Just started working - do I still file my ESD weekly claim this week?
After being unemployed for almost 4 months (felt like forever!), I FINALLY got a job offer and started working yesterday!! So relieved to be earning again. My question is about how to handle my unemployment claims now - do I still need to file my weekly claim for this current week since I worked only 3 days so far? And what about next week - do I keep filing claims until I get my first full paycheck? I'm confused about when exactly I should stop filing. I don't want to accidentally commit fraud but also don't want to miss out on benefits I might still qualify for during this transition. Thanks for any help!
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Maya Patel
Congratulations on your new job! Yes, you should absolutely file your weekly claim for this week and report the exact hours you worked and wages earned. ESD will calculate a partial benefit if you worked less than full-time. You should continue filing weekly claims until you're working full-time hours (which ESD generally considers 40 hours per week). Even if you're working full-time but haven't received your first paycheck yet, you still report the hours worked, not when you get paid. Once you're at full-time hours, you can stop filing claims - you don't need to formally close your claim or anything.
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Isabella Brown
•Thank you! That makes sense. So I'll make sure to report my exact hours for this week. I think I worked about 24 hours so far. I appreciate the clear explanation!
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Aiden Rodríguez
Make sure u report EVERYTHING!!! ESD will come after u if theres any discrepency between what u report and what ur employer reports!!! happened to my brother and they made him pay back $2,800 plus a penalty!! not worth it!
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Isabella Brown
•Oh wow, that's scary! Definitely don't want to deal with overpayments. I'll be super careful when reporting my hours and wages.
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Emma Garcia
Just to add to what others have said - make sure you're reporting gross wages (before taxes and deductions) for the week you worked, not when you get paid. I didn't understand this at first and almost got in trouble. And keep filing until you're working full-time hours, even if that's less than 40 hours for your particular job. Some jobs consider 35 or 37.5 hours full-time.
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Ava Kim
•This is an important point. ESD defines "full-time" based on your employer's definition, not necessarily 40 hours. If your employer considers you full-time at 35 hours, then that's when you should stop filing. You can ask your HR department what constitutes full-time status at your new job.
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Ethan Anderson
im in the same boat started my job last week and still filed my claim just make sure you input all the hours. congrats on the new job btw!!
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Isabella Brown
•Thanks! And congrats to you too on your new job! It's such a relief after being unemployed for so long.
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Layla Mendes
Quick question related to this - does anyone know if there's a certain income threshold where they cut off benefits completely? Like if I earn more than X amount in a week, do I just get $0 in benefits regardless of hours worked? I'm trying to understand if it's even worth filing if I'm working almost full-time hours.
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Maya Patel
•Yes, there is a threshold. If your gross earnings for the week exceed your weekly benefit amount + $5, you won't receive benefits for that week. For example, if your weekly benefit amount is $450, and you earn more than $455 in a week, you won't receive any unemployment benefits for that week. But you should still file the claim if you're not yet at full-time hours, because it keeps your claim active in case your hours decrease in the future.
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Lucas Notre-Dame
Hate to be off topic but has anyone been able to get an actual person on the phone at ESD lately? I've been trying for 2 weeks straight to sort out an issue with my claim and keep getting disconnected. Called over 20 times and never got through to a real person. Any tips???
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Ava Kim
•I had the same problem for weeks until someone recommended Claimyr to me. It's a service that connects you with ESD agents without the endless redial game. Worked for me first try after weeks of frustration. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 or go to claimyr.com. It was a lifesaver when I had an adjudication issue that needed immediate attention.
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Isabella Brown
UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know that I filed my weekly claim and reported all my hours/wages exactly as earned. The system automatically calculated a reduced benefit amount based on my partial work week. Thanks for all the help! For anyone else in this situation - definitely keep filing until you're at full-time hours, just be honest about what you worked.
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Emma Garcia
•This is good to know, thanks for the update! Did they still deduct the waiting week from your partial payment or did you already serve that when you first filed?
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Aria Park
idk why everyones making this so complucated lol... just be honest about your hours worked and let the system figure it out. congrats on the job tho thats whats important
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Isabella Brown
•Haha, you're right - sometimes we overthink these things! And thanks, it definitely feels good to be working again!
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