ESD questioning my part-time paycheck - will I lose benefits?

your fine as long as you reported the hours worked when you did ur weekly claim. UI lets u work part time, they just reduce ur benefit amount based on what u earned. did u report the hours on ur weekly claim?

I did report the hours, but I put 0 for earnings because I honestly didn't think I was getting paid for training yet. So my weekly claim didn't match what my employer reported. That's why I'm freaking out...

This isn't a major issue - just a routine earnings discrepancy review. When your employer reports wages that don't match what you reported, ESD automatically requests clarification. Since you've provided the correct information now, they'll likely just adjust your benefit amount for that week and may assess a small overpayment for the difference. \n\nYou're absolutely correct that you can work part-time while receiving unemployment benefits. ESD uses a formula where 75% of your earnings are deducted from your weekly benefit amount. So if you earn $215/week and your weekly benefit is $500, you'd still receive about $339 in UI benefits ($500 - ($215 x 0.75)).\n\nYour claim isn't necessarily in full adjudication - this is more of a fact-finding process. They'll review the information you provided and make a determination. Payments might pause temporarily while they process this, but should resume once resolved.

this happened to my sister and they cut her off for 3 MONTHS while

Everyone I know who's dealing with ESD these days is having trouble getting straight answers on the phone. When I had a similar issue with unreported training pay (I didn't know either!), I spent DAYS trying to reach someone. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through - they have this system that basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of hold time frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3\n\nHonestly the best thing was being able to explain directly to an agent that it was an honest mistake, not me trying to commit fraud or something. The agent was actually understanding and helped me fix it.

Is that really worth it tho? I feel like these services just take advantage of desperate people...

For me it was worth not spending literal days redialing ESD. By the time I found it I'd already wasted so many hours on hold only to get disconnected. Believe me, I tried the free route first!

ESD LOVES to find any tiny reason to stop your benefits and make you jump through hoops!!!! I went through this EXACT same thing last year and they put a hold on my payments for SIX WEEKS over $112 of training pay that I didn't know about!!! It's absolutely ridiculous how they treat people. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims EVEN IF your payments stop temporarily.

Six weeks?? I can't go that long without benefits! Did you have to pay back the money for that week?

Yeah they made me pay back the difference but I didn't get penalized because it was an honest mistake. KEEP CALLING THEM every day until you get through!!!

Let me clarify some important facts about part-time work and unemployment:\n\n1. Yes, you can absolutely work part-time while receiving UI benefits. This is called partial unemployment.\n\n2. When you report earnings, they're deducted from your benefit using the 75% formula mentioned above.\n\n3. What you're experiencing is a wage cross-match issue. Employers report wages to ESD quarterly, and when they don't match your weekly claims, ESD follows up.\n\n4. Since you've already provided the corrected information, you're likely just facing a one-week adjustment, not a full adjudication.\n\n5. Make sure your future weekly claims accurately report all hours and earnings to avoid these issues.\n\n6. Most importantly, this is not fraud since it was clearly an unintentional mistake. Fraud requires intentional misrepresentation.\n\nThe system is designed to catch and resolve these discrepancies. Keep filing your weekly claims regardless of payment status, and make sure to respond to any additional ESD requests promptly.

Thank you so much for explaining all this clearly! I definitely wasn't trying to commit fraud - I honestly had no idea I was getting paid for training. I'll be super careful about reporting every penny going forward. How long do these adjustments usually take to process?

Simple earnings adjustments typically take 1-3 weeks. If they determine additional fact-finding is needed, it could take longer. Unfortunately, ESD's processing times have been unpredictable since 2020.

i had sort of same problem when i started my retail job they paid me for orientation but i didnt think they would so i didnt report it. esd sent me a message and i called them and explained and they just adjusted that one week. took like 2 weeks to fix and i had to pay back like $85 but then everything went back to normal. was scary tho cause i thought i was in big trouble lol

Update: I finally got through to ESD after trying for two days. The agent said it's just a routine earnings review, not full adjudication. She said my payments might be paused for 1-2 weeks while they process the correction, but since I was honest about the mistake and provided documentation, there shouldn't be any issues beyond adjusting that one week. Such a relief! They're just going to reduce that week's payment and everything should continue normally after that.

awesome! glad it worked out

You got lucky they processed it so fast!!! The system is still a MESS

This is a good reminder for everyone claiming UI while working part-time: always report ALL earnings for the week you worked (not when you get paid). Even training hours, orientation, paid meetings, etc. all count as earnings. When in doubt, report it - it's much easier to handle properly upfront than to deal with adjustments later.\n\nGlad to hear your situation is being resolved smoothly!