California EDD disability benefits replace a portion of your paycheck when a non-work-related illness, injury, pregnancy, or other medical condition keeps you off the job for more than a week. The program, called State Disability Insurance (SDI), is run by the Employment Development Department and pays between $50 and $1,765 per week for up to 52 weeks.1California EDD. Disability Insurance It is funded entirely by employee payroll deductions labeled “CASDI” on your pay stub, so if you have been working in California, you have already paid for it.
Who Qualifies
Eligibility is broader than most people assume. There is no minimum number of hours or days you need to have worked, and part-time, intermittent, and reduced-schedule employees can all qualify. To be eligible, you must:2California EDD. Am I Eligible for DI Benefits
- Be unable to do your regular work for at least eight consecutive days because of the medical condition.
- Be losing wages because of the disability.
- Have been employed or actively looking for work when the disability began.
- Have earned at least $300 in wages subject to SDI deductions during your base period, which is the 12 months running roughly 5 to 18 months before your claim start date.
- Get a licensed health professional to certify your disability within the first eight days. Physicians, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, and midwives can all certify.
Citizenship and immigration status do not affect eligibility. If you believe you have been misclassified as an independent contractor, the EDD encourages you to file anyway so it can make its own determination.2California EDD. Am I Eligible for DI Benefits
How Much You Will Receive
Your weekly benefit is based on your highest-earning quarter during the base period. The EDD uses a sliding scale, so lower-wage workers get a higher replacement rate.3California EDD. Calculating DI Benefit Payment Amounts
- Highest-quarter earnings under $300: not eligible.
- $300 to $722.49: a flat $50 per week.
- $722.50 to $16,279.90: 90% of your weekly wages.
- $16,279.91 to $20,931.30: a flat $1,127 per week.
- $20,931.31 or more: 70% of your weekly wages, up to the $1,765 cap.
Nobody receives more than $1,765 per week. Over the full 52-week maximum, that works out to a cap of $91,780.4California EDD. Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts How long you actually collect depends on your doctor’s certification of how long you cannot work, not on an automatic right to the full year.
When and How to File
File no earlier than nine days and no later than 49 days after your disability begins. Filing too early can cause delays or disqualification; filing late can cost you benefits.5California EDD. DI Claim Process Your doctor’s medical certification has to be submitted within the same 49-day window.
Online Through SDI Online
The EDD prefers that you file through its SDI Online portal, reached by setting up a myEDD account. You will need:6California EDD. How to File a DI Claim in SDI Online
- A valid California driver’s license or ID card.
- Your Social Security number.
- Your current employer’s information.
- Your last day of work and details about any wages or workers’ compensation you are receiving.
After identity verification through ID.me, you fill out Part A (the Claimant’s Statement). The system gives you a receipt number. You pass that number to your doctor, who uses it to submit the medical certification electronically.
By Mail
Paper filing uses form DE 2501. This route is intended for people who do not have a valid California driver’s license or ID, do not have a Social Security number, or run into technical problems online.7California EDD. How to File a DI Claim by Mail
What Happens After You File
Every claim has an unpaid seven-day waiting period. The eighth day of your disability is the first day benefits can be paid. Once the EDD has both your application and the medical certification, it typically contacts you within 14 days.5California EDD. DI Claim Process The EDD will notify your employer that you have filed, but your specific medical information stays confidential.
You can track a claim at any hour by logging into myEDD and opening SDI Online. A status indicator appears next to your Claim ID, and the Claim Summary tells you where things stand and whether something is missing, such as the medical certification or a missing signature on a paper form. The portal also lets you view payment history, submit forms, and update your address.8California EDD. It’s Now Easier to Check Your Disability or Paid Family Leave Claim Status
If Your Claim Is Denied
A denial comes in a Notice of Determination (form DE 2517). You have 30 calendar days from the date on that notice to appeal, using the Appeal Form (DE 1000A), either online or by mail.9California EDD. Appeals A late appeal may still be accepted if you can show good cause for the delay.
If the EDD cannot resolve the dispute internally, your appeal goes to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. An Administrative Law Judge holds a hearing, takes evidence from you and from an SDI representative, and issues a written decision. If you lose there, a second-level Board Appeal is available, again within 30 days. The final step is a petition for a writ of mandate in county Superior Court, which must be filed within six months of the Board’s final decision.10CUIAB. Appeal Info In some situations the EDD will issue a notice (DE 6315D) authorizing continued payments while an appeal is pending.11California EDD. Disability Insurance Provisions
What SDI Does Not Do
SDI replaces wages. It does not protect your job. The program sends your employer a notice that you have filed, but nothing in SDI requires the employer to hold your position open. Job protection during medical leave comes from other laws, mainly the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (which generally applies to employers with 50 or more employees) and the California Family Rights Act. Before you file, check whether you qualify for protected leave under one of those statutes.1California EDD. Disability Insurance
SDI also does not cover job-related injuries. Those fall under workers’ compensation. You can still turn to SDI in limited situations tied to a workers’ compensation case: if the carrier denies or delays your benefits, if the workers’ compensation weekly payment is less than your SDI amount (SDI can pay the difference), or if workers’ compensation is covering only your medical costs and not lost wages.12California EDD. FAQ DI Workers Compensation If the EDD pays you while your workers’ compensation case is pending, it will file a lien to recover those payments when the case settles.13California EDD. Employer Workers Compensation
Paid Family Leave Is a Separate Benefit
Paid Family Leave sits inside the same SDI program but pays for a different reason. Where disability insurance covers your own medical condition, PFL covers time off to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or help with a family member’s military deployment to a foreign country.14California EDD. Paid Family Leave The weekly amounts are the same ($50 to $1,765), but PFL lasts up to eight weeks rather than 52.
A birth mother can move directly from a pregnancy-recovery disability claim into PFL bonding benefits, which effectively extends her total paid leave. As of January 1, 2025, employers can no longer require you to use up to two weeks of accrued vacation before PFL benefits begin, a change made by Assembly Bill 2123.15SHRM. California Eliminates Employers’ Ability to Require Vacation Use Like disability insurance, PFL on its own does not protect your job.
How to Reach the EDD
SDI phone lines are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, and closed on state holidays:16California EDD. Contact SDI
- Disability Insurance (English): 1-800-480-3287
- Disability Insurance (Spanish): 1-866-658-8846
- Paid Family Leave (English): 1-877-238-4373
- Paid Family Leave (Spanish): 1-877-379-3819
- TTY for Disability Insurance: 1-800-563-2441
- Employers and health professionals: 1-855-342-3645
SDI offices operate in 16 California cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, and Fresno. Call ahead before you visit, since staff are not always physically on site.17California EDD. Office Locator