The Unemployment Insurance (UI) program is designed to assist those who are out of work due to no fault of their own.

When filing for Regular UI benefits, you must have earned enough wages during the base period to establish a claim, and be all of the following:

• Totally or partially unemployed (e.g., you lost your job or have had your hours reduced)
• Unemployed through no fault of your own
• Authorized to work in the US
• Physically able to work
• Available for work
• Ready and willing to accept work immediately
• Actively looking for work

If your child’s school is closed, and you have to miss work to be there for them, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. See EDD’s website for additional information about UI eligibility requirements and eligibility FAQs.  

For Expanded UI benefits under the CARES Act, see EDD’s web page on the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program. The following eligibility requirements apply:

• You are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to COVID-19
• You are self-employed, seeking part-time employment or otherwise would not qualify for regular UI
• Any additional requirements as determined by EDD

Regular UI benefit amounts depend on your current and past income- ranges from $40 to $450 per week for up to 26 weeks.

• To get an estimate of what you will receive, use the UI Benefit Calculator.
• To see how UI benefits are computed click here.

Expanded UI through the CARES Act provides an additional benefit of up to $600 per week.

Regular UI: See handout for step by step instructions. (EDD) has provided guidance on the best way to apply (“fi

le a claim”) for UI benefits.

• Best option: Apply at EDD’s UI Online website with computer or smart phone
• Second option if no computer or internet available: Phone
• Option of last resort: Paper application

Expanded UI: EDD has not yet provided instructions. Check EDD’s UI website often for updates.

The best way to check on the status of a claim is to log in to  UI Online. Payment status can also be checked through an automated, self-service telephone system at 1-866-333-4606. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish.

You may submit questions about claims via UI Online as explained here.
EDD also has a new virtual messenger available on the bottom right of this page.

For general or technical assistance while applying, call 1-833-978-2511. The line is open 12 hours a day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week, only in English.

UI Claims Support phone lines are available 4 hours a day, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday – Friday as follows:
- 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

Eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness (e.g., COVID-19). Click here for more information about eligibility requirements.

Depends on your current and past income- ranges from $50-$1,300 a week for up to 52 weeks.

1. Best option: Apply for Disability Insurance online with computer or smart phone
2. Option of last resort: Paper application (see details here)

Paid Family Leave (PFL) provides benefits to workers who will lose wages while taking time off work to provide care for a seriously ill or quarantined family member or to bond with a new child.

Individuals caring for a seriously ill family member are eligible if they were attached to the labor market prior to their family care period, had a loss of wages as a result of the family leave, and have sufficient prior earnings in a 12-month period. For additional eligibility information, click here.

Depends on your current and past income- ranges from $50-$1,300 a week for up to 6 weeks.

1. Best option: Apply for Paid Family Leave online with a computer or smartphone
2. The option of last resort: Paper application (details here)

A new program that helps unemployed Californians who are business owners, self-employed, independent contractors, have limited work history and others usually eligible for regular state UI benefits who are out of business or services are significantly reduced as a direct result of the pandemic. 

Benefits are payable if you don't qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits in California or another state and also do not qualify for state Disability Insurance or Paid Family Leave benefits. You can also be eligible if you qualified for regular UI benefits, but have already collected all of those benefits. You must also meet one of the following criteria:

• You have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and are seeking a medical diagnosis.
• You are unable to work because a health care provider advised you to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• A member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• You are providing care for a family member or a member of your household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. 
• A child or other person in the household for whom you have primary caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility that is closed as a direct result of COVID-19 and the school/facility care is required for you to work.
• You became the breadwinner or major support for a household because the head of household has died as a direct result of COVID-19.
• You have quit your job as a direct result of COVID-19.
• Your place of employment is closed as a direct result of COVID-19. 
• You were scheduled to start a job that is now unavailable as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. 
• You are unable to reach the place of employment as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. 
• If you work as an independent contractor with reportable income, you may qualify for PUa benefits if you are unemployed, partially employed, or unable or unavailable to work because the COVID-19 public health emergency has severely limited your ability to continue performing your customary work activities, and has thereby forced you to stop working. 

Payments will be issued in phases. If qualified, recipients would receive payments as follows:

• Phase 1: $167 per week, for each week from 2/2/20 to 3/28/20, that you were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason.
• Phase 2: $167 + $600 per week, for each week from 3/19/20 to 7/25/20, that you were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason. 
• Phase 3: $167 per week for each week, for each week from 7/26/20 to 12/26/20, that you were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason up to a total of 39 weeks (minus any weeks of regular UI benefits that you have received). 

If you qualify for your claim to be backdated to an earlier PUA effective date based on your last day of work, you could receive payment for prior weeks you were unemployed due to COVID-19. The effective date of your claim will begin the Sunday of the week when you last worked and became unemployed due to reasons directly related to COVID-19. 

Claimants do not need to do anything to receive this extra funding. EDD will automatically add the full $600 to each week of current benefits that are paid every two weeks, as long you are eligible for at least $1 in a regular payment each week.

For someone receiving the most recent average Unemployment Insurance payment of $340 a week, a usual biweekly payment would equal $680. With the extra payment, that biweekly payment would increase to $1,880.

The first week the additional payments can be made is for the week ending April 4, not before. Separate retroactive payments will be automatically issued soon to those who had an active claim that week, and the $600 extra payments can continue to those who remain impacted and otherwise eligible for benefits through the week ending July 25, 2020.

The $600 additional benefits are available through July 25, 2020.