ESD WorkShare claim stuck - holiday pay being flagged as 'worked hours'
I'm on the WorkShare program and having trouble submitting my weekly claim for January 8-14, 2025. My employer is giving us holiday pay for the 13th (company holiday), even though our entire department was off that whole week due to slow business. I properly entered the 8 hours as holiday pay and answered all other questions correctly, but when I try to submit, I get an error message saying my information indicates I 'worked during the week' and it won't let me proceed unless I 'correct' this. It seems like the system is treating holiday pay as regular work hours? Should I just report the 8 hours as 'hours worked' instead of 'holiday pay' to get my claim through? I'd be reporting the correct amount of money either way, but I don't want to mess up my claim. Has anyone dealt with this WorkShare holiday pay reporting issue before?
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Selena Bautista
Don't report holiday pay as hours worked - that's incorrect and could cause problems later. Holiday pay is considered 'deductible income' but not hours worked. The system is probably glitching because WorkShare claims have special rules. Call ESD directly - they're familiar with these WorkShare holiday pay issues. I had a similar situation last year with our company's floating holiday.
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Tasia Synder
•Thanks for the advice! I've been trying to call ESD for 2 days now but keep hitting the 'high call volume' message. Do you know if there's a specific WorkShare department number that might be less busy?
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Mohamed Anderson
just went thru this last month!! the issue is that workshare has different rules than regular UI. you need to click the 'holiday pay' option NOT the 'hours worked' one but then on the next screen theres a box to explain - write that this is HOLIDAY PAY while on WORKSHARE program. then it should go thru. worked for me!
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Tasia Synder
•I tried that but it still gives me the error! Did you have to call ESD to get it fixed? I'm getting worried about missing the weekly deadline.
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Ellie Perry
I work for a company that uses WorkShare too, and this holiday pay reporting has been an ongoing issue with ESD's system. The best practice is to report it correctly as holiday pay, then when you get the error, call ESD to manually override it. I know it's frustrating, but incorrectly reporting it as work hours can trigger an audit later. Also, double-check with your HR that they're reporting the holiday pay correctly on their WorkShare reports - sometimes the issue is on the employer's end.
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Tasia Synder
•That makes sense. I'll check with HR tomorrow morning. Our company just started using WorkShare this month so they might be making reporting errors too.
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Landon Morgan
u shud try Claimyr to get thru to ESD faster!! i was stuck in the same boat with workshare issues and couldnt get anyone on the phone for days. used claimyr.com and got connected to an agent in like 20 mins. they have this video showing how it works https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 - totally worth it when ur dealing with workshare problems that need immediate fixes
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Teresa Boyd
•Is this legit? Seems weird to use a third party just to call a government office. Has anyone else used this?
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Lourdes Fox
•I've used it twice when I was desperate to reach ESD. It actually works! They basically wait on hold for you and call when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration.
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Bruno Simmons
You've gotten some good advice already, but I want to clarify something specific about WorkShare holiday pay reporting: The ESD system wasn't originally designed with WorkShare in mind, which is why these errors happen. According to ESD guidelines, holiday pay during a WorkShare week should be reported as 'holiday pay' NOT as 'hours worked' - despite the error message. The critical thing is that your TOTAL hours (regular + holiday) determine your benefit amount. If your company reported you correctly on their end, call ESD to override the system error. Don't modify your report just to get it through - accuracy is more important than convenience here.
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Tasia Synder
•Thank you for this detailed explanation! I'll stick with reporting it correctly as holiday pay then. I managed to get through to ESD this morning (finally!) and they confirmed exactly what you said. They manually pushed my claim through and said they're working on fixing this known issue with the WorkShare reporting system.
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Bruno Simmons
•Glad to hear you got it resolved! For future reference, if this happens again, mention to the agent that you need a 'WorkShare holiday pay override' - that specific terminology helps them locate the correct procedure in their system.
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Mohamed Anderson
ALSO dont forget u still have to do the job search activities even on workshare!! my coworker got in trouble for skipping those
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Ellie Perry
•Actually, that's incorrect for WorkShare specifically. WorkShare participants are exempt from job search requirements because they're still employed and just working reduced hours. This is one of the main differences between regular UI and WorkShare. Your coworker might have been on regular UI instead of WorkShare, or there might have been some confusion about their status.
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Mohamed Anderson
•oh shoot ur right!! i was thinking of when i was on regular unemployment last year. thx for correcting me!
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Teresa Boyd
This whole system is DESIGNED TO BE CONFUSING!! They make these 'errors' on purpose so people give up claiming. I had THREE different ESD agents tell me THREE different ways to report holiday pay for WorkShare. One said report as worked hours, one said report as holiday pay, and one said don't report it at all!!! How are we supposed to know what's right when even THEY don't know?!?!
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Bruno Simmons
•While I understand your frustration, the confusion is more likely due to WorkShare being a relatively specialized program that not all agents are equally trained on. The official ESD policy is clear: holiday pay should be reported as holiday pay, not hours worked. It affects your benefit calculation differently. If you encounter an agent who seems unsure, ask to speak with a WorkShare specialist specifically.
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Aileen Rodriguez
My company uses WorkShare too and I just went through this exact problem last month! What worked for me was leaving a detailed message in their eServices portal explaining the holiday pay situation. They responded within 3 days and manually processed my claim. Might be worth trying while you're also attempting to call.
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