California EDD disability benefits replace part of your paycheck when a non-work-related illness, injury, pregnancy, or other medical condition keeps you off the job for at least eight days in a row. 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. It is funded entirely by employee payroll deductions labeled “CASDI” on your pay stub, and you file the claim yourself once your doctor confirms you cannot work.1California EDD. Disability Insurance
Who Qualifies
Eligibility is broader than most workers assume. There is no minimum number of hours or days you must have worked, so part-time, intermittent, and reduced-schedule employees can all qualify. You need to meet five conditions:2California EDD. Am I Eligible for DI Benefits
- A medical condition prevents you from doing your regular job for at least eight consecutive days.
- The disability causes actual wage loss.
- You were employed or actively looking for work when the disability began.
- You earned at least $300 in wages with SDI deductions during your base period (roughly the 12 months running 5 to 18 months before your claim start date).
- A licensed health professional (physician, chiropractor, nurse practitioner, midwife, or similar provider) certifies your disability within the first eight days.
Citizenship and immigration status do not affect eligibility. If you think you have been misclassified as an independent contractor, the EDD encourages you to file anyway so the department can make its own determination.
How Much You’ll Receive
Your weekly benefit is based on your earnings in the highest-paid quarter of your base period. Lower-wage workers get a higher replacement rate; higher earners get a lower one:3California EDD. Calculating DI Benefit Payment Amounts
- Highest-quarter earnings under $300: not eligible.
- $300 to $722.49: flat $50 per week.
- $722.50 to $16,279.90: 90% of weekly wages.
- $16,279.91 to $20,931.30: flat $1,127 per week.
- $20,931.31 or more: 70% of weekly wages, capped at $1,765.
Over a full 52-week claim, the maximum total payout is $91,780.4California EDD. Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts
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 too late can cost you benefits. Your doctor’s medical certification also has to be submitted within that same 49-day window.5California EDD. DI Claim Process
The EDD strongly recommends filing online through SDI Online, which you reach through a myEDD account. To use it you need a valid California driver’s license or ID, your Social Security number, your current employer’s information, and details about your last day of work and any wages or workers’ compensation payments you are receiving. After you create the myEDD account and verify your identity through ID.me, you submit Part A (the Claimant’s Statement) and then give a receipt number to your doctor, who uses it to file the medical certification electronically.6California EDD. How to File a DI Claim in SDI Online
If you don’t have a California driver’s license or ID, don’t have a Social Security number, or run into technical trouble online, you can file by mail using form DE 2501.7California EDD. How to File a DI Claim by Mail
What Happens After You File
Every claim carries an unpaid seven-day waiting period. Your first payable day is the eighth day of your disability. Once the EDD has both your application and the medical certification, the department usually contacts you within 14 days.5California EDD. DI Claim Process The EDD will let your employer know a claim has been filed, but your medical information stays confidential.
You can track a pending or active claim any time by signing into myEDD and opening SDI Online. A status indicator sits next to your Claim ID, and opening it brings up a Claim Summary that tells you where the claim stands and whether anything is missing, such as the medical certification or a signature on a paper form.8California EDD. It’s Now Easier to Check Your Disability or Paid Family Leave Claim Status The portal also lets you view payment history, submit forms, and update your address.9California EDD. SDI Online
If Your Claim Is Denied
When the EDD denies a claim, it sends 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 electronically or by mail. Late appeals can still be accepted if you provide a good-cause reason for the delay.10California EDD. Appeals
If the EDD cannot resolve the issue internally, the appeal moves to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. An Administrative Law Judge holds a hearing, takes evidence from you and an SDI representative, and issues a written decision. If you disagree with that ruling, you can file a second-level Board Appeal, again within 30 days. If the final CUIAB decision still goes against you, the last option is to petition a county Superior Court for a writ of mandate within six months.11CUIAB. Appeal Info
In some situations you may keep receiving benefits while an appeal is pending, but only if you receive a specific notice (DE 6315D) from the EDD authorizing continued payments.12California EDD. Disability Insurance Provisions
SDI Does Not Protect Your Job
This is the piece workers miss most often. SDI replaces lost wages. It does not require your employer to hold your position open. Job protection during a medical leave comes from separate 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, find out whether you also qualify for protected leave under one of those statutes.1California EDD. Disability Insurance
If Your Injury Was Work-Related
SDI is for non-work conditions; workers’ compensation is for job-related injuries, so you rarely collect both at the same time. You may still qualify for SDI if your workers’ compensation carrier denies or delays benefits, if the workers’ comp weekly payment is smaller than your SDI amount (SDI can pay the difference), or if workers’ comp only covers your medical bills and not lost wages. When the EDD pays disability benefits while a workers’ comp case is pending, it files a lien to recover those payments once the workers’ comp claim settles.13California EDD. FAQ DI Workers Compensation
Paid Family Leave Is a Separate Benefit
Paid Family Leave (PFL) lives inside the same SDI program but covers different situations: bonding with a new child, caring for a seriously ill family member, or helping with a family member’s military deployment abroad. PFL pays at the same weekly rates as disability insurance ($50 to $1,765) but lasts up to eight weeks instead of 52.14California EDD. Paid Family Leave A birth mother can move directly from a pregnancy-recovery disability claim to PFL bonding benefits, stretching her total paid leave.
Two recent changes are worth knowing. Assembly Bill 2123, effective January 1, 2025, ended employers’ ability to force you to burn up to two weeks of accrued vacation before PFL benefits start.15SHRM. California Eliminates Employers’ Ability to Require Vacation Use SB 590, chaptered in October 2025, will expand PFL starting July 1, 2028, to cover time off caring for a “designated person” (anyone related by blood or whose relationship is the equivalent of a family relationship), with an attestation under penalty of perjury.16California EDD. Voluntary Plan General Release Letter 2026
Reaching the EDD
Disability Insurance phone lines are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, and closed on state holidays:17California 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 (DI): 1-800-563-2441
- Employers and Health Professionals: 1-855-342-3645
SDI has offices in 16 California cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, and Fresno. Call ahead before visiting, since staff aren’t always physically present at every location.18California EDD. Office Locator