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 Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment Insurance Application

En Espaņol

Welcome to the State of California Employment Development Department's (EDD) on-line application for unemployment insurance or extension for UI benefits. This application can be printed, completed and mailed, or faxed to an EDD office for processing. If you prefer, you may call EDD to file your claim by telephone.

When is the best time for me to file a claim?

The effective date of your claim is based on the date you first contact the Department. The effective date determines your base period, and as a result, your benefit amount. A base period is a one-year period of earnings, divided into quarters. The base period is used to establish a claim and calculate an award. You may wish to review your wages during each quarter of the base period to determine the best time to file. You will not receive any benefits until you actually submit an application or call EDD to file a claim.

If your claim begins in: Your base period is the prior twelve months ending the last day of:
January-February-March September
April-May-June December
July-August-September March
October-November-December June


The diagram below reflects the same information as above.

The shaded area is your base period The unshaded area is the month you filed your claim
Base Period

The benefit table (2005) provides your weekly benefit amount based on your wages in a calendar quarter during the base period. You may need to download the free Adobe Reader to view and print linked documents.

Can I cancel my claim?

Yes, you can cancel your claim within 30 days (up to and including 30 days) after the mailing date of the Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award. Your claim can be canceled within 30 days only if you have not cashed a benefit check or have not been issued a written notice of disqualification.

Important Note: The answers you give to the questions on the application must be true and correct. You may be subject to penalties if you make a false statement or withhold information.

Who can use the On-Line Application Form?

If you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions, you cannot use this form to file for unemployment insurance benefits. Please refer to Telephone Listings to file your claim by telephone.

  1. Were you in the military in the last 18 months?
  2. Did you work for an agency of the Federal government in the last 18 months?
  3. Did you work in a state other than California in the last 18 months?
  4. Have you applied for benefits in another state during the last 12 months?
  5. Did your employer or union give you a claim form for Unemployment Insurance benefits?
What do you need to file a claim using this on-line application form?

To be able to file a claim, you must be out of work (for any reason), or working less than full-time at the time you file your claim.

The application will ask a series of questions. Some questions will be about your recent employment. Other questions will ask for personal information for identification and statistical purposes, such as date of birth and years of education. It is important to be as accurate as possible with the information you provide.

Please have the following information available when filing your claim:
  • Your name and social security account number
  • Your mailing and residence address (if different)
  • Your telephone number
  • Last employer information, including:
    - Name, address (mailing and physical location) and telephone number
  • Information on all employers you worked for during the 18 months prior to filing your claim, including:
    - Name, period of employment, wages earned and how you were paid
  • Your driver's license or ID card number, if you have either
  • Last date worked and the reason you are no longer working
  • Citizenship status (which may include your alien registration number)
Allow 30 minutes to complete the application. After the application is received by the Department and the Department files your claim, it will be determined if you are eligible to receive benefits.

File by Telephone

If you do not have access to a printer or would rather file for unemployment benefits by telephone, call EDD and EDD staff will assist you. Call Centers can be very busy, and you may be waiting for a period of time.

When you have Completed the Application

Please review your application to see that all questions have been answered and your social security number is written on each page. Any incomplete or missing information will delay or prevent the filing of your unemployment insurance claim.

You may submit the completed application:

  • By mail to the following address:
    EDD
    P. O. Box 5007
    Buena Park, CA 90622-5007

  • By fax to the following telephone number: 1-866-215-9159

Once you've submitted the application, allow ten days for processing of your claim. You will receive UI claim materials by mail. Call EDD if you have not received any of the UI claim materials after ten days.

If the Department needs to verify any of the information you provide while filing a claim, you will receive additional forms by mail and will be asked to provide additional information and/or documentation.

Reporting Wages

If you worked in the week in which you are applying for unemployment insurance benefits, you will be asked to report your wages for the week. For unemployment insurance purposes, a week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. To report wages for the week you are applying, indicate any wages you earned from the Sunday prior to the day you are filing through the day you are filing.

For example, if you are filing a claim on Thursday, you would report wages earned from Sunday through Thursday. See the chart below:

UI week


You are required to report all wages you earn while you are certifying for and receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Therefore, if you continue to work at all after the date on which you file your unemployment insurance claim, you must report those additional wages.

You must report lodging, meals, or any other payment you receive when you work. If you are unsure about how to report wages, Call EDD.

UI Claim Materials

Within ten days we will mail the following documents to the address you provided on your application.
  • Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award, DE 429Z. This notice shows your weekly benefit amount and your maximum benefit amount. These amounts are based on the wages reported by your employer(s). Please review the award notice for accuracy and call EDD if you disagree with the information. This notice also gives instructions on your work search requirements.


  • Notice of Unemployment Insurance Claim Filed, DE 1101CLMT. This document contains information you provided when you filed your claim. The Department will consider the information to be correct unless you contact the Department within ten days from the date we mailed the form to supply corrected or omitted information.


  • A Guide to Benefits And Employment Services, DE 1275A. This is a handbook that explains your rights and responsibilities under the Unemployment Insurance Program. Read it completely and carefully. You are responsible for knowing its contents.


  • A Continued Claim, DE 4581. This is a form used to claim weekly benefits. Follow the instructions in the handbook on how to complete the form. The benefit week begins Sunday and ends Saturday at midnight. Answer all the questions for each week, sign and mail the form on the date shown on the front. Remember to report any wages you earned for the weeks on the form paying attention to the beginning and ending dates of each week. The first week of unemployment insurance benefits is the waiting period week. You will not receive benefits for that week. However, you must complete the claim form for that week to certify for benefits.
Prior Disqualification or Overpayments

If you had a disqualification or overpayment on a previous claim, the disqualification or overpayment may carry over and affect your new claim. Please refer to the disqualification or overpayment notice you received by mail at the time the disqualification or overpayment was established.

If you are Receiving a Pension

Some pensions are deductible from unemployment insurance benefits. If you are receiving a pension other than Social Security or Railroad Retirement, you may have to repay unemployment insurance benefits received, if the pension payments are for the same time period. A determination interview may be needed to determine if your pension payments are deductible.

Determination Interview

If there is a question of your eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, you will be scheduled for a telephone eligibility determination interview. You will receive a notice entitled "Telephone Interview Notification and Instructions" that will indicate the date and time the Department representative will phone you. This notice will also give you information about the issues to be discussed and possible questions you will be asked.

A Department representative will phone you at a predetermined time, and will ask you questions to assist that representative in determining your eligibility. The interviewer may also speak to your former employer if you quit or were fired from your last job.

Training Benefits

If you are interested in training, you may be eligible for California Training Benefits, which would allow you to receive training while receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Please refer to your unemployment insurance claim handbook for information. You may also be eligible for additional training benefits if you contact the Department before:

  • sixteen weeks of benefits are paid, or
  • your benefits are exhausted (if your claim is for less than 16 weeks)
Work Search Requirement

You are required to look for work each week that you are certifying for benefits by contacting employers who hire workers in your usual occupation. Failure to look for work in any week may affect your eligibility to receive benefits. We advise that you keep a record of your work search dates and employer contact information for future use and potential eligibility interviews.

Job Service Registration

You are required to register in California's Job Search assistance website (CalJOBS) within 21 days. You may also be required to complete a work search questionnaire and attend multiple reemployment assistance interviews or workshops. Failure to register in CalJOBS or failure to attend scheduled reemployment assistance appointments, may affect your eligibility for UI benefits.

If you have not registered for Job Search assistance, you should register with your local Job Service office.

Job Search Assistance

Out-of-State Residents:

You must actively seek work and should register for Job Search assistance with the local employment office in your state. Look in the telephone directory for local telephone listings.

Interactive Voice Response

The EDD has an automated telephone system which is available seven days a week for general UI information, Job Service locations and telephone numbers.

Additional Information

Please read all EDD materials carefully. If you have questions you may call EDD to obtain additional information.

Click on the link below if you are ready to complete your UI Application. The application is in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print the application. You can find the Adobe Acrobat Reader at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

Unemployment Insurance Application

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