How To File For Unemployment In California Online

Submit Your Unemployment Benefits Claim Application

There are two primary methods of filing a claim:

Via telephone

You may call the EDDs toll-free number i.e. 1 300-5616 326-8937. The claim filing department is open between the hours of 8:00 AM & 5:00 PM Monday to Friday. Be prepared to wait on hold for long periods of time in many cases. The EDD website contains several other phone numbers for speakers of other languages as well individuals that are deaf or hard of hearing.

Via the EDDs online portal

You can also choose to submit your claim online at . This method is generally the fastest option for submitting your application as you can type your answers and submit your claim instantly.

Once you submit your application whether through the internet or by phone, the EDD will mail your various documents, including:

You Will Receive Monetary Determination

After your application has been reviewed, your states unemployment agency will send you an Unemployment Insurance Monetary Determination letter.

This is a letter that tells you how much youll potentially receive in unemployment benefits.

The letter will include:

• The amount of wages reported by each employer
• Your weekly benefit amount
• Your total benefit amount

The information in the letter will show whether you have earned enough wages to establish an unemployment claim.

However, if you believe that wages on your Determination Letter are incorrect or missing information, contact your states unemployment agency for assistance.

You will be asked to provide proof of the correct wages in order to review your claim.

It is important to note that a monetary determination letter does not mean you will receive unemployment benefits.

Additional information may be needed from you and/or your employer to make sure you are eligible.

However, you must continue to file your weekly claim for payment while your claim is being investigated.

Check Your Ui Online Account

Log in to your UI Online account to check for updates. This includes your benefit payments and when its time to certify for your next two weeks of benefits.

Once you receive your debit card, payments should be posted to your card about three days after we receive your certification. Benefit payments by check will take a few more days to arrive in the mail.

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Select Reopen Your Claim

Select Reopen Your Claim from the Notifications section of your UI Online homepage. This link will only appear if you need to reopen your claim.

Note: If you dont see Reopen Your Claim, you may have older certifications that you need to complete before you can certify for new weeks. Select Certify for Benefits to complete the certifications. Report your work and earnings for any past weeks you worked. Answer all questions and submit your answers. Once your request has been submitted, a Confirmation page will appear. Print or save a copy for your records.

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Get Your Information In Order

Review this checklist or watch our video, UI Online File a New Claim to learn what information you need.

Be sure to provide all employment information accurately and completely.

• Check for spelling and be precise about your employer names.
• Confirm your Social Security number and California Driverâs License or ID number.
• Check that everything provided matches how you have it on your submitted tax forms.

What Happens If My Income Wasnt As High As I Thought It Would Be When I Applied

If your income documents do not support the higher PUA weekly benefit amount, then it will be reduced as low as $167.00. You must repay the difference between your current weekly benefit amount and the lower weekly benefit amount for each week you were paid benefits.

Make sure you:

• Enter your Social Security number and date of birth correctly.
• Use the name you would enter for a Social Security card or driver license. We compare the information you give on your application to the DMV and the Social Security Administration. If it doesnât match, your claim will go through a manual identity verification process which takes extra time to confirm who you are.
• Do not answer None of these apply when asked why you are unemployed. You must meet a specific COVID-related reason for your unemployment or reduced hours before we can pay benefits. There are several reasons to choose from, including if your place of business has closed because of COVID-19 or the pandemic has severely limited your ability to perform your usual work.

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Which Pua Applicants Are Eligible For An Increase Above The Minimum Of $167 Per Week

You may be eligible for more than the minimum weekly benefit amount of $167 if your annual income for 2019 that you report on your PUA application meets a minimum threshold. You will be required to substantiate that income if requested by the EDD. If you earned at or below this amount you will remain at $167 per week. If you are entitled to more than the minimum, that higher amount will also apply retroactively to any weeks of the minimum $167 per week in PUA benefits that you receive.

For more information about payment increases, refer to Benefit Payments.

Application For Unemployment Insurance

After you review the instructions page and agree to the terms and conditions, youâll be asked a series of questions to help the EDD determine your eligibility to receive UI benefits.

To ensure your claim is filed quickly and accurately, youâll be asked some questions to help determine what type of claim is right for you. It also allows us to gather the necessary information to file your claim.

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How Can I Qualify For California Unemployment Benefits

Youll have to meet certain eligibility requirements to qualify for California unemployment benefits.

• You must be totally or partially unemployed through no fault of your own. Youre considered unemployed during any week where you either performed no work for wages or worked part time and the wages you earned are either $25 less or 25% less than the unemployment benefit youd be eligible for.
• You must be able to work, willing to work immediately and actively seeking work.

How you became unemployed will also affect your eligibility. If you were fired, your employer must prove you were fired for misconduct. But if you werent, youll likely qualify.

If you quit voluntarily, you may still qualify for unemployment if you can show that you quit for a good reason and did everything you could to stay employed. Good causes include unsafe working conditions, medical advice to quit, or protecting yourself or your child from domestic violence.

On The Go Try Ui Online Mobilesm

You can also use the mobile version of UI Online to quickly view activity on your account anytime, anywhere from your smartphone or tablet.

With UI Online Mobile, you can:

• Certify for benefits.
• See important notifications.
• View all scheduled appointments.
• Get a snapshot of your claim summary including the last payment made, weekly benefit amount, and claim balance.

Note: If additional information is needed to complete an action in UI Online Mobile, you will be redirected to the full UI Online site without having to log in for a second time. If at any time you need to go to the full site for more detailed information, select the Full Site link at the bottom of your screen.

UI Online Help

Once you are logged in to UI Online, you can select the question mark icon or choose the Help link in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Technical Support for UI Online Account

Call EDD Technical Support for help with account set up or login issues. You can call 1-833-978-2511 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. , seven days per week, except on .

Protect the Security of Your Account

Never share confidential information such as your password or Social Security number with anyone. If your account has been compromised, .

Browser Compatibility and Pop-up Blockers

For the best experience, use the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer. Additionally, you must disable pop-up blockers to access features of UI Online.

Last Revised: 09/29/2020

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The Requirement Of No

The third and final initial requirement is that your employment has ceased through no fault of your own. The two most ordinary examples of no-fault separation are the completion of the contract period or layoff for lack of work. It is noteworthy to mention that even if you initially meet all three eligibility requirements, you must further certify continued compliance with several continuing eligibility requirements, as further explained below.

What If I Am Serving Penalty Weeks And Am Ineligible For Ui And The Edd Has Begun A Pua Claim For Me But I Prefer To Stay On Ui And Serve Out All Of My Penalty Weeks Instead Of Receiving Benefits Under Pua

If you do not want to receive benefits on a PUA claim, you can contact the EDD to reopen your regular UI claim and discontinue your PUA claim. You can do this by writing on one of the notices you receive from EDD that you want to discontinue the PUA claim and mailing it to the address on the notice. The EDD will follow up with you if more information is needed. If you do this, you will be required to finish serving your penalty weeks before receiving any UI. In addition, please be aware that if you did not return the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Self-Certification form to the EDD, attesting that you are unemployed due to a COVID-19 reason, then you will not be eligible to receive PUA benefits and will automatically be returned to your regular UI claim where you will have to finish serving your penalty weeks before you receive any benefits on your regular UI claim.

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I Need Help Answering My Certification Questions Where Can I Get More Information

We recently added information to UI Online to help you complete your certification. When you log into your account and begin answering your certification questions, you will see this updated information. This new text will help you understand how to answer questions correctly and avoid payment delays.

Note: These additional instructions are currently not available through UI Online MobileSM.

For help with answering questions correctly to avoid delays in payments, review the following:

What Are The Requirements For Unemployment Benefits In California

To qualify for unemployment insurance benefits, applicants must meet the conditions set by the state. Unemployment benefits in California are available for residents who are without a job completely or are underemployed and working part time only. For an unemployment claim to be successful, however, applicants must have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. This includes those laid off due to the business closing or having insufficient work for employees. While workers who voluntarily quit are typically ineligible for UI compensation, an EDD representative will conduct a phone interview in these cases to determine if the applicant has just reason, such as trade dispute. Petitioners wrongfully fired from their job will also have the same opportunity to defend the professional separation.

UI applicants must meet financial requirements to enroll. The earnings of petitioners determine if they are eligible for UI compensation in addition to the amount in which they are entitled. Residents must have earned enough to establish a claim.

Before You Apply: Gather Your Documents And Information

For regular unemployment insurance benefits, you will need:

• Your name, Social Security number, birthdate and contact information.
• Your complete work history for the past 18 months including:
• employer name
• start and end dates of employment for each employer

File A New Claim In California Edd

Welcome to UI Online â a fast and convenient way to apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits and manage your UI claim.

In this tutorial, weâll show you how to file a new claim with UI Online, the first step to receiving your UI benefit payments. Once youâve filed your claim, you can use UI Online at any time to request benefit payments, get your latest claim and payment information, and more!

Youâll even receive important notifications to help you keep your claim on track.

My Employer Didnt Report My Wages During My Benefit Year How Do I Reapply

According to our records, you did not earn enough wages to establish a new claim, so we will continue to process federal extension weeks on your claim. Continue to certify for benefits if you have weeks available and check your payment status on UI Online.

Note: If you think you earned enough wages, but your employer did not report them to us, you can submit a new application by paper or phone.

Will My Employer Know If I File For Unemployment

When an employee files for unemployment, the employer will receive a notification from the state unemployment commission.

The notification will be based on information provided by the employee supporting his or her application for benefits.

Once the employer receives the claim notice they need to take action.

The action the employer takes depends on whether they want to;contest the claim;or not.

Learn How To Apply For Unemployment In California

Terminated workers can register for unemployment benefits in California online, over the phone, via mail or fax. Prior to applying for unemployment benefits in California, petitioners should gather the documents necessary to complete the EDD application. The California unemployment claims application requires information regarding the applicants identity, previous work experience and ability to accept new job opportunities. Employment data will include all positions held for the past 18 months. EDD authorities will verify information furnished on an application with applicants former employers. The information provided will determine UI petitioners eligibility as well as the awarded compensation amount.

Reopen An Unemployment Insurance Claim

If its been more than 30 days since you last certified for benefits, your Unemployment Insurance claim will become inactive. To continue receiving benefits, you must reopen your claim.

You can reopen your claim if it was filed within the last 52 weeks and you have not used all of your benefits. If your benefit year has ended, you may need to reapply for unemployment. Visit Benefit Year End for more information.

Review UI Online: Reopen a Claim video for more help.

Important: Waiting to reopen or file a new claim can delay benefit payments.

For Data And Statistics Professionals

• EDD Data Library: View and download data and information related to California industries, occupations, employment projections, wages, and labor force. The data can be used to better understand Californias economy, make informed labor market decisions, promote the states overall economic health, support workforce development, and much more.

Which Groups Of Individuals Serving Penalty Weeks On Their Regular Ui Claim Should Receive Edd Notices And Self

The EDD has provided information and notices about potential eligibility for PUA benefits to individuals who became unemployed on or after January 27, 2020 , but who were disqualified from receiving regular UI benefits because they were serving out a UI penalty. Due to the date these individuals became unemployed, they are more likely to have been unemployed because of one of the COVID-19-related reasons, and are potentially eligible for PUA benefits.

Respond To Questionnaires From The State Agency

Also, if there are questions about your eligibility for unemployment benefits, youll receive a fact-finding questionnaire from your states unemployment agency.

They will request additional information from you.

You must respond to this questionnaire by the deadline specified.

Failure to respond may result in disqualification from receiving benefits.

Respond to requests for information about your unemployment claim

Apply For An Extension

Unemployment insurance benefits are temporary. In most states, you can get benefits for up to 26 weeks.

However, some states offer benefits for only 13 weeks or fewer.

If you have exhausted your regular unemployment insurance benefits and are still between jobs heres what you can do:

If your state is experiencing particularly high levels of unemployment, you may be eligible to receive up to 13 additional weeks or more depending on the state and the circumstances.

Furthermore, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has programs that extend unemployment benefits beyond the state limits.

Check with your states unemployment agency for information on how to apply for an extension.

Benefit Year End Date

A regular unemployment insurance benefit year ends 12 months after the claim started.

You must reapply for a new claim if you earned enough wages; in the last 18 months and are still unemployed or working part time. We will notify you when your new claim is processed. This usually takes two to three weeks.

• If youre unsure if you have enough wages as reported by an employer, log in to UI OnlineSM and select File New Claim. We will do one of the following:
• Immediately tell you that you do not have enough wages to establish a new claim.
• Provide instructions on how to submit a new application.

For more information, refer to the unemployment benefit calculator.

If you served in the military, worked for a federal government agency, or worked in a state outside of California within the last 18 months, you must reapply for a new claim by phone, mail, or fax.

You do not need to reapply if you did not earn enough wages in the last 18 months to establish a new claim, regardless of whether you are on a regular claim, a federal extension, or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance . Continue to certify for benefits, and we will notify you when your benefit weeks are processed.

To find your benefit year end date, log in to UI OnlineSMand view your Claim Summary. Your benefit year end date is 12 months after the start of your Benefit Year.

For more information, refer to your Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award for your claim ending date or review Benefit Year End.