I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! Got my call in notice 4 days ago and have been calling religiously with absolutely zero success. The "too busy" message is driving me insane when I know my 10-day deadline is approaching fast. After reading through everyone's experiences here, it's crystal clear that the manual calling approach is basically broken when you're working against these tight deadlines. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try Claimyr tomorrow morning - the $20-25 cost really stings when you're already struggling on unemployment, but losing my entire benefit stream would be devastating. Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences and strategies. This thread has been incredibly helpful in showing me that I'm not alone in this broken system and that there are actually viable solutions beyond spending days hitting redial. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to pay a third party just to reach a government agency that's supposed to serve us, but when your livelihood is literally on the line, what choice do we have? For anyone else facing call in notices, don't waste precious time on manual calling if it's clearly not working - these 10-day deadlines are completely inflexible.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now and it's absolutely terrifying! Got my call in notice 3 days ago and have been calling nonstop with zero success getting through. The stress of watching that 10-day deadline approach while being completely unable to reach a human being is keeping me up at night. After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm convinced that trying Claimyr or a similar callback service is going to be my only realistic option at this point. The $20-25 cost really hurts when you're already struggling on unemployment benefits, but losing my entire benefit stream would be catastrophic. Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences and practical strategies - this thread has been a genuine lifesaver in showing me that I'm not going crazy and that there are actually viable solutions beyond EDD's completely broken phone system. It's absolutely insane that we have to pay a third party service just to access a basic government agency, but when your livelihood is literally hanging by a thread, what choice do we have? For anyone else dealing with call in notices, don't waste precious days on manual calling if it's clearly not working - these 10-day deadlines are not negotiable and they will absolutely cut you off.

I've been following this thread as someone who just started Amazon Flex after my warehouse layoff, and I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed, real-world experiences! This has completely eliminated my anxiety about the certification process. Based on all the consistent advice here, I'm setting up my system this week: - "Amazon Flex - Independent Contractor" for employer name, SSN for employer number - Daily earnings tracker by actual delivery date (not payout date) - Screenshots of weekly earnings summaries from the app - Separate documentation for full-time job applications vs gig earnings The insight about EDD distinguishing between "suitable work" and gig availability was huge for me. I was so worried about weeks when I can't grab blocks, but understanding that competitive gig work isn't the same as refusing suitable employment makes total sense. For anyone else just starting this process - this thread should be required reading! Having real experiences from people who've successfully navigated Amazon Flex + EDD for months gives so much more confidence than trying to figure it out alone. The consistency in everyone's approaches shows there's definitely a proven way to handle this correctly. Thanks to this community for turning what felt like an impossible situation into a manageable process with clear steps!

I'm new to this community but wanted to add my experience since I just went through the Amazon Flex + EDD setup process last month. Everything everyone has shared here is spot on! One small tip that helped me a lot - I created a simple recurring reminder on my phone for every Saturday night to screenshot my weekly Amazon Flex earnings and add up my totals for that certification period. This way I never have to scramble on certification day trying to remember what I earned when. Also, for anyone still worried about the "work availability" question - I had the exact same fear about EDD thinking I was refusing work. But after successfully certifying for 6 weeks now, I can confirm that reporting your actual gig earnings while actively job searching is exactly what they expect. The key really is showing you're treating Amazon Flex as temporary income, not your primary career path. This thread should honestly be pinned somewhere - it's the most comprehensive and practical guide I've seen for handling gig work during unemployment. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm currently dealing with EDD myself and have been dreading my upcoming interview. @Liam Mendez so glad yours went smoothly! The timing advice here is really valuable - I had no idea they could call up to an hour late. @Maya Patel thanks for mentioning Claimyr too, I'm definitely bookmarking that in case I need to call EDD directly. It's refreshing to see a success story among all the EDD horror stories online. Gives me hope that the system does actually work sometimes, even if it's not always on time!

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with EDD for the first time and have my interview scheduled for next Friday. Reading through everyone's experiences here has really eased my anxiety about the process. @Liam Mendez congratulations on your interview going so well! It's great to hear that even though they called late, everything worked out smoothly. The advice about keeping your phone available past the scheduled window and checking spam settings is really valuable. @Maya Patel thanks for the Claimyr recommendation too - I'm definitely saving that info just in case I need to contact EDD directly. It's refreshing to see actual success stories instead of just complaint threads. Really appreciate everyone sharing their real experiences!

Update for everyone following this thread: I just checked with EDD through my UI Online account, and holiday payment processing for Easter 2025 is following the normal schedule. If your certification is processed without issues: - Money Network card payments typically post Monday evening - Direct deposit payments typically post Tuesday morning to Wednesday (depending on your bank) If your payment shows "pending" for more than 72 hours after certification, that could indicate an eligibility issue that needs attention.

Glad to hear your payment status updated! For future reference, I've noticed that when you switch from Money Network to direct deposit, the first few payments can be unpredictable timing-wise while your bank gets used to the EDD deposits. After that initial adjustment period, it usually settles into a consistent pattern. I switched about 6 months ago and now my deposits hit like clockwork every Tuesday around 6 AM. The peace of mind is worth the slightly longer wait compared to Money Network!

I'm brand new to unemployment benefits (just filed my claim last week) and this entire thread has been incredibly educational! I certified for the first time yesterday evening and immediately panicked when I saw "pending" instead of "paid." I had no idea that overnight batch processing was just how EDD's system works - I thought pending meant there was an issue with my certification or that I'd answered something incorrectly. The timeline breakdown that everyone has shared (pending at midnight → batch processing 2-6am → paid by 8-9am → next weeks appear by Tuesday) is so valuable and really should be posted somewhere official on EDD's website. It's frustrating that newcomers have to learn these system quirks through community forums instead of clear communication from EDD themselves. I'm definitely taking notes on all the tips shared here - screenshotting the certification confirmation, setting up bank text alerts, bookmarking the payment history page, and most importantly, understanding that "pending" just means "received and queued for processing" rather than "there's a problem." Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially the other newcomers who went through the same midnight panic. This community is amazing for helping people navigate EDD's confusing system!

I'm so glad I found this thread! Just certified for my first time tonight around 11:30pm and immediately freaked out when I saw "pending" instead of "paid." I was about to spend all night refreshing the page and calling the EDD help line at 8am, but reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief. The timeline breakdown that multiple people shared is incredibly helpful - I had no idea that overnight batch processing was just how their system works. It makes so much sense now that "pending" just means "received and in the queue" rather than "something went wrong." I'm definitely taking all the advice here: screenshot my certification confirmation, set up bank text alerts, bookmark the payment history page, and most importantly, get some sleep instead of refreshing the page all night! It's honestly ridiculous that EDD doesn't explain any of this clearly on their website. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is a lifesaver for us newcomers trying to figure out all these quirky system timing issues!