Can I still get ESD payments after accepting job but before first paycheck?

Congrats on the job! You can absolutely continue filing weekly claims until your actual start date. When you file those weekly claims, you'll report that you didn't work any hours and didn't receive any income (because you haven't started yet). Once you start working, you need to report the hours you worked each week, even if you haven't been paid yet. Remember that unemployment is based on when you WORK, not when you get paid. If your earnings for a week exceed your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive benefits for that week.

u can get paid until ur first day of work, after that ur not unemployed anymore so u dont get benefits. doesnt matter when u get ur first check.

I went through this exact situation in March 2025. Here's what you need to know: 1. Continue filing weekly claims until your actual start date 2. On your weekly claim, there's a question asking if you've accepted an offer - answer YES and provide the start date 3. ESD will continue paying benefits until your start date 4. Once you start working, you must report ALL hours worked on your weekly claim, even if you haven't been paid yet 5. If your earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive benefits for that week 6. If you work part-time or reduced hours, you may qualify for partial benefits Make sure you're completely honest about your start date and hours worked. ESD can verify this information with employers and retroactively create an overpayment if you report incorrectly.

When i got a job i just stopped filing. Didnt know i could keep claiming til start date. Now i wonder if i left money on the table lol

I know this situation is stressful! I was in the EXACT same position last year. One thing that helped me was calling ESD directly to explain my situation so there wouldn't be any confusion about my claim. I spent DAYS trying to get through on the phone but kept getting the "high call volume" message and disconnected. Finally, I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours redialing! There's a short video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent confirmed everything others are saying here - I could claim until my start date, then had to report hours worked even before getting paid. Really helpful to get it straight from ESD!

THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! You're supposed to get benefits during that gap before your first paycheck but ESD will deny you anyway! They make the rules impossible to understand ON PURPOSE so they can deny benefits. I reported everything honestly and they STILL created a $2,900 overpayment for me when I started a new job! Now fighting with them for 3 months to fix it. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING and take screenshots of all your weekly claims!!!!

Question - does anyone know if I need to do the job search requirements during those two weeks before I start the new job? Do I still need to log 3 job search activities each week even though I've already accepted a position?

Another important thing to know: If your new job doesn't work out during the benefit year, you can reopen your claim without filing a new application (as long as your benefit year hasn't expired). Just go into your eServices account and select "Reopen Claim" - this is helpful if the new job doesn't work out or if you're laid off again within that year.

i think u should just keep claiming and not tell them about ur job till u get paid lol thats what my roomate did