California Unemployment Insurance

California Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary financial assistance to workers unemployed through no fault of their own.

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

1. have lost a job through no fault of your own;
2. are unemployed or partially unemployed for reasons permissible under federal law;
3. are “able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work;” and
4. have earned at least a certain amount of money during a “base period” prior to becoming unemployed. In most states, this is usually the first 4 out of the last 5 completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.

According to the California Employment Development Department,¹ to be eligible for unemployment benefits you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’ and must have:

1. at least $1,300 during the highest paid quarter of the base period or
2. a minimum of $900 in your highest quarter and earned total base period earnings of at least 1.25 times the high quarter earnings.

For example, if your highest paid quarter was $4,000, your total base-period wages must be at least $5,000 ($4,000 x 1.25) to qualify.

How many weeks can I be on unemployment in California?

In California, the maximum duration for which you can collect unemployment benefits is 26 weeks in a standard benefit year, unless otherwise extended during periods of high unemployment.

How much is unemployment insurance in California?

How much is unemployment per week in CA largely depends on the wages you earned in the base period of your claim, which can range from $40 to $450 per week.

How do I claim my weeks for unemployment in California?

You can apply for UI or reopen a UI claim online using UI Online  or if you wish to file your claim over the phone, please call UI Self-Service Phone Line at (866) 333-4606.

Starting July 11, 2021, if you are on unemployment, you are expected to search for work to maintain your eligibility for benefits.

California Employment Development Department
Unemployment Customer Service
(800) 300-5616

California Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA)

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) provides temporary financial aid to workers who lost their jobs or had work interrupted due to a major disaster.

DUA is available to those who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance, including self-employed, farmers, and those who have lost their source of income due to the disaster.

While the 2025 DUA window in California has passed, new incidents may qualify for fresh DUA assistance if they are declared major disasters.

To see if a new disaster in your specific county has made DUA available again, you should check the EDD Disaster-Related Services  for the most current information.

California Employment Development Department
Disaster Unemployment Assistance
(833) 998-2284