Welcome to the Employment Development Department

Federal Unemployment Insurance Extended Benefits

en Español

Federal legislation enacted in July 2008 provided up to 13 weeks of extended benefits for workers who exhausted their regular UI benefits in California and across the country. Legislation enacted in November 2008 adds up to 7 weeks to the earlier extension, for a total of up to 20 weeks of extended benefits. The legislation states that these added benefits are only payable for weeks beginning on or after November 23, 2008. The November 2008 legislation also included a second extension of up to 13 weeks for high unemployment states, which includes California. Eligible workers will receive a total of up to 33 weeks of extended benefits. New legislation enacted on February 17, 2009, extends the last date a federal extension claim can be filed and paid.

Federal law does not allow payments to be made on a federal extended benefit claim once you are qualified to file a new regular claim in any state, regardless of the benefit amount on the new regular claim. Once you are qualified to file a new regular claim in any state, all payments on your extended benefit claim must stop. This means that, if you qualify for a new regular claim, you cannot continue to collect benefits on your federal extended benefit claim.

First Extension

Second Extension

FIRST EXTENSION

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE FIRST EXTENSION

The first extension can be filed on or after July 6, 2008, and the last date the first extension can begin is December 20, 2009. You may be potentially eligible for the first extension if you:

  • Are fully or partially unemployed on or after July 6, 2008,
  • Have exhausted your entitlement to a regular UI claim,
  • Are not qualified to file a new regular claim,
  • Have had a valid claim that began on or after May 7, 2006,
  • Meet all eligibility criteria. AND
  • Have a regular UI claim where the total amount earned in the base period is either:
    • More than 40 times your weekly benefit amount,

      OR
    • More than 1.5 times the highest quarter in your base period.

If you already have an extended benefit claim, refer to the “WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SECOND EXTENSION” section below for more information.

HOW TO FILE THE FIRST EXTENSION

Once you have collected all benefits payable on your regular UI claim, you may be eligible to file the first extension claim. If you are eligible to file the first extension, the Department will automatically file the first extension and send you additional continued claim forms. No action is required on your part.

If you already have an extended benefit claim, refer to the “WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SECOND EXTENSION” section below for more information.

BENEFIT AMOUNT OF FIRST EXTENSION

If you are eligible for the first extension:

  • Your weekly benefit amount will be the same as your regular claim;

    AND
  • A maximum benefit amount will be the lesser of:
    • 80 percent of the maximum benefit amount of the regular claim,

      OR
    • 20 times the weekly benefit amount of the regular claim.

Example: If the weekly benefit amount on the regular claim is $180, for 22 weeks, totaling the maximum benefit amount of $3960 (180 x 22), each extension claim would have:

  • A weekly benefit amount of $180 (the same as the regular claim).
  • A maximum benefit amount of $3168 (17.6 x $180, or 80 percent of your maximum benefit amount on your regular claim).

SECOND EXTENSION

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE SECOND EXTENSION

The first date a second extension can be filed is November 23, 2008, and the last date the second extension can begin is December 27, 2009. You may be eligible for the second extension if you:

  • Were eligible for the first extension,
  • Collected all benefits on the first extension by December 26, 2009,
  • Are not qualified to file a new regular claim, AND
  • Meet all eligibility criteria.

HOW TO FILE THE SECOND EXTENSION

Once you have collected all extended benefits on your first extension claim, you may be eligible to file a second extension claim. If you are eligible to file a second extension, the Department will automatically file the second extension and send you additional continued claim forms. No action is required on your part.

BENEFIT AMOUNT OF SECOND EXTENSION

If you are eligible for the second extension:

  • Your weekly benefit amount will be the same as your regular claim;

    AND
  • A maximum benefit amount will be the lesser of:
    • 50 percent (half) of the maximum benefit amount on your regular claim,

      OR
    • 13 times the weekly benefit amount of the regular claim.

Example: If the weekly benefit amount on the regular claim is $180, for 22 weeks, totaling the maximum benefit amount of $3960 (180 x 22), each additional extension claim would have:

  • A weekly benefit amount of $180 (same as the regular claim)
  • A maximum benefit amount of $1980 (11 x $180, or 50 percent (half) of the maximum benefit amount on your regular claim).

FUNDING

Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) extended benefits are entirely federally funded from the Extended Unemployment Compensation Account, which means employers’ reserve accounts will not be charged for any EUC extended benefits paid to claimants.