How long after restarting an ESD claim can I backfill missed weekly certifications?

I had to restart my claim back in February after missing 4 weeks of filing. It took exactly 3 business days for my claim to be reactivated in the system. Once it was active again, I was able to backfill my missed weeks, but only for the previous 4 weeks. Anything older than that was permanently lost - that's an important ESD rule to remember. Also, when you restart a claim, they sometimes reset your waiting week requirement, but not always. Depends on how long it's been inactive.

my claim got messed up twice this year cuz i forgot to file. first time it took like a WEEK to restart and second time only 2 days??? its super unpredictable and nobody at esd ever tells you the same thing. just keep checking your account every morning. thats what i did. so annoying honestly

When you restart a claim, ESD typically processes it within 2-5 business days. However, it's important to understand that you can only backfill weekly certifications for the previous 4 weeks from your current date. If your missed weeks are older than that, unfortunately, you won't be able to claim them retroactively. Once your claim is reactivated, you'll need to manually select each missed week and complete the certification questions. The system doesn't automatically prompt you - you'll need to look for the section that says "File a weekly claim" and then select the specific weeks. Also keep in mind that with freelance income, you'll need to report all earnings for the weeks you're claiming, even retroactively. If your freelance income exceeded your weekly benefit amount for some weeks, you might not receive benefits for those weeks, but filing still keeps your claim active.

I had the EXACT same problem last month!!! I was doing some contract work and totally spaced on filing for like 3 weeks. When I tried to restart my claim online it got stuck in some weird pending status for almost 2 weeks!!! I kept calling that stupid ESD number and just got disconnected or was on hold forever. So frustrating!!!! Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes. They have this video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent was able to fix my restart issue on the spot and I could backfile my missed weeks right away. Saved me so much headache!

@user3 - Yes! It connected me to a real live ESD agent who could actually see my claim and fix the problem right there. WAY better than waiting on hold forever or getting hung up on constantly.

just fyi there's a time limit on how far back you can go. i think it's 4 wks max. after that ur just out of luck. learned that the hard way last year when i missed filing for 6 wks and could only backfill 4 of them. esd doesn't make exceptions on this from what i can tell.

To answer your follow-up question - once my claim was reactivated, I had to manually select each week I wanted to backfill. They didn't automatically appear as prompts. You'll need to go to the section where you normally file weekly claims and you should see the previous weeks available to select. Make sure you have accurate records of your work search activities for those weeks too (if required for your claim type). The system will ask for those details even for retroactive filings.

My cousin works for ESD (not supposed to say that probably lol) and she says the restart process is taking longer than usual right now because they upgraded their computer system last month. Some claims are taking up to a week to restart. Just FYI!

One more important thing to note: when you backfill those weekly certifications, make sure you answer everything accurately, especially regarding your freelance work. If you report income inconsistently compared to previous patterns, it might trigger an adjudication review, which could further delay your benefits. Be precise about dates worked and amounts earned for each specific week you're certifying retroactively.