Random small ESD deposit in my account after not claiming for over a year - what's going on?
I just noticed a strange $126.34 deposit in my bank account labeled 'ESD BENEFITS'. The weird thing is I haven't been on unemployment since February 2024 (over a year ago). I didn't file for any additional weeks or benefits. Has anyone else randomly received money from ESD long after their claim ended? Should I be worried this is some kind of mistake they'll want back later? I'm confused why they would suddenly deposit money after all this time.
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James Maki
yeah i got a random $215 deposit last week! was on UI for like 3 months in 2024 then found work. no idea why they sent more $$ now
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Kayla Morgan
•Did you call and ask about it? I'm worried if I spend it they'll come back later saying it was a mistake and I owe them money.
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Jasmine Hancock
This is likely a benefit adjustment payment. ESD periodically reviews past claims and if they determine you were eligible for more than you received, they'll issue an adjustment payment. This commonly happens after wage investigations or after quarterly reviews. You should receive a notice in your ESD account explaining the payment, though these sometimes arrive after the deposit. Check your ESD correspondence section or wait for a letter in the mail.
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Kayla Morgan
•Thanks! I'll check my account. I didn't think to log in since it's been so long. That makes sense though - I did have multiple jobs in my base year so maybe they recalculated something.
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Cole Roush
•This happened to me two years ago! Got $178 out of nowhere. Turned out they did some audit thing and realized they had calculated my benefit wrong the first time. Was a nice little surprise!
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Scarlett Forster
You should definitely contact ESD to verify what this payment is for. Sometimes they make retroactive adjustments based on wage investigations, but you want to make sure it's not an error that could cause problems later. Trying to get through to ESD on the phone is still a nightmare though - I needed to talk to them last month about an overpayment notice and spent 3 days trying to get through.
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Arnav Bengali
•After wasting hours trying to get through to ESD about a similar issue, I finally used Claimyr and got connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. Saved me so much frustration. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. The agent I spoke with explained that these random deposits are usually from wage investigations where they find you were eligible for more than originally calculated.
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Sayid Hassan
•I work in HR and we've had several employees receive these adjustment payments recently. ESD is currently working through a backlog of wage investigations from 2024. If you had multiple employers or variable income during your base year, they sometimes find discrepancies that result in additional benefits owed to you. It's almost certainly legitimate, but checking your ESD account for correspondence is still the best way to confirm.
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Rachel Tao
dont overthink it lol.. free money!! i would just spend it before they realize they made a mistake haha
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Jasmine Hancock
•This is terrible advice. If it's an error, ESD will eventually notice and you'll be issued an overpayment notice. Overpayments accrue interest and can be deducted from future benefits, tax refunds, or even result in collections.
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Rachel Tao
•ok fine whatever... just saying that happened to my roommate and he just spent it and nothing ever happened. but sure be all responsible i guess
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Cole Roush
The EXACT same thing happened to me!!! But mine was only $84 and it came like 8 months after my claim ended. I was so confused but I figured if they gave me money they could have it back if they wanted LOL. I never got any messages about it and that was like 5 months ago now.
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Kayla Morgan
•That's reassuring to hear. Did you ever log into your ESD account to check for messages about it? I'm going to try that tonight.
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Scarlett Forster
I checked with a friend who works at ESD, and she confirmed they're currently processing adjustment payments for claims from last year. There was apparently some wage data that wasn't properly integrated into their system due to a technical issue, so they're making correction payments. You should receive an official notice explaining the adjustment within 7-10 business days after the deposit. So it's legitimate - just unexpected!
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Kayla Morgan
•Thank you so much for checking! That's a huge relief. I'll keep an eye out for the notice.
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Chloe Mitchell
I'm a newcomer here but this thread is super helpful! I actually just got a similar deposit yesterday - $142.67 from ESD and I was totally panicking thinking it was some kind of mistake. My unemployment ended in March 2024 and I haven't filed for anything since then. Reading all your responses makes me feel so much better about it. I'm definitely going to log into my ESD account tonight to check for any messages. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!
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Jasmine Quinn
•Welcome to the community! I'm glad this thread helped ease your worries - I was in the exact same boat when I first saw that deposit. It's such a relief to know it's a legitimate adjustment payment and not some error we'll have to pay back later. Definitely check your ESD account for any correspondence, and keep an eye out for that official notice in the mail over the next week or so. It's actually pretty nice that they're finally catching up on these wage investigations and making sure people got what they were entitled to!
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Ravi Kapoor
Just wanted to add my experience here - I received a similar unexpected deposit of $89.45 about 6 months after my claim ended in early 2024. I was terrified it was a mistake at first! But like others mentioned, I eventually got a letter explaining it was a "benefit adjustment payment" due to updated wage information from one of my previous employers. The letter came about 2 weeks after the deposit. It's definitely nerve-wracking when you first see it, but based on everyone's experiences here it sounds like ESD is just working through a backlog of these wage investigations. I'd recommend keeping the money in your account until you get the official explanation, just to be safe!
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PixelPrincess
•Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to know about the timing - getting the letter 2 weeks after the deposit gives me a good timeframe to expect. I like your advice about keeping the money in the account until I get the official explanation. Better to be cautious! It's so reassuring to see that multiple people have gone through this same situation and it all worked out fine. I was definitely in panic mode when I first saw that random deposit, but this community has been amazing at explaining what's actually happening.
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Yuki Tanaka
I'm new to this community but had to jump in because this exact thing just happened to me! Got a $158.92 deposit from ESD yesterday and I was freaking out thinking it was some kind of system error. My claim ended in January 2024 and I haven't touched my ESD account since then. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief - it sounds like this is totally normal and part of their wage investigation backlog. I'm definitely going to log into my account tonight to check for any messages. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, especially those who mentioned the timeline for receiving the official notice. This community is so helpful for navigating these confusing ESD situations!
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Charlotte White
•Welcome to the community! I just joined recently too after getting a similar unexpected deposit and totally understand that initial panic. It's amazing how common this seems to be - really shows that ESD is working through a huge backlog of these wage adjustments. Your amount is pretty similar to what others have received, which is another good sign that it's legitimate. Definitely check your account tonight, and don't worry if there's no message yet - it sounds like the deposits often come before the explanations. This thread has been such a lifesaver for understanding what's actually happening!
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Sofia Morales
I'm new to this community but experiencing the exact same thing! Just received a $94.73 deposit from ESD this morning and I was completely confused since my unemployment claim ended back in April 2024. I haven't filed for anything or even logged into my ESD account in months. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - it sounds like these adjustment payments are totally legitimate and part of ESD working through their wage investigation backlog. I'm planning to check my ESD account tonight for any messages and will keep an eye out for that official notice over the next couple weeks. Thank you all for sharing your stories and explanations - this community is amazing for helping navigate these confusing situations with ESD!
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