Weekly claim confusion with DoorDash as 1099 contractor - dates not working
I'm completely stuck on my weekly claim and don't know how to proceed! I was doing gig work for both Spark and DoorDash as a 1099 contractor while waiting for my UI benefits to start. Now when I'm filing my weekly claim, the ESD system is showing DoorDash as an employer (even though I was never a W2 employee with them). The system is asking for my last day of work with them, which was August 17, 2025 - I stopped because I wasn't getting enough orders to make it worth my time and just focused on Spark until my unemployment got approved. But when I enter this date, the system gives me an error saying the date has to be during the week I'm claiming for. I haven't worked for DoorDash during the claim week at all! How am I supposed to answer this? Has anyone else dealt with 1099 gig work showing up as regular employment in the system?
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Niko Ramsey
The ESD system is terrible with gig work! When I was doing Uber last year, it kept classifying me as an employee too. For your situation, I think you have to report the LAST day you actually worked for DoorDash during the week you're claiming, not your actual final day with them. If you didn't work at all that week, try entering the Sunday of that claim week as your "last day" - that sometimes works to trick the system.
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Anna Kerber
•Thanks! I'll try using Sunday as the last day and see if that works. It's so frustrating that the system can't properly handle 1099 work. So I should just put the Sunday of the claim week even though I didn't actually work that day? Feels weird to put in false info...
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Seraphina Delan
Don't enter false information. The system is asking about your last day working with them DURING THE WEEK you're claiming for. Since you didn't work for DoorDash at all during that week, you should select "No" when it asks if you worked for that employer during the claim week. The system should then skip the question about the last day worked. If it's still requiring a date and won't let you proceed, you need to call ESD directly to have them fix how your employment is classified in the system. They need to properly code DoorDash as self-employment/1099 work, not as a regular employer.
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Anna Kerber
•That makes sense! I did try selecting "No" for whether I worked for them that week, but it still asks for the last day. I guess I need to call ESD to fix this in their system. Really appreciate the help!
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Jabari-Jo
omg this happened to me too!!!! doordash showing as employer when i was just doing gig work. i just put the last day of the week (saturday) and it let me continue. not sure if thats right but my claim went through 🤷♀️
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Anna Kerber
•Good to know it worked for you. I'm a bit nervous about putting incorrect info though. Did you have any issues later on with your claim?
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Kristin Frank
The ESD system is COMPLETELY BROKEN when it comes to gig work!! Spent THREE MONTHS fighting with them after they classified my Instacart 1099 as regular employment. The stupid system wouldn't let me enter accurate information and then they hit me with an OVERPAYMENT notice for $5,700!!!! Had to appeal and go through a whole hearing. RIDICULOUS waste of time. You NEED to get this fixed NOW before they mess up your claim. Don't just enter random dates to make the system work - it will come back to bite you. Trust me.
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Jabari-Jo
•oh crap really?? now im worried 😰 maybe i should call them too...
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Micah Trail
This is a common issue with how ESD handles 1099 contractor work in their system. Here's what you need to do: 1. Complete your weekly claim the best you can - if it forces you to enter a date, use the last day of the claim week, but make notes of this issue 2. Immediately contact ESD to have them correct how DoorDash is classified in their system. They need to mark it as self-employment/independent contractor work, not regular employment 3. Make sure to report your 1099 earnings properly on future weekly claims (only for weeks you actually worked) 4. Request them to review your past weekly claims to ensure the earnings were properly categorized The distinction between regular employment and 1099 work is important because it affects how they calculate your benefits and job search requirements.
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Anna Kerber
•Thank you for such detailed advice! Do you know if there's a specific department I should ask for when I call ESD? I've been trying to get through for two days with no luck. Just sits on hold forever and then disconnects.
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Nia Watson
Trying to call ESD is a nightmare! I spent like 6 hours on hold last week and never got through. My friend told me about this service called Claimyr that got her connected to an ESD agent in like 20 minutes. It worked for me too! You can check it out at claimyr.com - there's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 Totally worth it to get your 1099 issue fixed fast instead of dealing with potential overpayment problems later.
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Anna Kerber
•Thank you! After trying for the third day with no success, I'll check this out. I really need to get this fixed before my next weekly claim is due.
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Alberto Souchard
I had the exact same problm with uber eats last month. the esd lady told me that you have to report your last day actully working for doordash during the base year, not just the claim week. did you work for doordash any time in 2024 or 2025? if yes use that last day you worked.
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Micah Trail
•That's actually not entirely accurate. For weekly claims, you're reporting work activity for that specific week only. The "base year" relates to your initial monetary eligibility, not weekly claims. For the weekly claim system, if DoorDash is incorrectly classified as a regular employer (instead of self-employment), the system expects dates within the claim week. The real solution is having ESD correctly code the work as self-employment/1099 in their system.
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Anna Kerber
Update: I was able to get through to ESD yesterday! The agent explained that this is a common system issue with gig work. They had to manually reclassify DoorDash as self-employment in their system rather than a regular employer. Once they did that, I was able to complete my weekly claim properly without the date error. She also said I should report any future gig work earnings under the self-employment section of the weekly claim, not as regular employer income. Thank you all for your help!
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Kristin Frank
•Good to hear you got it fixed! Did they say anything about reviewing your previous weekly claims to make sure they were processed correctly? In my case they had to go back and fix several weeks.
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Anna Kerber
Yes, they did review my previous weeks! The agent said everything looked correct since I hadn't been reporting any DoorDash income during those weeks (since I hadn't worked for them). But she said it's good I got it fixed now before it caused problems down the road. For anyone else dealing with this same issue - definitely call ESD directly and have them fix how your gig work is classified in their system!
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