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Filing an Unemployment Claim

If you lost your job or had your hours reduced, you may be eligible for unemployment.

The following information will help guide you through the claim filing process.

Types of Benefits

Get Your Information in Order

A little preparation goes a long way! At a glance, prepare to collect the following:

Last Employer

Last employer information including company name, supervisor’s name, address (mailing and physical location) and phone number. If you are self-employed, a business owner, or an independent contractor, list yourself as your last employer.
Last date worked and the reason you are no longer working.
Total gross earnings in the last week you worked, beginning with Sunday and ending with your last day of work. If you are self-employed or an independent contractor, you will need your net income (total after taxes).

Employment History

Information on all employers you worked for during the past 18 months, including name, address (mailing and physical location), the dates of employment, gross wages earned, hours worked per week, hourly rate of pay, and the reason you are no longer working.
- If you are self-employed or an independent contractor, you will need your net income (total after taxes).
Notice to Federal Employees About Unemployment Insurance, Standard Form 8 (former federal employees only).
DD 214 Member 4 copy (ex-military only).

Identity Documents

We launched ID.me, a safe and easy way to verify your identity in UI Online. When you file a new claim, you will be redirected to the ID.me site where you will take a selfie (personal photo) and upload a photo of your ID to verify your identity.

For more information, review Top Nine Reasons Your Document May Get Rejected (PDF).

If we need additional information to verify your identity, you will need to join a video call with ID.me and provide either:

Two primary documents
One primary and two secondary documents

Primary Documents

ID.me primary documents include:

Driver license (US or foreign)
Passport or passport card (US or foreign)
US Permanent Resident Card (I-551)
Employment Authorization Card (I-766) issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550 or N-570)
Federal or state ID
Veteran health ID card
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ID Card
Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI)
National ID card (only if you live outside of the US)
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Personal Identity Verification card

Secondary Documents

ID.me secondary documents include:

US health insurance card
Social security card
US birth certificate
School documents (ID with photograph, school record, report card)
US voter registration card
US citizen ID card (Form I-197)
Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD214)
National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service (NGB Form 22)
Foreign birth document
- Certificate of Birth Abroad (FS-545)
- Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350)
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240)
Border crossing card
Native American tribal document
Tribal-issued photo ID card
Canadian Indian and Northern Affairs card
US Coast Guard merchant mariner card

After your video call with ID.me, you need to finish your unemployment application. Log in to UI Online and return to your application. UI Online will take you to the ID.me login page. Log in to allow ID.me to share your identity information with the EDD. Select Allow and finish completing your unemployment application.

If you are unable to verify your identity through ID.me when applying online, you will need to file a claim by phone, fax, or mail.

For help with the ID.me verification process, you can:

Speak to an ID.me video agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through your ID.me account.
Visit ID.me Support and submit a request for help.
Review How to Set Up and Protect Your ID.me Account (PDF).

Prepare to Apply

File for unemployment in the first week that you lose your job or have your hours reduced. Your claim begins the Sunday of the week you applied for unemployment. You must serve a one-week unpaid waiting period on your claim before you are paid unemployment insurance benefits. The waiting period can only be served if you certify for benefits and meet all eligibility requirements for that week. Your first certification will usually include the one-week unpaid waiting period and one week of payment if you meet eligibility requirements for both weeks. Certify for benefits every two weeks to continue receiving benefit payments.

Benefit Year End Date

A regular unemployment insurance benefit year ends 12 months after the claim started.

You cannot be paid for weeks of unemployment after your benefit year ends, even if you have a balance on your claim. Continue to certify for benefits if you have weeks available within your benefit year.

You can reapply for a new claim if you earned enough wages in the last 18 months and are still unemployed or working part time. Apply online, and we will notify you when your new claim is processed. This usually takes two to three weeks.

For more information, refer to the unemployment benefit calculator.

If you served in the military, worked for a federal government agency, or worked in a state outside of California within the last 18 months, you must reapply for a new claim by phone, mail, or fax.

You do not need to reapply if you did not earn enough wages in the last 18 months to establish a new claim.

To find your benefit year end date, log in to UI OnlineSM and view your Claim Summary. Your benefit year end date is 12 months after the start of your Benefit Year.

For more information, refer to your Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award (DE 429Z) for your claim ending date or review Benefit Year End.

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Next Steps

You will receive important documents from us generally within two weeks after you file for unemployment. Take the necessary steps to make sure your unemployment benefits are not delayed or denied. Be sure to read and respond to all requests to avoid payment delays.

Review these Important Next Steps – After You File a Claim for more information.