Certifying for Weeks

Updated: Feb 10, 2021

All questions related to bi-weekly certification

I certified via online, but got the paper version in the mail (or vice versa). Should I fill it out?

No, don't send in a duplicate. If you already did both, it's okay -- it'll show up as duplicate in your claim history.

Do I need to send my certification (paper version) by the date it says on there?

Do not send your paper certifications early to avoid delays. See here for more info.
If you certify by mail, submit it within 14 days of the Complete and Mail This Form on date

What should I put for question #3 - did I search for work?

When you hit "yes", a detailed work search will be the next page. You can hit "next" to skip the page since work search is not required during the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, EDD states that to be eligible for UI, you have to always be searching for full time work. Due to COVID-19, searching for work is technically not required due to the crisis and they recommend to answer this question honestly.
Prior to the pandemic, by answering NO to question #3, the system will automatically disqualify you from receiving benefits. Supposedly they fixed that and are more "flexible" on that question now.

How do I answer the 6 questions?

EDD states the following -- to be eligible you have to be:

Totally/partially unemployed
Unemployed through no fault of your own
Physically be able to work
Available work
Ready and willing to accept work immediately
Actively looking for work

Based on the above, in order to be qualify, you need to answer the 6 questions:

Were you too sick or injured to work? No
Was there a reason you could not accept full time work? No
Did you look for work? Yes*
Did you refuse any work? No
Begin school or training? No**
Did you work/earn any money? Yes OR No depending if you worked/got paid***

*Question #3 - EDD now states that you can answer yes or no and will not be penalized. See their Coronavirus FAQ here.

**Question #5 If you have begun school or training, it will ask if it prevents you from taking full time work (if it does it will disqualify you -- need to always be available to take work)

***Question #6: EDD states you need to report all income. See here for how reporting changes your benefit amount you receive for that week.

I'm getting retro paid this week for very old dates that I worked, will that effect my benefits?

W2: Report income that correlates with the week you are certifying for. If you are getting paid for old weeks, they are irrelevant to your future certification dates. It's based on WHEN you worked, not when you got paid
PUA: Based on the verbiage on the certification, you need to report WHEN YOU RECEIVED money

Should I continue to certify though the previous weeks are in pending status?

Yes, you should continue to certify when given the opportunity to certify. Everything will catch up eventually.

Should I still certify if my benefit is 0.00?

If you would like to keep your claim open (recommended) you need to continue to certify even though there is a problem with your claim. If you don't do anything it will automatically close (unless that is what you want). To fix your claim, you need to call. Phone tips here

What if I made a mistake certifying online and then mailed in the correct information, will that be okay?

This could potentially delay your certification since they will have a duplicate with different answers. You can wait and see if they choose the correct certification reflect in your account. I would recommend to send an e-mail through your portal, wait and see if it's fixed, and if it is incorrect, contact them and clarify the correct information. Phone tips here.

I opened my claim on xx/xx/xxxx -- when can I certify?

You should be able to file two Sundays after you've opened your claim unless they have a problem with your application. Give the process 2-3 weeks.

What does it mean check back on xx/xx/xxxx?

Check back on that date to certify.

For example, if it says to check back on 6/14/20 -- on June 14, 2020 you will be able to:
Certify for 5/31/20 - 6/6/20
Certify for 6/7/20 - 6/13/20

You can only certify for the weeks of the PAST. Your account is ready to go, just check back on that date.

How long does it take for me to get paid?

After you certify it should take only a few days. Give it 48 hours to change to pending to paid and another 48 hours to show up on your EDD card.
If you are not doing the "normal" certification of just two weeks, for example, you are certifying for more than one, week or you reported money or anything out of the ordinary -- expect it to take a few more days to process

Do we get paid every week or bi-weekly?

You certify every two weeks and get paid shortly after (seeing there is no problems with your certification)

I just certified, how long will it take for me to receive money?

If you certified for only two weeks - the regular amount, it should take only a few days for it to show up on your Bank of America account.
If you certified for MULTIPLE weeks -- expect another week for ALL of those to process

I want to only certify for one week and not two, but it won't let me. I quit the following week and know I won't receive benefits.

All weeks are independent of each other. For the first week fill in the questions with the mindset of what happened that first week. For the second week, file it as if you quit.

I was meant to go back to work, but my employer asked me to stay home due to _____. How do I certify?

If you worked at all, fill that week "yes" to working with how many hours you worked and the gross amount you've earned. The other week you will fill as normal (as if nothing happened) because it's not as if you refused work and you are unemployed by no fault of your own. You won't be disqualified because these are reasonable situations on why you are not working

For question 6b on the paper certification: I returned back to work, should I put still working?

If you are going to continue with that job the following week, yes, mark "still working". If this job was a temporary job that ended that particular week, then put the reason why you are no longer working (lack of work, job completed, laid off, furloughed, etc)

Even though I haven't been working for 3 months, should I put still working on question 6b?

All certifications are independent of each other. Despite the past weeks, you are certifying for this particular week. So if you are going to still be working, put that. It will not effect the past weeks you already certified for.

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