California Disability Calculator 2026 – EDD SDI Benefit

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How SDI benefits are calculated

EDD looks at the wages you were paid in your base period, a 12-month period that ends about 5 months before your claim starts, and finds your highest quarter. Your weekly wage is that quarter divided by 13 weeks, and your benefit is a percentage of it:

Weekly benefit ≈ (highest quarter wages ÷ 13) × 90% or 70%

For example, $15,000 in your highest quarter is $1,153.85 a week. At 90%, the weekly benefit is about $1,038, or $2,076 every two weeks.

You need at least $300 in wages in the base period that had SDI taken out to qualify.

Benefit percentage and maximum

Since 2025, lower and middle earners get 90% of their weekly wage, and higher earners get 70%. The 2026 tiers by highest quarter wages:

You reach the $1,765 weekly maximum with about $32,760 in your highest quarter, roughly $131,000 a year. Some examples:

EDD uses a benefit chart (DE 2588), so its amount can differ from this formula by about a dollar.

Waiting period and duration

• Waiting period: the first 7 days of your disability are unpaid. Benefits start on day 8.
• Duration: you can receive benefits for as long as your doctor certifies that you can't do your regular work, up to 52 weeks.
• Maximum claim: the lesser of 52 times your weekly benefit or your total base period wages.

For example, with a $1,038 weekly benefit and 8 weeks off work, you are paid for 7 weeks: 7 × $1,038 = $7,266.

Working part-time: if you can work reduced hours, you may still get a partial benefit. If your part-time wages plus your weekly benefit are more than your usual weekly wage, EDD reduces the benefit by the difference.

Pregnancy disability

Pregnancy is covered by SDI like any other disability. For a normal pregnancy, benefits usually cover up to 4 weeks before your due date and 6 weeks after a vaginal delivery or 8 weeks after a C-section. Your doctor can certify a longer period if there are complications.

After your disability ends, you can file for Paid Family Leave (PFL) to bond with your baby, up to 8 more weeks at the same benefit rates. With a $1,038 weekly benefit, a 10-week pregnancy claim pays 9 weeks after the waiting period, or $9,342.

SDI deduction vs SDI benefit

The SDI deduction is the payroll tax that pays for these benefits: 1.3% of all wages in 2026, with no wage cap, taken from each paycheck and shown as "CA SDI". It funds both Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave. On a $60,000 salary that is $780 a year. To see the deduction on your paycheck, use the California Paycheck Calculator.

The SDI benefit is what EDD pays you while you can't work. Self-employed people are not covered unless they buy Disability Insurance Elective Coverage.

Is SDI taxable?

• Disability Insurance (DI): generally not taxable for federal or California income tax. If you receive DI in place of unemployment benefits, those payments may be federally taxable, and EDD will send a Form 1099-G.
• Paid Family Leave (PFL): taxable for federal income tax but not for California.

Because DI usually isn't taxed, a 90% benefit can come close to your normal take-home pay.

How to apply

1. File online with SDI Online through myEDD at edd.ca.gov, or on paper form DE 2501.
2. File no later than 49 days after your disability begins, or you may lose benefits.
3. Your doctor or licensed practitioner certifies your disability online or on the form.
4. EDD sends a Notice of Computation (DE 429D) with your weekly benefit amount, and payments usually arrive every two weeks.

Last reviewed: November 1, 2026.