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Everything You Need to Know About UI Online

Get answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) we receive about UI OnlineSM. We want to help you file for unemployment quickly and easily online.

General Information

UI Online is a fast, convenient, and secure way for Unemployment Insurance customers to access claim information, certify for benefits,* report work and wages, view detailed payment information, and manage their claims 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

*Customers on Partial or Work Sharing claims are unable to certify for benefits or reopen an existing claim using UI Online at this time, but can access all other features of the system.

Only customers who have an existing unemployment claim and an EDD Customer Account Number can register for UI Online.

Yes, but there are some exceptions. Federal employees and former military service members cannot file online.

If you are filing for regular unemployment, you can use UI Online.

After you create your myEDD account, you can start using UI Online when:

  • You receive a Welcome email saying you’ve been registered. Then you can begin using UI Online immediately.
  • You receive your EDD Customer Account Number in the mail. Once you have this, you can register for UI Online.

Yes. For added convenience, UI Online is available on your smartphone or any other mobile device.

Computers are available free of charge at your local America’s Job Center of California throughout the state and at public libraries. If you don’t have a personal email account, you will need to create one. It’s quick and easy, and there are many free options available.

Registration

You will need to have the following information:

  • First and last name you provided us
  • Date of birth
  • Personal email address not shared with anyone else
  • Social Security number
  • EDD Customer Account Number

The EDD Customer Account Number is a unique, 10-digit account number assigned by the Employment Development Department. Currently, this number is used on certain written correspondence and to register for UI Online. It does not replace your Social Security number.

All customers who file a new unemployment claim will receive an Employment Development Department Customer Account Number Notification (DE 5614) letter within 10 business days of filing.

If you have lost, misplaced, or never received your EDD Customer Account Number, contact the EDD:

  • Online: Go to Ask EDD and select the category Unemployment Insurance Benefits, the subcategory UI Online (UIO), and the topic EDD Customer Account Number. Select Continue at the bottom of the page to begin the process of submitting your message.
  • By Phone: Call 1-800-300-5616 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday.

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online to get started.

Using a single and secure login, myEDD allows you to access UI Online, SDI Online, and Benefit Overpayment Services.

You must have a myEDD account, an active unemployment claim, and received your EDD Customer Account Number in order to register for a UI Online account.

Certify for Benefits

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online to get started. Then select Certify for Benefits from the main menu. Most customers certify for continuing benefits two weeks at a time. If you have multiple weeks that need to be certified, you’ll start with the oldest week first. You can only certify for two weeks at a time regardless of the number of weeks available. You must answer all of the certification questions. They are the same questions as on the paper Continued Claim Form (DE 4581).

After you have provided a response to all questions, you will receive a confirmation number to indicate that your certification was properly submitted. Be sure to keep a record of your confirmation number. For more information, visit Certify for Benefits.

The Notifications section of your UI Online homepage will show a message that says there are one or more weeks available to certify. If there are no weeks to certify, you will receive a notification to check back at a later date.

Yes, they are the same. However, you may be asked some clarifying questions through UI Online. This will provide us with additional information and will help speed up the processing of your certification.

From the UI Online homepage, select Certify for Benefits. When certifying for benefits, respond, “Yes” to question six, “Did you work or earn any money, whether you were paid or not?” The system will prompt you to provide additional information about your earnings. For more information about reporting work and wages, visit Understanding the Certification Questions.

As soon as you begin working, be sure to notify us on your weekly certification in the week in which you worked. Do not wait until you receive your first paycheck to report wages. Wages must be reported for the week they were earned, not when paid.

No. UI Online does not have a “save draft” feature when certifying for benefits. You should gather all of your information, including wages, if you worked during the certification period before you certify for benefits.

Yes. Before your certification is complete, can review your answers on the summary screen and make changes if necessary.

Yes. You will also have an option to print your confirmation page.

Yes. Access the Claim History screen from the main menu. Once you’ve located the desired week, select Certification to view your responses to the certification questions.

Yes. After you submit your certification and receive a confirmation number, you can make changes by sending a question through the Contact Us page in your UI Online account. Select the category Certify for Continued Benefits and the topic Made a Mistake on Continued Benefits Certification. Be sure to specify the affected week(s) and provide a brief description of what happened along with the correct information.

Payment Information

No, how you receive payments will not change. With UI Online, you can access detailed payment information for all payments made. As an added convenience, you can set an alert to be notified whenever the EDD deposits funds to your debit card. Contact Money Network online or call the number on the back of your card.

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online. Then select Payment Activity from the UI Online main menu.

To view detailed payment information, including how the payment calculated wages, overpayments, and voluntary federal tax withholding amounts, select the Payment Activity link from the main menu, then select Details for the desired week. If the Details link is not available for a specific week, no payment was made for that week. This can be a result of excessive earnings, a disqualification, or another eligibility issue.

The following are some reasons for a Pending or Not Paid status:

  • Able and available to work – If you said you were not able or available to work when you certified, you may not be eligible for benefits that week. Even if you are not eligible for benefits one week, you still may be eligible other weeks, so you should continue to certify.
  • Earnings – If you earned too much in a week, you may not be eligible for benefits that week. When certifying for regular unemployment benefits, you must report total earnings for the week you worked. The first $25 or 25% of your wages, whichever is more, will not be deducted from your benefit amount, but the rest will.
  • Suitable work – If you said you refused any work when you certified, we must schedule a phone interview to ask why. We will also contact the employer that offered you the job. If you refused to return to your job or other suitable work without good cause, you may not be eligible for benefits. To learn more about good cause, refer to Returning to Work.

If we need to confirm your eligibility for unemployment, we will schedule a phone interview with you and may contact your employer. For more information, visit Claim Status: Pending Payment.

Contact Information and Personal Preferences

Select Personal Profile from the main menu, then select Contact Information.

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online. Then select Personal Profile from the menu and select Personal Preferences. You can set a preference for both your spoken and written languages in either English or Spanish.

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online. Then select Personal Profile from the menu and select Personal Preferences. In Correspondence Method, select E-mail from the drop-down menu. However, only certain EDD correspondence can be sent electronically. In some cases, we are required to mail correspondence to you.

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online. Then select Personal Profile from the menu and select Personal Preferences. You can set a preference to certify for benefits only online or by phone. If you select this option, the paper Continued Claim Form (DE 4581) will not be mailed to you.

Note: We may need to send some documents via US mail.

Reopen an Existing Claim to Resume Claiming Benefits

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online to get started. Then select Reopen Your Claim from the UI Online homepage. For more information, visit Reopen an Unemployment Insurance Claim.

Note: Customers on Partial or Work Sharing claims are unable to reopen a claim using UI Online at this time, but can access all other features of the system.

Appointments (In-Person Appointments and Phone Interviews)

All appointments appear on your UI Online homepage in the Appointments section. If you do not have any appointments, this section will not show on your homepage.

No. In-person appointments, such as Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment appointments, cannot be rescheduled. Failure to report to an in-person appointment may affect your eligibility to collect benefits.

Yes. However, changing your appointment to a later date could further delay the processing of your claim. To change a phone interview appointment, select Reschedule in the Appointments section of your UI Online homepage and follow the instructions. You will not be able to reschedule same-day appointments.

If you do not receive a call from the EDD at your scheduled appointment time, we may have canceled your appointment because we confirmed your eligibility or resolved the issue before your interview. Check UI Online for your current payment status.

We may have canceled your appointment because we confirmed your eligibility or resolved the issue before your interview. If your appointment has been canceled, it will no longer display in UI Online. Check UI Online for your current payment status.

Obtain Form 1099G Information

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online to get started. Then select Form 1099G from the main menu.

Information is available for up to five years. However, Form 1099G information will only appear in a tax year when you received Unemployment Insurance, Disability Insurance, or Paid Family Leave payments. For more information, visit Form 1099G FAQs.

Customer Support and Online Help

We offer many online tools to help you with UI Online. These include fact sheets, instructional videos, and FAQs. Help text is available within UI Online by accessing the question mark (?) icon or selecting the Help link located in the upper-right-hand corner of each screen.

Contact us online using UI Online. You can also speak to a representative by calling 1-800-300-5616 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday, except on state holidays.

Error Messages and Technical Issues

For technical help, including registration, password resets, EDD Account Numbers, and how to use UI OnlineSM, contact us at 1-833-978-2511 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific time), Monday through Friday, except on state holidays.

Note: Representatives will not have access to your claim or payment information.

If you receive an error message, make sure all information you entered is accurate, including your full name, date of birth, etc. Be sure to complete all required fields, which are marked with a red asterisk (*). You should also close your browser and try again. In some cases the error message may display an error code number and instructions on how to contact us.

You can also submit a question by using Ask EDD. Select the Unemployment Insurance Benefits category, then UI Online (UIO) subcategory, and the topic I Received an Error Message. Be sure to provide the error code number from the message so we can better assist you.

To protect your account, UI Online will automatically time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. However, five minutes before your session is scheduled to end, you will receive a warning message. The message will read: “Your current session with UI Online is about to expire. Select Yes to continue using UI Online. Select No to end your session, any unsaved data will be lost.” To avoid the timeout warning, select a button or link at least every 25 minutes.

Our online services are compatible with the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. For the best experience, use the latest version of Chrome or Firefox.

Yes. You must disable pop-up blockers to access features of UI Online.

Access Your Account

Once you have an account with myEDD, you can view the status of your claim, certify for benefits, and get up to date claim and payment information all on UI Online.

For Your Privacy and Protection

Phishing and scamming attempts come in many forms, including fraudulent phone calls. The most reliable way to know with certainty that you are interacting with us is to communicate through your UI Online account.

Additional Resources