If you can’t answer the security questions on your myEDD account, the way to reset your EDD password without security questions is to call EDD directly. A representative will verify your identity by other means and either reset the password on the spot or send reset instructions to the email on your account.1Employment Development Department. Forgot Password and Security Questions
The self-service “Forgot Password” flow on myEDD always routes through the security questions you set up at registration. If you never set them, don’t remember the answers, or the system rejects answers you’re sure are correct, the online reset has no other path forward. EDD’s own guidance in that situation is to contact them.1Employment Development Department. Forgot Password and Security Questions
Call the Number That Matches Your Program
EDD runs separate customer service lines for its benefit programs, and they generally don’t transfer callers between them. Pick the line that fits your account:
- Unemployment Insurance: 1-800-300-5616 for general password and account help.2Employment Development Department. Contact Information for Unemployment Insurance
- UI Online technical support: 1-833-978-2511, option 1, for account setup and login issues including forgotten security questions.3Employment Development Department. Apply and Manage Your Claim with UI Online
- Disability Insurance: 1-800-480-3287 for DI account access problems.1Employment Development Department. Forgot Password and Security Questions
All three lines run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific, closed on California state holidays.2Employment Development Department. Contact Information for Unemployment Insurance UI Online users also have a live chat through myEDD, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.3Employment Development Department. Apply and Manage Your Claim with UI Online
Monday mornings are the hardest to get through. Wait times ease by midweek. When you reach the automated menu, say you need a password reset and cannot answer your security questions.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
The representative has to confirm your identity through other information on your record. Have everything in front of you before dialing:
- Your full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and the mailing address on your EDD account.4Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefits Step 1: Get Your Information in Order
- Your EDD Customer Account Number, claim effective dates, and any correspondence reference numbers you have.
- A photo ID such as a California driver’s license, state ID, U.S. passport, or military ID. You won’t show it over the phone, but the document number can speed verification.5Employment Development Department. Identity Verification for Unemployment
Your name, date of birth, and Social Security number need to match the records held by the Social Security Administration and the DMV. If you recently changed your name and haven’t updated those agencies, verification can take longer or require extra documentation.5Employment Development Department. Identity Verification for Unemployment
What Happens After the Call
Once the representative processes the reset, EDD sends instructions or a temporary password to the email on your account. Check spam and junk if it doesn’t land in the inbox. If nothing arrives within 24 hours, email verificationsupport@edd.ca.gov.6Employment Development Department. Check Your Email – Verify Claim Information
Log in as soon as the email arrives. The system will walk you through creating a permanent password and setting up fresh security questions. Pick answers you’ll actually remember, or save them in a password manager. You’ll also be prompted to turn on multi-factor authentication, which sends a code to your phone or email at each login.7Employment Development Department. myEDD Registration and Login Guide Card
If You’ve Also Lost Access to the Email on File
The whole reset depends on EDD being able to reach you at the email address they have. If that inbox is deactivated or you’ve forgotten its password too, the email itself has to be updated before a password reset will do you any good.
Call the technical support line at 1-833-978-2511 and say you need both an email update and a password reset. If the first agent says they can’t change the email, ask for a Tier 2 specialist. Verification is stricter for contact-detail changes, so keep your photo ID information at hand.3Employment Development Department. Apply and Manage Your Claim with UI Online
A written fax request is a backup option. Include a copy of your photo ID, your Social Security number, current mailing address, current phone number, the new email address, and your EDD Customer Account Number on each page. Faxed requests take 7 to 10 business days, so calling is faster when your claim is time-sensitive.
If Your Account Locks Before You Can Call
After three failed login attempts, myEDD locks the account for 30 minutes. Close the browser and wait it out; continuing to try during the lockout can extend it.
A lockout is different from a security-question failure. Once the 30 minutes pass, you can log in again, but if the security questions still won’t accept your answers, the lockout timer starts over with each new round of tries. Stop attempting and call instead of burning through more cycles.
If Your Password Stopped Working Unexpectedly
If your password quit working without warning, or you received notice of changes you didn’t make, the account may have been accessed by someone else. Report it through Ask EDD under the “Report Fraud” category, fax a report to 1-866-340-5484, or call the EDD Fraud Hotline at 1-800-229-6297.8Employment Development Department. Identity Theft Handle the suspected fraud before you attempt a routine password reset; otherwise you may hand the account back to whoever took it.