Will my claim stay active if I report wages for temporary work then get laid off again?
I just got offered a short-term construction job (probably 3-4 weeks max) while I've been on unemployment. My foreman already warned me it's just until this particular project wraps up. I'm confused about how to handle this with ESD - do I need to close my claim and then reopen it when I get laid off again? Someone told me I can just keep filing each week, report that I'm working and my wages, and even though I'll get denied benefits during that time, my claim will stay open so I can immediately start collecting again when the job ends. Is this correct? I really don't want to mess this up and have to go through the whole application process again when this short gig ends.
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Zoe Dimitriou
Yes, that's exactly right! Keep filing your weekly claims and report all your hours and wages accurately. The system will automatically calculate if you're eligible for partial benefits (if you earn less than your weekly benefit amount) or deny benefits for weeks you earn too much. The important thing is your claim stays open for 12 months from when you first filed, so when your job ends, you just continue filing as normal. This saves you from having to open a whole new claim and waiting for processing.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Thank you! That's a relief. So I just enter my hours and wages correctly each week, and even if I get $0 for those weeks, I can pick right back up when the job ends without any extra paperwork?
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QuantumQuest
ur supposed to report when u start AND STOP work!! if u dont tell them when u stop theyll think ur still working!! happened to me
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Jamal Anderson
•Not quite accurate. The weekly claim asks if you worked during that week. When you stop working, you simply answer "no" to that question on your next weekly claim, and report zero hours/wages. There is no separate "stop work" notification needed with ESD. They determine your status week by week based on your weekly claim answers.
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Mei Zhang
I was in this exact situation back in January. Was on UI, took a 6-week contract job, and kept filing every Sunday. Just reported my hours/wages honestly each week. When the contract ended, I continued filing and started getting benefits again immediately. The trick is to NEVER stop filing your weekly claims, even during the weeks you're working. If you stop filing for 4+ weeks, your claim becomes inactive and that's when you have to restart everything.
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Liam McGuire
•Same thing happened to me but I missed filing for like 5 weeks cause I thought I didn't need to while working. BIG MISTAKE. Had to reopen my claim and wait almost 3 weeks with no money. Listen to this advice!
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Amara Eze
I HATE how they don't make this clear on their website!!! I spent 2 HOURS trying to get through to ESD to ask this exact question last month. Their phone system is a NIGHTMARE. I finally gave up trying to call them and just did what your friend suggested (kept filing and reporting wages) and it worked out, but the stress of not knowing for sure was awful.
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Giovanni Ricci
•Have you guys tried using Claimyr? It helped me get through to an actual ESD agent in about 20 minutes when I had questions about reporting wages from a temp job. Much better than waiting on hold for hours or getting hung up on. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3. Totally worth it when you need answers from an actual ESD person.
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Jamal Anderson
To clarify some misconceptions I'm seeing in this thread: 1. Yes, continue filing weekly claims even during periods of temporary employment. 2. Report all hours worked and gross wages (before deductions) for the week. 3. If your gross earnings exceed your weekly benefit amount, you'll receive $0 for that week, but your claim remains active. 4. When temporary work ends, simply indicate on your next weekly claim that you did not work and report zero earnings. 5. You must continue job search activities (3 per week) for any week you're claiming benefits, even during transitional periods. 6. If you stop filing weekly claims for four consecutive weeks, your claim becomes inactive and you'll need to reopen it (not start a brand new one). Keeping your claim active by filing consistently saves you from delays when temporary work ends.
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Andre Lefebvre
•This is super helpful, thank you! One more question - for the weeks I'm working full-time on this temp job, do I still need to do the 3 job search activities since I'll be reporting that I worked and won't be getting benefits?
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Jamal Anderson
For weeks when you're working full-time and not receiving benefits, you do not need to complete job search activities. The weekly claim will ask if you worked, and when you indicate you were working full-time, it will automatically skip the job search questions. Just make sure to answer all questions truthfully about your work status and earnings each week.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Perfect! That makes this whole process much easier to manage. Thanks for all the clarification!
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Liam McGuire
my cousin said if u make even $1 over ur weekly benefit they take EVERYTHING away for that week... is that true?? seems so unfair if you just barely go over
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Zoe Dimitriou
•Yes, unfortunately that's how it works. If you earn even slightly more than your weekly benefit amount, you won't receive benefits for that week. It's definitely a cliff-edge rather than a gradual reduction, which can feel unfair. This is why some people carefully manage their hours if they're doing part-time work - but never misreport! ESD will eventually catch any discrepancies and you'll owe it all back plus penalties.
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Mei Zhang
Just don't forget to answer "YES" to the question about whether you're able and available for work during the weeks you're on this temporary job. I made that mistake once because I thought "well I'm already working so I'm not available" - but that's not what they mean. As long as you WOULD be available for a permanent full-time job if offered (even if it means quitting the temp job), you should answer yes. If you answer no, they'll deny your benefits AND it can complicate things when your temp job ends.
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Andre Lefebvre
•Oh wow, I wouldn't have thought about that! Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely answer yes to being available since I would take a permanent position if offered one.
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