California disability benefits replace part of your paycheck when a non-work illness, injury, pregnancy, or other medical condition keeps you from doing your job. The program is State Disability Insurance (SDI), run by the Employment Development Department (EDD) and funded by the “CASDI” line already coming out of most W-2 paychecks. For 2026, eligible workers receive between 70 and 90 percent of their recent wages, up to $1,765 per week, for as long as 52 weeks.1Employment Development Department. Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts
Who Qualifies
Two tests have to be met: a medical one and a wage one.
Medically, a licensed physician or authorized practitioner must certify that your condition prevents you from performing your regular work. The condition cannot be work-related, because job injuries fall under workers’ compensation instead. Pregnancy and childbirth-related disabilities do qualify.2Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefits
Financially, you must have earned at least $300 in wages that had SDI deducted during your base period, a 12-month window roughly 5 to 18 months before your claim start date.3Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance – Eligibility FAQs You also need to have been working or actively looking for work when the disability began.4Employment Development Department. Am I Eligible for Disability Insurance Benefits?
Immigration status does not affect eligibility. Undocumented workers who had SDI deducted can file, and the EDD keeps applicant information confidential. Without a Social Security number, you file on paper, leave the SSN field blank, and attach a letter explaining the situation along with proof of wages such as pay stubs, W-2s, or cash payment records.5Employment Development Department. Benefits and Resources for Undocumented Workers
Two coverage situations are worth knowing before you file. If your employer uses a state-approved Voluntary Plan instead of standard SDI, you file through the employer rather than the EDD; you can also decline the Voluntary Plan and keep standard SDI.6Employment Development Department. Become a Voluntary Plan Employer If you are self-employed, freelance, or an independent contractor, you are not automatically covered and must have opted in beforehand through the Disability Insurance Elective Coverage program.7Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (DIEC)
How Much You Get and For How Long
Your weekly benefit is based on the highest-paid quarter of your base period. Under changes from Senate Bill 951 that took full effect in 2025, lower-income workers receive 90 percent of their weekly wages and higher earners receive 70 percent, with a cap of $1,765 per week and a floor of $50.8Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts
Workers whose highest quarter falls roughly between $722.50 and about $16,280 land in the 90-percent tier. Those with quarterly earnings above approximately $20,931 get 70 percent.8Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts
Every claim has a seven-day non-payable waiting period, so you receive nothing for the first week. After that, benefits can run up to 52 weeks for a single disability. If you recover and go back to work sooner, payments stop then.8Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts
You are not required to burn through vacation, PTO, or sick leave before or during an SDI claim. An employer may ask, but California law does not force it.9Employment Development Department. Employer Eligibility and Benefits FAQs
How to File a Claim
Wait at least nine days after your disability begins, then file within 49 days of the disability start date. Your doctor’s medical certification also has to be in within that same 49-day window.10Employment Development Department. How to File a Disability Insurance Claim in SDI Online Missing that deadline is one of the most common reasons claims get denied. Put the date on your calendar.
The application is Form DE 2501, in two parts. Part A is yours: personal information, Social Security number, last employer, the date you stopped working, the nature of your disability, and any other income you are receiving. Part B is the medical certification, completed and signed by your physician or practitioner.11Employment Development Department. Claim for Disability Insurance Benefits DE 2501 Both parts must reach the EDD for the claim to be complete.
Filing Online
Most people use SDI Online, which is faster. You first create a myEDD account and verify your identity through ID.me. After that, you can file and manage your claim at any hour.12Employment Development Department. SDI Online Your doctor can submit Part B through the same system.
Filing by Mail
If you prefer paper, or cannot use SDI Online because you do not have a Social Security number, mail the completed DE 2501 to the address printed on the form. A trackable mailing service is worth the small extra cost. Once the EDD has a complete claim, processing a new application takes about two weeks.13Employment Development Department. Receive Your First Payment
The EDD may ask you to see an independent medical examiner for a second opinion. That exam does not replace your doctor’s certification; it gives the EDD more information to confirm the claim.14Employment Development Department. Independent Medical Examiners Panel Participation
SDI Does Not Protect Your Job
This catches people off guard. SDI replaces wages. It does not, by itself, stop your employer from eliminating your position or replacing you. Job protection comes from separate laws: the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA).15Employment Development Department. Family and Medical Leave Act and California Family Rights Act FAQs
CFRA generally covers employers with five or more employees, FMLA those with 50 or more. If you qualify, your employer may require FMLA or CFRA leave to run at the same time as your SDI, which protects your position for the duration of that covered leave, typically up to 12 weeks. SDI pays you; FMLA and CFRA hold your job. They run in parallel and are legally independent.15Employment Development Department. Family and Medical Leave Act and California Family Rights Act FAQs
Taxes on SDI
In most cases SDI benefits are not taxable at either the state or federal level. California does not tax them. The one exception is for people who were collecting unemployment benefits and then became disabled; those SDI payments are treated as a substitute for unemployment and are taxable on your federal return, though still exempt from California tax.16Employment Development Department. Form 1099G FAQs If any portion is taxable, the EDD will tell you with your first payment and send a Form 1099-G at tax time.17Franchise Tax Board. Special Circumstances
Moving From SDI to Paid Family Leave
If you are collecting SDI for pregnancy or childbirth and want time to bond with your new child, you can transition to California’s Paid Family Leave program. After your final SDI payment, the EDD sends Form DE 2501FP, either by mail or to your SDI Online inbox depending on how you filed. Complete and return it to start PFL without a gap.18Employment Development Department. Transitioning From Disability Insurance to Paid Family Leave
PFL uses the same wage-replacement formula as SDI, so your weekly amount should be similar. Returning the form promptly is where many people lose money, simply because they did not realize the option existed.
If Your Claim Is Denied
A denial comes with a written notice explaining why. You have 30 days from the date on that notice to file an appeal, electronically or in writing.19Employment Development Department. State Disability Insurance Appeals If the EDD cannot resolve the dispute internally, the appeal goes to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, where an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) holds a hearing. You can present evidence, bring witnesses, and correct any medical or employment facts the EDD got wrong. The ALJ issues a written decision.
If the ALJ rules against you, you have another 30 days to file a Board Appeal, which sends the case to the full Appeals Board. File through the CUIAB myAppeal portal or mail a written letter to the office listed on the ALJ’s decision. The Board reviews the record and issues its own ruling.20California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Appeal Process
If the Board also rules against you, the last step is a Writ of Mandate filed with your county Superior Court. That moves the case out of the administrative system and into court, and most people bring in an attorney at that point.21California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Who is CUIAB?