Step 5: Certify for Benefits
Step 5: Certify for Benefits
Get Your Information in Order
Apply
Register in CalJOBS
Review Benefit Documents
Certify for Benefits
Receive Your First Payment
Continue to Certify
End Your Benefits
Mailing something to EDD?
USPS now postmarks mail when it’s processed, not when it’s dropped off. To avoid delays, mail early or use
myEDD
whenever possible. Submitting online is the fastest and most secure way to send documents to us.
You already applied for benefits, but you’ll need to answer a few more questions before you can receive your first payment.
Certifying
is the process of answering basic questions every two weeks to tell us you’re still unemployed and
eligible
to receive benefit payments. You’ll first certify for benefits about two weeks after we process your application and again every two weeks.
We will send you an email, or we will contact you by mail, when it’s time to certify. If you fail to certify accurately or on time, it will delay or prevent payment.
The fastest way to certify is online through
myEDD
. You can also certify by telephone (1-866-333-4606 for English and Spanish) or by mail, but your payments may take longer to process.
The certification questions can be confusing. Read them carefully, and visit
Understanding the Certification Questions
for helpful tips.
Report any work and wages
—even if you were not paid yet.
Certify with myEDD (Fastest Option)
myEDD
is the fastest way to certify for benefits and
report work and wages
To get started, log in to
myEDD
and select
UI Online
If you have wages to report, select
Report Wages
to use the
Weekly Wage Reporting Tool
. The information you enter can be used in your certification.
Check the
Notifications
section of your homepage. If weeks are available, select
Certify for Benefits
and answer all questions. If no weeks are available, the system will tell you when to check again and will send you an email reminder.
Note:
The
Work Search Record
screen is optional and provides a helpful tool to record your work search efforts. To skip this screen, select
Next
Online Resources:
Unemployment Benefit Certification Question Information
(YouTube)
Certify for Continued Benefits Using UI Online
(YouTube)
Reporting Wages and Regular Earnings Using UI Online
(YouTube)
Reporting Entertainment Industry Earnings Using UI Online
(YouTube)
Reporting Self-Employment and Commissions Using UI Online
(YouTube)
Reporting Bonuses, Pensions and Other Types of Income Using UI Online
(YouTube)
Certify by Phone (Slower)
EDD Tele-Cert
is an easy and convenient way to certify for unemployment benefits over the phone.
Follow these steps to request your benefits:
Call the Unemployment Automated Self-Service Line at 1-866-333-4606.
Select
Menu Option 1
Enter your four-digit PIN. If you don't have a PIN, the system will tell you how to create one.
Answer all certification questions and confirm your answers.
Note
: If you need to report work and wages, a change of address, or a phone number, certify through myEDD or by mail.
Certify by Mail (Slowest)
If you certify for unemployment benefits by mail, you must complete, sign, and mail a
Continued Claim Form
(DE 4581CTO) (PDF)
to us every two weeks. You will receive your first claim form within 10 days of the EDD processing your application. Additional claim forms will be mailed to you each time you need to certify for benefits.
Important:
For faster processing, and to avoid mail delays and common errors with the paper claim form, submit your certifications through myEDD.
Back to Step 4
Go to Step 6
Skip to Virtual Chat
Leaving the EDD Website
You are about to leave our website.
Leave Website
Language Resources
منابع اللغة (Arabic)
լեզվական ռեսուրսները (Armenian)
منابع زبان (Farsi)
भाषा संसाधन (Hindi)
言語ソース (Japanese)
언어 자료 (Korean)
ធនធានភាសា (Mon-Khmer [Cambodian])
ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਸਰੋਤ (Punjabi)
Языковые ресурсы (Russian)
语言资源 (Simplified Chinese)
Recursos en otros idiomas (Spanish)
Mga Resource ng Wika (Tagalog)
แหล่งข้อมูลด้านภาษา (Thai)
語言資源 (Traditional Chinese)
Nguồn Hỗ Trợ Ngôn Ngữ (Vietnamese)
US