California calculates SDI by looking at your wages during a 12-month base period, picking the quarter you earned the most, dividing that figure by 13 to get a weekly wage, and paying you 70 to 90 percent of it depending on your income level. For claims starting in 2026, the weekly benefit is capped at $1,765.1Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts Lower earners get the higher replacement rate; higher earners get the lower rate but a larger dollar figure.
Your Base Period
The base period is 12 months of past wages the Employment Development Department uses to size your benefit. It covers the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim starts, so it skips the most recent quarter and reaches back another year from there. The gap gives employers time to report wages to the state.
Which months count depends on when your disability begins:
- Claim starts January, February, or March: base period runs October through September of the prior year.
- Claim starts April, May, or June: base period runs January through December of the prior year.
- Claim starts July, August, or September: base period runs April of the prior year through March of the current year.
- Claim starts October, November, or December: base period runs July of the prior year through June of the current year.
If your earnings during that standard window are too low to qualify but you’ve earned enough in more recent months, the EDD may use an alternate base period covering the four most recently completed quarters instead.
Your Highest Quarter and Weekly Wage
Once the base period is set, the EDD identifies the single calendar quarter within it where you earned the most. That number drives everything else. It includes all gross wages: regular pay, overtime, bonuses, commissions, tips, and the cash value of any non-monetary compensation like meals or lodging.
Divide that highest-quarter total by 13 (the weeks in a quarter) and you get your weekly wage. A highest quarter of $10,400 produces a weekly wage of $800. Seasonal earnings, year-end bonuses, or an overtime-heavy stretch can lift this number substantially.
The Tier Formula for 2026 Claims
California uses a tiered replacement rate that pays a higher percentage to lower earners. Senate Bill 951 raised the top and bottom rates from 60–70 percent to 70–90 percent starting in 2025.2Employment Development Department. California Boosts Paid Family Leave and Disability Benefits to Record Levels for New Claims Filed in 2025 For claims starting on or after January 1, 2026, the tiers are:1Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts
- Under $300 in the highest quarter: no benefits.
- $300 to $722.49: a flat $50 per week.
- $722.50 to $16,279.90: 90 percent of your weekly wage.
- $16,279.91 to $20,931.30: a flat $1,127 per week.
- $20,931.31 or more: 70 percent of your weekly wage, up to $1,765.
The flat $1,127 tier bridges the two formulas. At the top of the 90-percent range, the math already produces about $1,127, and the 70-percent formula doesn’t catch up until quarterly earnings clear roughly $20,931. The flat amount holds your benefit steady through that gap.
The $1,765 ceiling kicks in when your highest quarter reaches about $32,778. Anything you earned above that produces the same $1,765 check. Over a full 52-week claim, the maximum total benefit in 2026 is $91,780.3Employment Development Department. Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts
A Worked Example
Say your claim starts in February 2026 and your highest-quarter earnings were $13,000. Divide by 13 for a weekly wage of $1,000. That quarterly figure sits in the 90-percent tier, so your weekly benefit is $900.
Change the highest quarter to $26,000. Your weekly wage becomes $2,000. That quarterly figure falls into the 70-percent tier, so your weekly benefit is $1,400, still under the $1,765 cap.
The Minimum to Qualify
You need at least $300 in wages with SDI deductions during the base period to qualify at all.1Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts Below that, the claim is denied regardless of how the tiers would otherwise apply.
How Long Benefits Last
SDI pays for up to 52 weeks per claim.1Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts Before payments start, you serve a seven-day unpaid waiting period beginning on the first day of your disability.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 22, 2627(b)-1 – Waiting Period You can use accrued vacation, sick leave, or other paid time off during those seven days, or take them unpaid.
Deadlines That Can Cost You the Benefit
File your claim at least nine days after your disability starts, but no later than 49 days after that start date.5Employment Development Department. How to File a Disability Insurance Claim in SDI Online Your medical provider’s signed certification has to come in within that same 49-day window. Miss either deadline and you can be disqualified from the program.
The Same Formula Applies to Paid Family Leave
The base period, highest-quarter, and tier calculation described above also determine your weekly amount if you claim Paid Family Leave to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill relative.3Employment Development Department. Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts The duration is different: PFL pays for up to eight weeks per claim, not 52.