Can I delay filing ESD unemployment claim because of prepaid vacation?

Don't wait to file! You should file your initial claim immediately, then when you do your weekly claims while on vacation, you would answer "no" to the question about being able and available for work for those weeks. You won't get paid for those specific weeks, but your claim will be established with the correct effective date. If you wait, you might lose benefits for weeks you could have claimed before your vacation. The system will ask for the reason you weren't available, and "preplanned, prepaid vacation" is a valid reason that won't hurt your claim status overall.

I say wait honestly. ESD is such a nightmare and I waited 2 weeks to file my claim last year and it was fine. Why deal with the hassle of filing now when ur about to be unavailable? Just enjoy ur vacation and deal with the bureaucracy when u get back lol

File RIGHT NOW but make sure when you do your weekly certifications during vacation that you say NO to being available for work!!! I tried skipping filing for 3 weeks because of a family vacation and when I came back and tried to backdate my claim, ESD denied it and I lost almost $2,700 in benefits I could have received if I'd just filed on time. The system makes you explain why you weren't available, and prepaid vacation is a legitimate reason as long as you're honest about it.

I had this EXACT situation in January. File your claim immediately, then when you do your weekly claims during vacation, just answer truthfully that you weren't available for work. You won't get benefits for those weeks, but your claim will be properly established. If you wait to file, ESD might question the delay AND you'll potentially lose benefits for the days between your layoff and vacation. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an ESD agent right away to confirm this approach was correct - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent told me that planned, prepaid vacations don't affect your overall claim eligibility.

dont even worry about it bruh... ive been on unemployment like 5 times and they never check that stuff anyway. just wait till u get back and file then. esd is too busy to care about a few weeks

WAIT!!! Everyone saying "file now" is ASSUMING you're eligible right now. Are you getting severance pay? If so, you might not be eligible until that runs out anyway. Severance can delay when you can actually receive benefits. I would double-check if you're getting any kind of continued pay from your employer before rushing to file.

Here's the official ESD guidance: You should file your initial claim immediately to establish your benefit year correctly. For the vacation weeks, report that you're not able and available for work when filing those weekly claims. You won't receive benefits for weeks you're unavailable, but this won't affect your overall eligibility or total benefit amount. Waiting to file your initial claim could result in losing benefits for eligible weeks before your vacation. If questioned about the vacation, simply explain it was pre-paid and arranged before your job loss - keep any receipts showing it was booked before your layoff date as documentation.

Has anyone actually tried calling ESD lately? I spent HOURS last week trying to get through. Started calling at 8am exactly when they opened and still couldn't get a human. How is OP supposed to even confirm this info if they can't reach anyone?!