Modernizing the State's Unemployment Program: Helping EDD Pay Customers Faster and Accurately

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What You Need to Know: California's Employment Development Department is making it easier for customers receiving unemployment benefits to report required wages and income information while receiving benefit payments. This helps ensure the Department can pay benefits quickly and accurately to avoid unnecessary eligibility interviews or potential overpayments.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of EDDNext, the Employment Development Department (EDD) is continuing to modernize its myEDD online benefit portal — adding a Weekly Wage Reporting Tool to assist unemployment customers to accurately report any earnings they may receive while collecting benefits. The tool combines implementing a wage calculator along with helpful instructions to carefully explain the types of income to report.

Listening to unemployment customers, EDD learned that the wage reporting requirements can be confusing given the vast variety of earnings they may have to report, the differences between when wages are earned and when the individual is actually paid, and between gross wages (earned before any deductions) and net wages.

"Our new Wage Tool is another example of how we're prioritizing customer-centered improvements. Reporting wages accurately helps Californians get paid faster and minimizes follow-up work from our staff so they can spend more time helping customers where it matters most."
-  EDD Director Nancy Farias

The unemployment program can be complex. It requires that individuals receiving benefits certify, or answer basic questions every two weeks to tell the EDD that they are still unemployed and remain eligible to continue receiving benefit payments. These questions include letting EDD know if the person receiving benefits was working or earning any wages while receiving payments – which could impact the amount of their benefit payment.

Wages must be reported to the EDD the week they are earned, even if they haven't been paid yet. Unemployment customers who don't report wages, or inaccurately report their income, may receive an overpayment - benefits they will have to pay back later.

There are many different types of income that workers could receive with the variety of industries in California, including entertainment which has unique income types that are sometimes difficult for unemployment customers to identify and track accurately.

The tool's wage calculator includes helpful instructions and drop-down menus to assist customers to better understand the types of income to report. Customers are prompted to enter information about their employer, the number of hours worked, and all related wages or income.

Visit Reporting Work and Wages FAQs for more information, including how wages earned impact the weekly benefit amount.

This new wage reporting tool will be followed by more online enhancements to the bi-weekly certification questions in 2026. At that time, EDD will be updating myEDD, making those questions all easier to understand and simpler to complete accurately. EDD is continuing to modernize and transform the customer and employee experience.

For more information about EDD's modernization progress, visit EDD.CA.GOV

SOURCE Employment Development Department (EDD)