept getting disconnected or told the wait was over 2 hours. SO FRUSTRATED!!!! Finally found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual ESD agent in about 25 minutes. The agent helped me understand exactly what documentation to include with my waiver request and gave me tips on how to explain my situation. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. Totally worth it because the agent told me stuff that wasn't on the website about what they look for in waiver applications.

I'm an unemployment advocate who's helped many people with overpayment waivers. Here's what you need to know: 1. The waiver form is available in your eServices account or on the ESD website. You can upload it through eServices (preferred method). 2. For pandemic benefits specifically (PUA, PEUC), there are more flexible waiver criteria than for regular UI. 3. You need to demonstrate BOTH financial hardship AND that the overpayment wasn't due to fraud. For your situation, explain how the changing work schedules made it genuinely confusing to report accurately. 4. Submit documentation: bank statements, pay stubs, bills, rent/mortgage, any expenses over $100, and a detailed monthly budget showing you can't afford repayment. 5. If denied, you can appeal within 30 days. Many denials get reversed on appeal. Don't panic - many overpayments from the pandemic period are being waived if you follow the process correctly.

I applied for a waiver back in February and STILL haven't heard anything. Meanwhile they've started garnishing my wages! Has anyone else experienced this ridiculous wait time? Should I submit another waiver request or just give up and set up a payment plan? The whole system is designed to exhaust you into giving up.

i know someone who just ignored the overpayment notices and nothing ever happened to them lol

Just curious - is anyone else noticing that ESD seems more willing to waive pandemic overpayments than regular UI overpayments? My cousin and I both had overpayments (mine from regular UI in 2025, hers from PUA in 2020) and she got hers waived easily while I'm still fighting mine.

Update: I submitted my waiver request yesterday with TONS of documentation. I included a very detailed explanation of how I misunderstood the reporting requirements during the pandemic and provided bank statements showing I have less than $500 to my name right now. Fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for the advice and I'll post again when I hear back from ESD.