Welcome to the Employment Development Department

Federal Unemployment Insurance Extended Benefits

en Español

The federal government has approved an extension of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits.

ELIGIBILITY

These extensions can be filed on or after July 6, 2008. Workers potentially eligible for extended benefits:

  • Are fully or partially unemployed on or after July 6, 2008,
  • Have exhausted their 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, AND
  • Meet all eligibility criteria.

HOW TO FILE

To find out if you are eligible for an extended unemployment insurance claim you may apply online or call one of the telephone numbers listed below. The EDD anticipates high call volumes so you are encouraged to apply online.

  • 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
  • TTY: (NON VOICE): 1-800-815-9387

AMOUNT OF AWARD

An individual who is eligible for extended benefits will receive:

  • A weekly benefit amount equal to the amount of his or her regular claim,

    AND
  • A maximum benefit amount that is the lesser of:
    • 50 percent (half) of the maximum benefit amount of the 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, and the maximum benefit amount is for 22 weeks, each extension claim would have:

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

INDIVIDUALS CURRENTLY RECEIVING CALIFORNIA TRAINING BENEFITS (CTB), TRADE ACT ASSISTANCE (TAA), OR DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE (DUA) EXTENSIONS

The provisions of the Act require individuals who are eligible for Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) extension claims to exhaust their EUC extension benefits before receiving CTB, TAA, or DUA extended benefits. Individuals who are eligible to file EUC extension claims, and are already receiving CTB, TAA, or DUA extended benefits, will be required to receive EUC extended benefits until they exhaust their EUC extension claim, or until the sunset date of the EUC extension, whichever comes first. If an individual still qualifies for CTB, TAA, or DUA extended benefits once they are no longer able to receive EUC extended benefits, he or she may be able return to the CTB, TAA, or DUA extensions.

FUNDING

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.