I went through this exact same confusion when I first got my EDD letter! Just to add to what everyone else has said - that Customer Account Number is also what they'll ask for if you ever need to reset your UI Online password or if there are any technical issues with your account. I had to use mine when the system locked me out after too many login attempts. But for day-to-day use like certification, you won't need it at all. Good luck with your first certification on Sunday - you've got this!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who also got confused by that EDD Customer Account Number letter! You're definitely not alone - the instructions are pretty vague. Like others have said, you don't need to enter it anywhere in UI Online right now. I keep mine taped inside a folder with all my other unemployment paperwork so I can find it quickly if I ever need to call EDD. The main thing is just making sure you're ready for certification on Sunday. Since you mentioned this is your first time, double-check that you understand how to answer the certification questions - especially about any work you might have done or income you received during the week. The system is pretty straightforward once you get used to it!

I had this exact same issue last year! The trick that finally worked for me was using the EDD website during off-peak hours - try logging in really early in the morning (like 5-6 AM) or late at night (after 10 PM). The system seems to work better when there's less traffic. Also, make sure you're not using any browser extensions that might interfere with the site. I had to disable my ad blocker and password manager to get it to work properly. If you're still stuck after a few more days, another option is to contact your local assembly member's office - they often have staff who can help navigate EDD issues and sometimes get faster responses than calling directly.

I'm dealing with something similar right now! Got my customer account number three days ago and it's still not working. Reading through these responses, it sounds like the processing delay is real even though the letter doesn't mention it anywhere. That's so misleading! I'm going to try Oliver's suggestion about using the site during off-peak hours while I wait for the processing period to finish. Has anyone had success with contacting their assembly member's office? That sounds like it might be worth trying if the phone lines stay jammed. This whole system really needs to be redesigned - it's causing so much unnecessary stress when people are already dealing with job loss.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been doing gig work while on partial unemployment for about 4 months now. All the advice here is spot-on - you absolutely MUST report every dollar to EDD, even tiny amounts. The $600 thing that confused you is about 1099-K tax forms from the platforms, not EDD reporting requirements. I made the same mistake early on thinking small daily earnings didn't matter, but EDD will eventually catch unreported income through tax record matching. Trust me, the overpayment penalties aren't worth trying to hide anything. The partial benefit calculation actually works great though! You keep the first $25 or 25% of weekly earnings (whichever is higher) without any benefit reduction. So if you make $120 from DoorDash, you'd keep the first $30 (25%) and only have $90 deducted from your UI payment. You end up with more total income than just staying on full unemployment. My system: I use a simple phone note to track daily earnings by platform, then sum it up each week for certification. Takes maybe 2 minutes total per day and keeps me compliant. Also definitely track your miles - at $0.67/mile for 2024, the tax deduction adds up fast. Stay honest with reporting and you'll be fine! The system actually encourages working while on unemployment, so there's no reason to risk penalties by hiding income.

I just went through this exact same confusion last month! The $600 threshold you're thinking of is definitely about tax reporting (specifically 1099-K forms from the gig platforms), not EDD certification requirements. These are completely separate systems with different rules. For EDD, you must report EVERY dollar you earn from gig work when you certify - even if it's just $20 for the day. I learned this the hard way when I thought small amounts "didn't count" and almost got hit with compliance issues. The good news is that the partial benefit formula actually works in your favor! You get to keep the first $25 or 25% of your weekly earnings (whichever is higher) without any reduction to your UI benefits. So if you make $200 from DoorDash in a week, you'd keep the first $50 (25% of $200) and only have $150 deducted from your weekly benefit amount. You'll always end up with more total money by working + partial unemployment than just staying on full benefits. My advice: start tracking everything immediately in a simple spreadsheet or phone app. I log my daily earnings right after each shift - takes 30 seconds but keeps me compliant and stress-free. Don't risk the overpayment penalties that others have mentioned here. Better to report everything and get partial benefits than deal with EDD enforcement later! Good luck with both the gig work and job search! The partial unemployment system is actually designed to encourage people to work while looking for permanent employment.

I had my appeal hearing postponed TWICE after waiting 3 months for the initial date. The whole process took almost 6 months from start to finish. But I did eventually win and got all my backpay. Stay patient and persistent!

I'm in a similar situation - submitted my appeal in late January and still waiting! It's so frustrating not knowing when this will be resolved. One thing that's helped me mentally is setting up a simple tracking system. I created a calendar reminder to check the status every Friday, and I'm documenting everything in a notebook - when I submitted, any correspondence, etc. It makes me feel like I'm doing something productive while waiting. Also, I've been using this time to strengthen my case by organizing all my job search records and writing practice responses to potential hearing questions. The waiting is awful, but at least we can use this time to prepare thoroughly. Hang in there - sounds like most people eventually get their hearings scheduled even if it takes longer than expected!

Final update: Got my issue resolved after 2.5 hour call. Worth it but I'm never doing this manual calling process again. Next time I'm using an automated service for sure.

For anyone new to this thread: EDD hours are 8am-5pm M-F, they don't answer 12-1:30pm for lunch, expect 20-100+ redial attempts just to get on hold, and 30-50% of calls drop even when you do get through. Plan accordingly.