IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR JOB OR YOUR HOURS HAVE BEEN REDUCED
If your employer has reduced your hours or shut down operations due to COVID-19, you can file an Unemployment Insurance(UI) claim. UI provides partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own.
If you are temporarily unemployed due to COVID-19 and expected to return to work with your employer within a few weeks, you are not required to actively seek work each week. However, you must remain able and available and ready to work during your unemployment for each week of benefits you claim and meet all other eligibility criteria. If you’re eligible, benefits can range from $40-$450 per week. EDD will distribute these payments within weeks of receiving this application.
- For faster processing, read How to Set Up a UI Online Account (DE 2338H) (PDF) to help you apply for benefits.
- For help completing the application, call your local American Job Center to schedule a phone appointment with an EDD representative.
- It takes at least three weeks to process a claim for unemployment benefits and issue payment to most eligible workers. We appreciate your patience.
- Federal funds are available to get you back to work quickly, including supportive services for basic needs, such as housing, child care, and transportation costs. For more information, visit COVID-19 Additional Funds for Workers and Businesses
IF YOU BECOME SICK OR QUARANTINED
If you cannot work due to having or being exposed to COVID-19, you can file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim. DI provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50-$1,300 a week.
Governor Newsom’s Executive Order waives the one week waiting period for filing for Disability Insurance. Following certification by a medical professional of COVID-19, you can collect DI benefits for the first week out of work. EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving this claim.
AM I ELIGIBLE IF I AM A SELF-EMPLOYED?
If you are self-employed, you may have benefits available from EDD employment insurance programs that you or your employer may have paid into over the past 5 to 18 months. You may have contributions from a prior job, or you could have been misclassified as an independent contractor instead of an employee. Apply for the benefit program that best fits your situation and include details about your employment to help the EDD process your claim.
- Visit Coronavirus 2019 FAQs and Self-Employed/Independent Contractor to learn more about how you may be eligible for benefits.
IF YOU ARE CARING FOR A LOVED ONE
If you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim. PFL provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50-$1,300 a week. If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.
Tele-health and virtual appointments are acceptable for a physical examination, but medical certifications are still required.
SCHOOL CLOSURES
If your child’s school is closed, and you have to miss work to care for them, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. Eligibility considerations include if you have no other care options and if you are unable to continue working your normal hours remotely. File an Unemployment Insurance claim and EDD representatives will decide if you are eligible.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is the usual response time after I file a claim?
EDD has been working quickly to ensure that unemployment claims filed are rapidly processed. Due to the growth in UI claims, there has been some delay in response, however EDD seeks to make contact with you and finalize the claim within a few weeks of receipt. Typically, following filing, a packet will be mailed to you by within 10 days of receipt
If you don’t certify your benefits does that mean the claim is canceled?
If you resubmit an application for unemployment benefits, your claim will be reopened if it had previously been closed, and you will retain your previous eligibility as determined by EDD, including your eligibility to receive unemployment benefits.
Are there representatives that speak other languages that could help fill out applications over the phone for constituents who are non-English speaking?
EDD has worked to ensure ease of access for non-English speakers filing for unemployment. For further information on EDD’s COVID-19 response in Spanish, please visit the EDD website.
To contact a UI representative:
English: 1-800-300-5616
Spanish: 1-800-326-8937
Cantonese: 1-800-547-3506
Mandarin: 1-866-303-0706
Vietnamese: 1-800-547-2058
California Relay Service (711): Provide the UI number (1-800-300-5616) to the operator
TTY: 1-800-815-9387
What percentage of pay am I receiving from EDD? When will I receive the additional $600?
Benefits range from $40 to $450 per week. Depending on your maximum award for your UI claim and your weekly benefit amounts paid, the number of weeks you can potentially receive benefit payments ranges from 13 to 26 weeks if you are paid at your full weekly benefit amount for each of those weeks. You can use the Unemployment Insurance Calculator to help estimate your potential weekly benefit amount. As the additional $600 is a federal program approved under the CARES act, EDD is currently awaiting guidance from the federal Department of Labor on how to deliver these expanded benefits.
If I am on furlough, do I apply for unemployment or wait for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)?
If you are an employee of a business or should be classified as such and have been furloughed or received a reduction in hours, you should apply for the Unemployment Insurance program through EDD. If you are self-employed or a contractor, EDD will soon be releasing protocols to apply for assistance through the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program.
Can part-time workers, 1099’s, contractors, and self-employed people receive unemployment benefits?
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), established by the federal CARES Act, temporarily expands Unemployment Insurance program to include self-employed, part-time, and contract workers. EDD is still awaiting guidance from the federal Department of Labor on how these claims will be processed and administered.
For further information, please visit the EDD’s COVID-19 website: https://www.edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019.ht