When to stop filing ESD weekly claims after job offer but before start date?

Congrats on the new job! Here's how it works: You should continue filing your weekly claims until your actual start date. When filing, you'll need to report that you've accepted a job offer with a future start date. On the weekly claim where it asks if you've accepted work, say yes and provide the details they request. You'll still be eligible for benefits until you actually start working. Once you start working, you still file for that partial week (if applicable) and report your hours/earnings. After that, you can simply stop filing - there's no formal process to close a claim. The system automatically makes your claim inactive after two weeks of not filing. Keep an eye on your ESD portal for any additional questions or tasks they might send your way, even after you stop filing. Sometimes they'll have follow-up questions about your employment situation.

BE CAREFUL!!!!! I got majorly screwed when I did this last year. I reported that I got a job offer but wasn't starting for 3 weeks and they STILL cut off my benefits immediately!! When I called to ask why they said because I wasn't "available for full-time work" since I had committed to this new job. I had to fight with them for MONTHS to get the money I was entitled to for those weeks I wasn't working!!! The whole system is designed to deny benefits any way they can!!!!

lol welcome to adulting! i was in the same boat last month. keep filing until ur first day, then stop. super simple. u dont need to overthink it. congrats on the new gig btw

I'd like to clarify the correct procedure here since there's some confusion. According to ESD guidelines, you should continue filing weekly claims until you start working. When you file, you need to answer "yes" to the question about whether you've accepted an offer, and provide the future start date. You're still eligible for benefits during this period because you remain "available for work" until your start date. This is a common situation and ESD has clear policies about it. If you're concerned about being disqualified, make sure you document everything. Keep a copy of your offer letter showing the start date. Once you start working, file for any partial week (reporting your hours/earnings), then you can simply stop filing weekly claims after that. The system automatically deactivates your claim after two consecutive weeks without filing. There's no need to formally close your claim. If you need clarification directly from ESD, I recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent quickly. They have a service that helps you bypass the hold times which can be really helpful for these kinds of specific questions. I used them when I had a similar situation and got through to ESD in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3

im on my third time on unemployment lol. what you need to do is file until your first day of work. when they ask if you accepted a job offer say yes and give the start date. they'll keep paying you. once you start, you stop filing. easy peasy. good luck at the new job!

I was in this exact situation back in January! So what happened for me was I kept filing my weekly claims and reported that I had accepted a job offer with a future start date. ESD continued paying my benefits until I actually started working. Once I started working, I filed one last claim for that partial week (only got paid for 2 days of unemployment since I started midweek). After that, I just stopped filing. But then I got laid off again in April and had to reactivate my claim... that's a whole other story though lol. Anyway, congrats on the new job!!

Has anyone else noticed that the ESD website says one thing but then the agents tell you something completely different when you call? I swear the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing over there. To answer your question though - keep filing your weekly claims until your first day of work. I'd suggest taking screenshots of all your weekly claim submissions just in case there's any dispute later. Also make sure to keep your job search log updated until your start date. Even though you have a job lined up, technically you're still required to do job search activities until your first day of work. Once you start working, you can just stop filing. The system will automatically deactivate your claim after a couple weeks of not filing.

My daughter just went through this last month! You need to keep filing your weekly claims and report that you've accepted work but haven't started yet. They should keep paying you until your first day. Once you start working, you file for that last partial week (if applicable) and then you stop filing altogether. No need to formally close anything. Also wanted to mention that when you start working, make sure to check your ESD messages for a few weeks after. Sometimes they send important notices even after you stop filing claims and you don't want to miss anything important!

I think it's worth clarifying a bit more about how to correctly report this on your weekly claim, since doing it wrong can cause problems: 1. Continue filing weekly claims as normal until your start date 2. When asked "Did you accept an offer of work that has not yet started?" - answer YES 3. Provide the start date when prompted 4. When asked if you were available for work - answer YES (because you're still available until your start date) 5. When asked if you turned down any work - answer NO (assuming you didn't) As long as you answer these questions accurately, you should continue receiving benefits until your start date. Once you begin working, you'll file one last claim for that week (if it's a partial week) reporting your hours and earnings, then stop filing thereafter. If your claim gets flagged for review because of reporting the job offer (which sometimes happens), just be prepared to provide documentation of your start date and explain that you remained available for work until that date.