How EDD Improved Speed, Access, and Service for Californians

Published: December 17, 2025

In 2025, the Employment Development Department (EDD) continued our ongoing work to boost our level of service for unemployment. Through modernization, customer engagement, and technology improvements, we have achieved historically high levels of service, speed, and accessibility for customers.

We understand that every day matters when someone is out of work. Our goal is to make the EDD experience faster, clearer, and less stressful for every Californian.”

EDD Director, Nancy Farias

From applying for benefits to reporting wages, verifying identity, and receiving payments, the unemployment experience today is smoother and more responsive than ever. We understand that losing a job is stressful and there is always more that EDD can do to continue to improve services for our customers. We’re pleased to share major investments that are making a meaningful difference.

More Ways to Talk to EDD, In English and Many Languages

California’s workforce is diverse, and meaningful service starts with accessibility. In May 2025, we upgraded our virtual assistant (chatbot) to support the top eight languages spoken by working-age adults: English, Spanish, Armenian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Available 24/7 on any EDD webpage, the chatbot helps customers:

• Understand benefits and manage claims.
• Find jobs, training, and workshops.
• Access payroll tax and business resources.

Customer Service Beyond the Phone

Our customers asked for a way to chat online rather than by phone and we delivered. Live-agent chat launched in July 2025 allowing real-time assistance online. Since then, over 80% of customers resolved issues during a chat. We’ve served nearly 30,000 additional customers through live agents online this year. These investments build on the many other customer service options we launched for our customers: 

• Online self-service in the myEDD benefit portal such as getting claim status — one of the most common reasons people contact us.
• Secure online messaging.
• Text messaging updates on claim status.
• Multilingual service, including translated vital forms, no-cost language interpreters, and eight dedicated, in-language phone lines.

Simpler Applications for Faster Support

We listened to our customers and delivered a shorter, easy-to-understand online unemployment application. In October 2024, we launched a shorter, more intuitive online application after over 4,500 hours of research with our customers.

Application improvements include:

• Plain-language instructions that make the application easier to complete.
• Clearer questions reflecting real work situations.
• Dropdowns replacing long write-in fields to improve speed and accuracy when applying for benefits.
• Mobile-optimized design for easier use on phones and tablets.

These updates reduce errors, limit follow-up requests, and help us process claims and pay benefits faster. Translations are available in all eight major languages. These changes have made it 14% faster for customers to complete the application.

Customer feedback from more than 23,000 surveys shows the new application is a hit. Over 78% of our customers say they had a good experience with the new application because it helps explain what information is needed, feels quicker and smoother, and has mobile support.

These enhancements follow earlier improvements to expand customer-facing systems to better serve federal, military, and out-of-state California workers who apply online for unemployment benefits.

Faster Decisions, Quicker Payments

For more complex claims requiring additional information, we’ve made it faster for our customers to respond to requests for eligibility information online and upload documents, instead of waiting for a phone interview or filling out paper forms.

In 2023, we first launched an online Eligibility Questionnaire so our customers can quickly and conveniently respond online when we need more information.

To date, unemployment customers have responded to more than 344,000 eligibility cases in the online system. On average, those online customers saw their eligibility issues resolved in less than six days. When compared to a phone interview process that often took many weeks, this is a significant customer experience improvement!

Accurate Wage Reporting Made Easy

Reporting wages correctly is critical for timely benefits and incorrect wage reports are one of the most common reasons that applications get delayed or denied. The leading cause of improper payments is related to workers failing to report or underreporting their wages. In October 2025, we launched the Weekly Wage Reporting Tool, which has helped more than 13% of our customers complete more than 191,000 certifications with more accurate wage reports. This means fewer reporting errors or overpayments, and faster payments.

This new wage reporting tool helps our customers get it right the first time, so they get paid faster.

Unemployment Insurance Branch Deputy Director, Todd Swenson

Faster, Secure Identity Verification

In August 2025, we expanded our tools for identity verification directly in the myEDD portal. Most users are verified automatically. A few are guided through ID.me or manually reviewed. For most users, the process is seamless, fast, and automatic — without having to upload documents. This system helps prevent fraud and reduces application delays.

Better Password Reset

We improved our password reset to use ZIP Code, rather than a customer’s last claim data — a common source of frustration for our customers that we fixed.

Impact: We’ve seen a 58% drop in calls to get help with resetting a password in the three weeks since this enhancement launched, in comparison to the same weeks in 2024. On average, that’s 900 fewer calls per week as more customers easily self-serve, allowing us more time to help customers over the phone when they need us most.

Better Document Processing

In August 2025, we launched a new Document Management System (DMS) for unemployment benefits. In its first month:

• Over 228,000 documents routed through the new system.
• 97% processed the same day.

Automation reduces manual review, accelerates payments, and lays the foundation for future expansion across our benefits programs and services.

Expanding Benefit Payment Options: Direct Deposit!

Our launch of a direct deposit option for benefit payments marked another major milestone in modernizing and streamlining the State's unemployment, disability, and Paid Family Leave programs. This enhancement reflects a commitment to enhancing efficiency and prioritizing convenience for Californians. Our customers can select from the options of direct deposit, prepaid debit card, or mailed checks for receiving benefits — depending on which option best meets their need.

Direct deposit is a safe, fast, and convenient way for payments to automatically go to a personal bank account. We recommend individuals with a bank account enroll in direct deposit.

Building a Stronger Foundation for the Future

The continued progress in 2025 reflects customer-centered design, modernization, and data-driven improvements. From simpler applications and accurate wage reporting to multilingual support, faster payments, and smarter automation, the unemployment experience is now faster, clearer, and more accessible than ever.

Every change we make is about reducing stress and helping eligible Californians get the benefits they need quickly.

Unemployment Insurance Branch Deputy, Director Todd Swenson

We remain committed to continuous improvement, meeting customers where they are — across languages, channels, and communities.