Do I report paid CE training hours for my caregiver certification to ESD unemployment?

Yes, you absolutely need to report ANY paid hours to ESD, including CE training. Report it for the week you actually do the training (not when you get paid for it). Your weekly benefit will be reduced based on how much you earn, but you probably won't be completely disqualified unless you earn more than your weekly benefit amount. Just make sure to report the exact hours and earnings accurately to avoid an overpayment situation down the road.

u have to report it as work hours!! they WILL find out if u dont and then ull have to pay it all back plus penalties. happened to my roomate last year, total nightmare

When you file your weekly claim, you'll need to answer "yes" to the question asking if you worked or earned any money during the week, even if it's just for training. You'll enter the hours worked and the gross amount earned (before taxes). ESD uses a formula where they deduct part of your earnings from your weekly benefit - specifically they don't count the first $5 you earn, then reduce your benefit by 75% of any additional earnings. For example, if your weekly benefit is $400 and you earn $100 for training: $100 - $5 = $95 $95 × 75% = $71.25 $400 - $71.25 = $328.75 (your adjusted weekly benefit) So you'd still receive benefits, just a reduced amount for that week.

I'm a caregiver too and did my CE training last month while on unemployment. I reported it as regular work hours and put my normal hourly rate. Ended up only reducing my benefit by like $90 that week. No big deal and definitely better than risking an overpayment case!

Has anyone actually been able to get through to ESD to ask questions like this? I've been trying for WEEKS to talk to someone about my adjudication and keep getting disconnected or put on hold forever. It's so frustrating trying to do the right thing when you can't even get answers!!!

When I was on unemployment last year I had to do a similar thing for my job certification. I reported it and they just reduced my benefit that week. BUT make sure you keep documentation showing it was required CE training in case they question it later. I had an adjudicator contact me about it 3 months later and I had to prove it was legitimate CE and not just me working regular hours.

To answer your follow-up question - there's no special category for CE training on the weekly claim form. You just report it as regular work. What matters to ESD is that you're being paid for your time, not the specific type of work activity. When entering the employer information, use whoever is actually paying you for the training (your former employer in this case). If you have any concerns about how to report it, document everything so you can explain if they have questions later.

my sister works in healthcare and she said ALWAYS report training bc even if its not direct deposit ur employer reports the pay to IRS and ESD will crosscheck later

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to report the CE training hours for the week I complete them, save all documentation showing it was required certification training, and use the formula someone shared to estimate my reduced benefit. It sounds like this is pretty normal and won't disqualify me from benefits entirely that week. Really appreciate all the input!