Commission payment from old job during unemployment - how to report to ESD correctly?

Report the commission income during the week you actually receive the payment, not when you sold it or when installation happened. When you do your weekly claim, there will be a question asking if you received any income - answer 'yes' and enter the amount before taxes. ESD uses a formula where they deduct a portion of your earnings from your benefit amount rather than automatically disqualifying you. If your commission is larger than your weekly benefit amount plus $5, you won't receive benefits that week, but you'll still remain in the system and can claim future weeks.

same thing happened to me when i was laid off from solar sales last year. u report it the week u get paid not when u sold it. if its more than ur weekly benefit they just dont pay u that week but u still claim like normal

When reporting income to ESD, you need to understand the difference between when work was performed versus when payment was received. For commission-based work, you report the income for the week you receive payment, not when you earned it. This is different from hourly/salary work where you report when the work was performed regardless of pay date. Also, make sure you're reporting gross income (before taxes). ESD will apply their earnings deduction formula: the first $5 of earnings don't count against your benefits, then 75% of the remaining earnings are deducted from your weekly benefit amount. Example: If your weekly benefit is $700 and you receive a $1000 commission check: - First $5 is exempt: $1000 - $5 = $995 - 75% of remainder counts against benefits: $995 × 0.75 = $746.25 - $746.25 > $700, so you wouldn't receive benefits that week But you'd remain eligible for future weeks with no income.

I think you might be overthinking this. Just be honest about when you get paid and you'll be fine. ESD is used to dealing with all kinds of payment situations.

Be SUPER careful with commission income reporting! I messed this up last year and ended up with an overpayment notice for $4,200!!! I thought I should report the commission when I made the sale, not when I got paid months later. Had to go through a whole appeal process to get it fixed. DEFINITELY report it for the week you RECEIVE the money, not when you earned it. ESD's system is frustrating but at least they're consistent on this rule.

Has anyone tried calling ESD directly to ask? Been trying to get through for 3 days about a different issue and the automated system just disconnects me every time. So frustrating!

The advice about reporting it when you receive payment is correct, but there's another wrinkle to consider: if the commission is large enough, it could potentially trigger the "excessive earnings" flag in their system, which might temporarily stop your claim. If that happens, you'll need to restart your claim for future weeks. Not saying it will happen, just something to be aware of.

One more important thing - keep detailed records of everything! Save the commission statement showing the date you received payment, documentation showing when you were laid off, and proof of when the sale was originally made. If ESD ever questions you about it (even months later), having this documentation will protect you.

did u check the esd handbook? its on there website and explaens all this stuff about reporting diffrent types of income