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

I went through something similar when I was on unemployment last year after being laid off from my real estate job. Had a delayed commission from a closing that happened weeks after I was let go. The key thing is definitely to report it for the week you actually receive the payment - that's what matters to ESD, not when you originally earned it. Also, don't panic if the commission is large enough to disqualify you for that one week. You'll still be in the system and can continue claiming benefits normally for subsequent weeks. Just make sure to answer the weekly questions honestly about receiving income during that specific week. The worst thing you can do is not report it at all - that's when you get into real trouble with overpayments and potential fraud issues. Keep your commission statement and any documentation about the timing, just in case they have questions later. ESD sees delayed commission payments all the time, so this isn't unusual for them to handle.

I'm a tax preparer and deal with unemployment/commission situations frequently with my clients. Just want to emphasize something others have touched on but is super important: when you report the commission income on your weekly claim, make sure you're entering the GROSS amount (before any taxes, fees, or deductions). ESD calculates their benefit reduction based on gross income, not what you actually take home. I've seen people get confused and report their net commission amount, which can cause issues later if ESD cross-references with employer wage reports. Also, since you mentioned this is from an HVAC job - if there are any installation-related costs or chargebacks that come out of your commission later, those don't change what you report to ESD for this week. You report what you actually received, period. Any subsequent adjustments are separate matters. Good luck with everything, and you're smart to ask these questions upfront rather than guessing!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - if your commission check puts you over the earnings threshold for that week and you don't receive unemployment benefits, you should still file your weekly claim! A lot of people think they shouldn't bother filing if they know they won't get paid that week, but you need to maintain your claim to stay active in the system. When you file, you'll just answer "yes" to receiving income and enter your commission amount. The system will automatically calculate that you're not eligible for benefits that week, but it keeps your claim current so you can receive benefits the following weeks when you don't have income. Missing a weekly filing can cause your claim to become inactive, which creates more headaches to reactivate later.