California Employment Development Department (EDD) Customer Service

There are a number of reasons you might call the California Employment Development Department’s (EDD) service line. Primarily, the office handles unemployment insurance claims for California residents. You may be seeking information about how to file a claim, an update about the status of their claim, or even details on how to access their unemployment insurance payments.

When I dialed the EDD's number, I was greeted with a pre-recorded message providing instructions for resolving several common customer issues. The majority of these instructions encouraged me to visit the EDD website. The message offers solutions for filing an initial claim, instructions for how to find the closest physical EDD office, and information about how long it typically takes to process a claim and receive payment.

This initial, pre-recorded message lasts for nearly two minutes. There's no way to skip or fast-forward through the message, so even if you’ve heard it previously, you’ll need to listen to the entire thing every time you call.

Following the message, I was granted access to the system’s automated menu. This menu provides options for individuals with questions about unemployment insurance, employers with queries about unemployment insurance, and people who want to report fraudulent activity. 

Individuals calling with questions about unemployment insurance can next access a menu that allows you to “certify” your unemployment claim. This is a helpful service; California residents who are approved to receive unemployment insurance must certify their claims every two weeks. Provided that you have all of the required information handy, being able to do so via phone could be quite convenient.  

I didn't find the automated menu to be particularly flexible, however. If a caller wants to accomplish something other than certifying a claim or has a question that isn't answered by the pre-recorded message, it can be difficult to get connected to a human customer service representative.

When I called, I navigated through the system to ask a question about my potential eligibility for unemployment insurance. After making it through the initial message and the automated menu, I was instructed to enter my social security number. I then had to respond to a series of questions that likely wouldn’t apply to most callers’ situations, such as whether any part of my earnings had come from another state or whether I worked for the federal government. 

I was then instructed to stay on the line if I wanted to speak with a customer service representative. After a brief hold, another recorded message informed me that the EDD was receiving more calls than they could answer and couldn't assist me at this time. I was asked to “please try again later,” and then the system automatically ended the call. 

Although I called back several times, I was never connected to a live customer service agent. Ultimately, while the EDD’s phone system provides good information and referrals to specific areas of its website, it's very challenging to speak with a live representative.