Getting Faster Updates About Your Unemployment Claim

Published: April 21, 2026

We’re making it faster and easier for you to stay on top of your unemployment claim and avoid surprises. Now, you may receive text messages, emails, or notifications in myEDD whenever there’s an important update about your claim.

These updates are designed to give you earlier awareness of critical decisions, like:

• A disqualification or reduction in benefits.
• An overpayment or notice of determination on your eligibility for benefits.

About the Alerts

They are early notifications, not the official notice. The full details are still sent by mail.

Not everyone will receive every alert. It depends on whether you have a myEDD account, a valid email address, or a phone number eligible for a text message (SMS). If you qualify, you might get an SMS, email, or notification in myEDD when a reduction in benefits or disqualification determination or overpayment is issued for your claim.

These messages are meant to give you a heads-up, so you know what’s coming in the mail. Then, you can review your notice quickly when it gets to you and avoid delays in any required response.

 

Keep Your Contact Information Current

Sometimes, overpayments or decisions from past claims can go unnoticed because mailing addresses are outdated. These proactive alerts, along with our new messaging reminders, help make sure you’re getting important updates in time and keep conversations with our staff focused on next steps.

We ask you to make sure your mailing address and contact info are up to date in myEDD.

Our goal is simple: help you get important updates faster, reduce confusion, and make it easier to stay informed about your claim.

Committed to Fighting Fraud

All EDD text alerts come from 510-74 or 918-06 to the phone number you provided on your unemployment claim. This service cannot receive replies, so don’t respond to those messages. If you need help with your claim or technical support, contact us.

We take fraud seriously and work every day to protect your information. Scammers may try to use your personal information to apply for benefits or contact you by phone, email, or text. We understand this can be stressful, and we want to give you peace of mind.

Visit Our Response to Fraud to learn more, review helpful tips, and see how we will (or won’t) try to reach you. If something feels off, report it to us right away. We’ll guide you on what to do next. 

This is just one of the ways we are providing better service while also blocking fraud, including:

• Hiring Fraud Special Counsel McGregor Scott to hold COVID-19 fraudsters accountable.
• Launching over 2,300 investigations, nearly 1,000 arrests, 670 convictions, and the recovery of nearly $6 billion.
• Blocking $125 billion in identity-related fraud during the pandemic.
• Working with ID.me, Socure, Accenture, and Thomson Reuters to use advanced data analysis and fraud fighting techniques to protect our benefit programs and our customers.
• Adding chip-enabled Money Network debit cards for added security.
• Implementing 100 percent of the California State Auditor’s fraud fighting recommendations and much more.

We continue to modernize responsibly, using secure tools with strong human oversight. At EDD, we are committed to protecting public funds, safeguarding your information, and ensuring eligible Californians receive benefits accurately and quickly.