I just applied for CA EDD UI as an Indie Contractor - easy peasy!

[stopbush]

Great news for those of us who earn our living in the gig economy, as indie contractors, 1099 workers, etc. CA has added a new avenue to apply for UI benefits as part of the Pandemic Unemployment Insurance part of the CARES Act. The right questions are asked, there aren’t many of them, and it worked great. I signed on with no delay and was done in about 10 minutes.

See here for details:

https://edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019/pandemic-unemployment-assistance.htm

[BamaRefugee]

1. Finally! Been waiting for this for 45 days. I haven't done 2019 taxes yet (CPA is quarantined) so

what do you have to provide as proof of income? I'm a sole proprietor/indie contractor with income from several different clients, and I work 7 days a week at all kinds of odd hours, which there's no way for me to reconstruct over the course of an entire year, so what kind of documentation are they demanding?

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[stopbush]

3. No proof of income required. You simply state what you made in 2019.

Didn’t even need to identify who paid me.

There’s a dropdown menu where you pick a Covid-related reason for being unemployed. Also, average number of hours worked per week. Much less exacting than filing off a W2.

They ask for your SS#, so they could always check income with the IRS.

[dhill926]

2. thx for this...bookmarking...

[stopbush]

4. Nice that CA is on this quickly, considering everything.

[stopbush]

5. Tip: read the instructions at the top of each page carefully before filling in info.

You’ll get to one page where you need to check a radio button on whether or not you worked in 2019. You need to check the “No” button to be taken to the Indie contractor/1099 etc-specific pages. Apparently, in the CA EDD system you only worked if you have W2s to show for it. There’s nothing in the pages you’re filling out to indicate you’re registering as an indie until you get past that page.

This is very important!

[dickthegrouch]

6. Great for you

My partner had his name transcribed incorrectly from the application form to the claim system on April 1st and we haven’t been able to correct it yet. Impossible to talk to them and the 5-7 day turnaround on the website email is just as much vapor as any other promise from the government recently.

[Shanti Mama]

7. Maryland is trying, but

I have tried repeatedly, getting in the digital queue at spots >100,000! Then I miss my turn. I'll keep at it.
What a fricking mess!