Holiday delay for ESD unemployment payments? (Usually file Sunday, paid Wednesday)
Hey everyone - quick question about the upcoming holiday schedule. I normally file my weekly claim on Sunday and see the payment hit my account by Wednesday. Does anyone know if ESD payments will be delayed because of the holidays? I'm trying to plan my bills and want to know if I should expect it to be a day or two late. My landlord isn't exactly the flexible type, so I need to know whether to warn them about a potential late payment. Thanks!
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Yuki Yamamoto
Yes, holiday weeks typically cause a 1-2 day delay in payments. ESD processes claims on government business days, so any federal holiday pushes everything back. If you file on Sunday as usual, you might not see payment until Thursday or Friday depending on which holiday we're talking about. The ESD website should have a holiday schedule posted somewhere showing which days they're closed.
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Ethan Brown
•Thanks! I looked on the ESD site but couldn't find a specific holiday payment schedule. I'll plan for Friday just to be safe. Do you know if this affects direct deposit differently than the debit cards?
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Carmen Ortiz
omg same boat!! my rent is due the 1st and i NEED that money on time 😫 last year during christmas week it was like 3 days late and my landlord charged me a late fee
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Andre Rousseau
•I think you can show your landlord proof that you're on unemployment and explain the holiday delay. Mine was understanding when I did that. Worth trying!
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Zoe Papadakis
The specific delays depend on which holiday we're talking about. For most federal holidays, ESD offices are closed, which means no processing happens that day. Your payment processing will basically skip that day and continue the next business day. If you usually file Sunday → paid Wednesday, then: - If Monday is a holiday: Expect payment Thursday - If Tuesday is a holiday: Expect payment Thursday or Friday - If Wednesday is a holiday: Expect payment Thursday or Friday Your bank's processing time also affects when funds become available. Some banks will still post the deposit on a holiday, others won't process until the next business day.
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Jamal Carter
•^^^ This is accurate. I work in banking and holiday processing schedules get complicated because you have BOTH the ESD processing schedule AND your bank's processing schedule affecting when the money actually hits your account.
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AstroAdventurer
I've been on standby status for 6 months and have noticed that holiday weeks always delay payments. The ESD phone systems are also completely jammed the day after holidays, so if you need to check on your payment status, it's nearly impossible to get through. I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an ESD agent when I needed to check on a delayed payment. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 showing how it works. Saved me hours of redial frustration when my payment was stuck in the system.
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Mei Liu
•Does that service actually work? I'm skeptical of anything that claims to get through ESD's phone system. I've tried calling over 50 times in one day before and never reached a human being.
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AstroAdventurer
•It worked for me during the Thanksgiving rush last year. Worth it when you're desperate to talk to someone about a missing payment. But try the normal channels first - sometimes the automated system can tell you if the payment is just delayed vs actually having an issue.
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Andre Rousseau
Just to add something nobody's mentioned - if Monday is MLK Day or President's Day, those ARE banking holidays but a lot of employers still work those days, so the unemployment office is sometimes still open even though banks are closed. That creates even more confusion about when money will arrive. Double-check which specific holiday you're asking about!
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Carmen Ortiz
•wait so does that mean the money goes thru ESD but gets stuck at the bank?? so confusing!!
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Mei Liu
THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE US SUFFER!!! ESD doesn't care if your rent is late or if you can't buy food. They INTENTIONALLY make the holiday schedule confusing and don't post clear information because they WANT people to miss payments and get kicked off unemployment. I've been fighting with them for MONTHS over an adjudication that should have been resolved in weeks. Their entire system is built to frustrate claimants into giving up.
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Yuki Yamamoto
•While I understand the frustration, I don't think the holiday payment delays are intentional. Government agencies follow federal holiday schedules, and payment processing relies on banking systems that also observe those holidays. It's not ideal, but it's more about how interconnected systems work rather than trying to cause hardship.
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Ethan Brown
Thanks everyone for the responses! Sounds like I should definitely plan for at least a 1-2 day delay. I'll talk to my landlord ahead of time to avoid any late fees. Really appreciate all the detailed info about how the holidays affect both ESD and bank processing.
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