Claim switched to new benefit year but showing insufficient hours (601/680) - will December quarter update fix this?

This is a common issue with how ESD handles benefit years and base periods. What's happening is that when your old claim had benefits remaining, they first put you on that claim (those 3 weeks). But then they did a review and determined you might qualify for a new benefit year. The way ESD calculates qualification is using your "base period" - which is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before you apply. Since we're still in Q4 of 2025, your base period would only include work through Q2 of 2025. The hours from Q3 won't count until January 2026 when Q3 becomes part of your base period. You have a few options: 1. If you think there's a mistake in their hour calculation for the quarters they ARE using, you can appeal 2. You can wait until January when the Q3 hours will be included 3. If you had any unreported hours (like paid training, etc.) during those quarters, you can submit evidence of those Unfortunately, ESD won't automatically "roll over" to include new quarters - you would need to file a new application in January when the base period changes.

The same exact thing happened to me last year! ESD's system is SO FRUSTRATING when it comes to transitioning between claims. Those first 3 weeks are probably pending because they're trying to figure out which claim they should be paid under. I ended up having to CALL ESD about 50 times before I finally got through to someone who could explain what was happening with my claim. They were actually able to manually review my hours and found some that weren't being counted correctly. Def don't give up - if you're only 79 hours short, there might be something they missed!

ur not actually supposed to get paid for those 3 weeks if u dont qualify for a new benefit year. thats why theyre pending. ESD system pays u then figures out later if u should have gotten the $$. happened to me and they made me pay back 2 weeks later cuz they said i didnt qualify. just fyi

So I did some more digging in my paperwork. Looks like I actually worked 637 hours, not 601 as they're showing. That's still short of 680, but closer. Would it be worth appealing just based on that? Also, does anyone know if I can apply for any hardship extensions or something while waiting for January?

The whole ESD system is RIGGED against workers!!!! I had almost the EXACT same situation last year and they made me wait 7 WEEKS with NO INCOME before they figured it out. Even my state rep couldn't help speed things up. They don't care that people have bills and families!!! And just wait until you finally qualify again - they'll probably put you through ID verification HELL for another 3-4 weeks. The system is deliberately designed to make people give up. Document EVERYTHING. Every call, every message, every penny they owe you. You'll need it.

A quick point about those first 3 weeks that are pending: If you had remaining benefits on your previous claim, you should be entitled to those regardless of whether you qualify for a new benefit year. However, there's something called the "lag quarter" issue that might be causing your problem. When you reapplied, if your previous benefit year had already ended, ESD would evaluate you for a new claim. The formula they use is: 1. They look at the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters 2. You need 680 hours across those quarters 3. The most recent completed quarter when you applied is the "lag quarter" If your 5-month job crossed between quarters, some of those hours might be in the lag quarter that isn't counted yet. I recommend requesting a detailed monetary determination to see exactly which quarters and hours they're counting. Then you can appeal with evidence if needed.

my cousin had this problem and she just applied at amazon while waiting for january cuz they hire anyone lol. maybe try that if u need $$ now?

Here's what I suggest based on helping several people through similar situations: 1. First, file an appeal specifically about the hour calculation. Bring any evidence showing more hours worked (paystubs, timesheets, etc). 2. Contact your State Representative's office. They have liaisons who can often get answers from ESD much faster than you can alone. 3. For those original 3 weeks showing as pending: call ESD specifically about those. They might be able to release those payments since they're from your previous claim that you were eligible for. 4. Don't wait until January to file a new claim - mark your calendar for exactly January 1st, 2026 and apply that day to include Q3 hours. 5. In the meantime, register with WorkSource immediately. They can help with job search and might know of short-term opportunities while you wait. The system is frustrating but navigable with persistence!

Did you submit ALL your paystubs when you reapplied? I found out that my employer didn't report all my hours to ESD correctly, which is why my hours were short. If you have paystubs showing more hours than what ESD is counting, definitely appeal and submit those documents. Also - about changing careers - WorkSource has some great retraining programs that can even extend your benefits while you learn a new skill. Worth looking into!