Unexpected ESD deposit after overpayment waiver - normal or mistake?

same thing happened to my brother!!! got like $1500 back after fighting with them over some dumb training he was doing while on unemployment. no explanation just $$$

This is actually normal. ESD has been processing a backlog of overpayment waivers from 2023-2024. When your waiver is approved, they refund what you already paid back. You should receive a determination letter in your eServices account or by mail within the next week explaining the decision. Check your correspondence tab and also look at your payment history - it should show an adjustment line item matching the deposit amount with a transaction code that starts with "OVP" followed by other characters. As long as your waiver was legitimate (which it sounds like it was), you're fine to keep the money.

congrats on the surprise money! wish esd would send ME some random cash lol. i had the opposite happen where they demanded $4k back after a year and im still fighting it

This is definitely related to your waiver request being approved. ESD is required by law to review waiver requests and if they determine the overpayment wasn't your fault or that repayment would cause financial hardship, they can waive the overpayment and refund any amounts already paid. Here's what likely happened: Your waiver was reviewed and approved, resulting in the refund of the $1,800 you paid back plus interest (which explains why it's more than what you originally paid). The system automatically processes the refund before sending out the notification letter. I recommend logging into your eServices account and checking the "Decisions" section. You should see a new determination explaining the waiver approval. There will also be an entry in your payment history showing the adjustment. Keep in mind that sometimes these decisions can be reversed upon further review, but it's relatively rare. If you want to be extra cautious, you could set the money aside for a few months before spending it.

OMG I had literally THE SAME THING happen last week!!! but mine was only $870... now im wondering if i should have gotten more?? how did u calculate your overpayment amount when u filled out the waiver? did you include the penalty fees too?

ESD IS A JOKE!!!! They demand money back then years later decide oops our bad here's your money back. Meanwhile people are losing homes, ruining credit, all because of THEIR mistakes. The entire system is broken. I had to pay back $6,700 for "unreported earnings" when I DID report them but some ESD worker "couldn't find the record" of my reports. Been fighting for 2 years and nothing. But some people randomly get deposits. NO CONSISTENCY!!!

Just to clarify what's happening with these delayed waiver approvals: In 2024, ESD implemented a new review process for overpayment waivers that had been backlogged during the pandemic recovery period. They're currently processing waivers submitted between June 2023 and April 2025, working through them in batches. For overpayments related to simple reporting errors (like vacation pay misunderstandings), they're typically approving these waivers if: 1. You made a good faith effort to report correctly 2. The error wasn't fraudulent 3. You responded promptly to the overpayment notice When approved, you'll receive a refund of amounts paid plus interest calculated at 1% per month. The deposit usually comes 3-5 business days before the official determination letter appears in your account. This is all perfectly normal and you don't need to worry about them asking for it back unless there was fraud involved in your original claim.

anybody else think its weird that they just drop money in ur account with zero warning? like what if someone closed that bank account or something