DE 4581: Continued Claim Form (paper certification)

DE 4581 is the paper Continued Claim Form you use to certify for unemployment benefits every two weeks. You answer eligibility questions, report any work and earnings, and sign under penalty of perjury. EDD mails it; most people certify online instead.

Last checked: October 18, 2026 · Form revision: Sample DE 4581CTO Rev. 6 (5-04)

Who uses it: Claimants who certify by mail instead of UI Online or the Tele-Cert phone line. If question 3 is marked with an X, a work search is required and the form carries the work-search record.
When you get or need it: EDD mails it. The first form arrives within about 10 days of EDD processing your application, then a new one after each certification. The version on EDD's website is a sample (DE 4581CTO) and cannot be printed and mailed.
How to submit it: Sign it and mail it. EDD's alternatives are UI Online in myEDD (the fastest) and EDD Tele-Cert by phone at 1-866-333-4606 (English and Spanish). The mailing address is printed on the form EDD sends.
Deadline: Certify every two weeks. Submit within 14 days of the “Complete and Mail This Form On” date printed above Question 1; mailing earlier may delay payment. Late certification can lead to a phone interview or a denial.

Open on the EDD site Official PDF

What each part means

Labels are quoted from the form; the explanation is EDD's own meaning in plain words, not advice on how to answer.

First Week / 2nd Week begins and ends: The two weeks you are certifying, each running Sunday to Saturday.
Complete and mail this form on: The date printed above Question 1. Mail it no earlier than this date and within 14 days of it.
1. Were you too sick or injured to work?: Answer yes or no for each week. If yes, enter the number of days (1–7) you could not work.
2. Reason (other than sickness or injury) you could not have accepted full-time work each workday?: Yes or no for each week. Covers anything other than sickness or injury that made you unavailable for full-time work.
3. Did you look for work?: Yes or no. If the box is marked with an X, you must complete the Work-Search Record on the back of the form.
4. Did you refuse any work?: Yes or no for each week.
5. Did you begin attending any kind of school or training?: Yes or no for each week.
6. Did you work or earn any money, whether you were paid or not?: If yes, enter earnings before deductions (6a) and the employer or source of the earnings (6b).
7. Federal income tax withheld: Mark the box if you want federal income tax withheld for the weeks shown.
8. Change of mailing address or phone: Mark the box and complete Section D on the back.
Certification and signature: You declare under penalty of perjury that your answers are true and that you are a citizen, national or work-authorized immigrant. Sign after the last date you are claiming.
Sections A–D on the back: A shows how to mark the form so the optical reader can read it; B is the Work-Search Record (date, company, person contacted, work applied for, result); C is for EDD-approved training only; D is a new mailing address and phone.

What EDD warns about

The question wording above comes from the sample on EDD's site (DE 4581CTO, printed 2004). EDD has since reworded its online questions, so see the certification-questions page for today's wording.

Sources

Last checked: October 18, 2026. Legal information from the agency's own materials, not legal advice. Rules and forms change: confirm with EDD before you rely on a detail. We are not the EDD or the State of California. We never ask for your EDD login, Social Security number or any claim details.