California Employment Development Department (EDD) Director's Office Phone Number

Q:How do I talk to a human at this number?
A:Press 0
Q:Is this phone number operational 24 / 7?
A:Not at this number; hours here are Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PST. The least busy day is Monday, and the most busy day is Wednesday. See below for more and to learn where this data comes from.
Q:How long will I have to wait on hold?
A:The average hold time is 7 minutes. The longest hold times are on Monday, and the shortest are on Tuesday.
This is the #4 most popular California Employment Development Department (EDD) phone number out of 7. Click below to go back to the main customer service number and other contact information:
California Employment Development Department (EDD)'s main customer service phone number

More California Employment Development Department (EDD) Customer Phone Numbers

800-300-5616 - Claims Department
Main phone number · Toll-free · Press 1, then 6, then 7, then 3, then your SS#, then 1 if your SS# is correct · Debit card info - Call B of A at 1-866-692-9374. Claim status, file a claim, certify for benefits, or need 1099G info, press 1. Employers, press 2. Report fraud - Go online to the website.
More details
800-229-6297 - Fraud Detection
Toll-free · Direct to Fraud Department · Unemployment claims, press 1. Disability claim, press 2. Paid family leave claim, press 3. Reach the tax branch for tax-related questions, press 4. To report fraud, press 5.
More details
714-687-4400 - Corporate Offices
Calling this California Employment Development Department (EDD) number should go right to a real human being ·
More details
800-480-3287 - State Disability Insurance
Toll-free · For disability insurance · To report fraud, go online and file a report. Customer service, option 330. Benefit payments, press 1. Online filing, press 2. General disability payments, press 3. Voluntary plans, press 4. Electric coverage for business owners, press 5. Paid family leave, call 1-877-238-4373. Unemployment, call 1-800-300-5616. Payroll taxes, call 1-888-745-3886. 1099G, call 1-866-333-4606.
More details
800-547-2058 - Vietnamese Customer Service
Toll-free · Once recording starts dial 6...wait for voice..7...wait for voice..3.. Enter Ssn# and press 1 and you WILL get through to an English rep. · This line is for Vietnamese speakers only.
More details
888-745-3886 - Payroll Taxes
Toll-free · Calling this California Employment Development Department (EDD) number should go right to a real human being · Cannot assist with unemployment questions, call - to file for benefits, call 800-480-3287
More details

How do I get through the phone menu to a real live person?

GetHuman researchers routinely call this California Employment Development Department (EDD) phone number to document the phone system.
Here is our latest tip for weaving through the phone menu to get to a real person the fastest: Press 0
Here is how our research team describes the way the California Employment Development Department (EDD) phone system greets you: Director's Office - This office does not have access to claimant or employment information. For unemployment assistance, press 1. Paid family leave assistance, press 2. State disability insurance, press 3. To reach an attendant, press 4.

What are the hours and when should I call?

California Employment Development Department (EDD) operates the call center for this 916-654-8210 phone number Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PT. The short answer is that you should call on a Monday. This observation and the following section are based on analysis of a sample set of 4,738 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).
An important note: busy times vs hold times vs best time to call
When we refer to busy or less busy times, we are talking about the volume of calls. The busiest times are when the most people are calling this California Employment Development Department (EDD) phone number (least busy times have fewer people calling). This high call volume does not necessarily mean that you will have a long hold time when you call. Companies like California Employment Development Department (EDD) staff their call centers differently based on the time of day and day of the week, so you may experience a shorter wait on hold at the busiest of times. When we refer to the best time to call, we are referring to the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.
The least busy time to call
The least busy day to call California Employment Development Department (EDD) is Monday. The most busy day to call is Wednesday. Again, this is based on a sample of 4,738 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone in the last 90 days.
The shortest wait on hold
We measured the shortest hold times to be on Tuesday. The longest wait in the queue on average occurs on Monday.
The best time to call
In summation, the best day to call California Employment Development Department (EDD) is Monday. This is not the day with the shortest wait on hold in the phone system, but we still recommend it for its ideal combination of low call volume and short hold times. Plus we believe that California Employment Development Department (EDD) staffs the call center well on Monday.

My Experience Calling California Employment Development Department (EDD) at this Number

Nov 7, 2023

This 916-654-8210 number seems to be meant for the director of the California Employment Development Department, not as a number for the public to reach a regular customer service representative.

When you call the number, the message you get explicitly warns you that the staff of the director's office does not have access to the information about your claim or anything about your benefits. If you need any of this information, the message tells you that you need to visit the website for specific information.

To its credit, the system does offer a way to connect to the actual unemployment office's number, although this appears to connect to either the 24-hour automated number or the main number.

When I dialed the number, I was given the choice of English or Spanish and moved to the automated system for filing an unemployment claim. The system told me that the website offers the fastest way to process an unemployment claim, but it said that I could continue to process my claim through the phone if I chose.

In order to do so, I would need to enter my Social Security number, as well as provide a few personal details to confirm that I was eligible to file an unemployment claim in California. If I couldn't provide all of those details, the system told me that I would have to call back another time and would need to do so before the end of the week in order to process my claim. As I did not have any of this information, I opted to end the call there.

Overall, calling this number seems to do nothing but add an unneeded step to reaching a customer service representative. Perhaps this number was once an effective way to reach a live voice, but that no longer seems to be the case.

If this number is the only one that a person can remember, it can work to get you to where you need to go. It might take longer than calling the newer numbers directly, but it can at least still direct you to the appropriate number and get you started on filing your claim.

However, there are faster ways for a client to get connected with someone and get the assistance they need. Either calling one of the main numbers or going online would both be more effective than using this number, which only takes you through an extra menu before helping you to the right one.

Because of the extra work involved, I would not recommend using this number for assistance, even if you have a bona fide unemployment claim.

Christian has been writing about long hold times and customer service call center experiences since 2010. He's been featured in Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Globe.
Back to California Employment Development Department (EDD)'s main customer service phone number
Was this page helpful?
Thank you and please share!
Thank you and please share!
Needs work
Sharing is what powers GetHuman's free customer service contact information and tools. You can help!
  1. California Employment Development Department (EDD) Customer Service Phone & Contact Info › 
  2. Director's Office