California State Disability Insurance in 2026: what EDD disability pays
State Disability Insurance pays California workers who cannot do their usual job because of an illness, an injury or a pregnancy. Enter your pay to see the weekly amount and the total for the weeks you expect to be off.
California State Disability Insurance (DI), your own illness, injury or pregnancy
$1,127
a week · $10,143 for 10 weeks
| Weekly benefit | $1,127 |
| Average weekly wage used | $1,269 |
| Weeks paid (up to 52 weeks for this reason) | 9 weeks after a 7-day wait |
| Total for this leave | $10,143 |
| Federal income tax | depends on who paid the premiums |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $1,045 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 108 % |
California: 90% of high-quarter wages ÷ 13 when the high quarter is $16,279.90 or less; above that, the greater of 70% of high-quarter wages ÷ 13 or $1,127; between $50 and $1,765 a week.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
California State Disability Insurance, the program people search for as EDD disability, pays between $50 and $1,765 a week in 2026. The amount depends on the quarter of your base period in which you earned the most. A best quarter between $722.50 and $16,279.90 is replaced at 90 % of its weekly average, the quarter divided by thirteen. Between $16,279.91 and $20,931.30 the check is a flat $1,127, and from $20,931.31 it is 70 % of the weekly average up to the cap. A best quarter of $9,000 gives $623 a week, $18,500 gives $1,127 and $30,000 gives $1,615. The first 7 days of a claim are unpaid, and the program pays for up to 52 weeks. Workers fund it entirely through a payroll deduction of 1.3 % on all wages, with no ceiling.
Who SDI covers
Disability Insurance replaces part of your wages when a condition keeps you from doing your regular or customary work: a surgery and its recovery, a serious illness, an injury that did not happen on the job, and pregnancy and childbirth. A work injury goes to workers' compensation instead. To qualify you need at least $300 in wages in your base period, the four quarters the Employment Development Department reads, from which SDI was withheld (EDD). A licensed health provider has to certify the disability; the program does not ask you to show that you lost the job.
The name on your pay stub is usually CASDI or SDI. Since January 1, 2024 every dollar of wages is subject to it, so high earners pay the deduction on their whole salary, at 1.3 % in 2026 (EDD payroll rates). The same deduction funds Paid Family Leave.
Your SDI check for a given quarter
California State Disability Insurance (DI), your own illness, injury or pregnancy
$1,127
| Weekly benefit | $1,127 |
| Average weekly wage used | $1,269 |
| Weeks paid (up to 52 weeks for this reason) | 9 weeks after a 7-day wait |
| Total for this leave | $10,143 |
Four bands, one rate for the whole wage
Unlike the tiered formulas of Washington or Massachusetts, California does not split your wage into slices. It looks up which band your best quarter falls in and applies that band's rule to the whole weekly average.
| Best quarter of the base period | Weekly benefit |
|---|---|
| $300 to $722.49 | $50 |
| $722.50 to $16,279.90 | 90 % of the quarter ÷ 13 |
| $16,279.91 to $20,931.30 | $1,127 |
| $20,931.31 or more | 70 % of the quarter ÷ 13, up to $1,765 |
The flat band exists because the law pays the greater of 70 % of the weekly average or 63 % of the state average weekly wage above the 90 % band (EDD fund forecast). It keeps someone just over the line from earning less than someone just under it. The cap has climbed each year: $1,620, then $1,681, and $1,765 for 2026.
The waiting week and how long SDI lasts
The first 7 days of every new claim are a non-payable waiting period (EDD payment FAQs). A recovery of 10 weeks is therefore paid for 9 weeks: at a best quarter of $18,500, that is $10,143. Benefits stop when your provider says you can return to work, and in any case after 52 weeks on one claim.
Pregnancy, then bonding
For a birth, SDI pays the weeks your provider certifies before the delivery and the recovery after it. Once that ends, the bonding weeks are paid by California Paid Family Leave, from the same wage table and without a second waiting period. The maternity leave pay page adds both for a given salary.
Federal tax on SDI
Because California funds SDI only from employee deductions, the medical benefits it pays fall under the part of Revenue Ruling 2025-4 that excludes benefits attributable to employee contributions from gross income. Family leave from the same fund is a different matter: PFL is federal taxable income.
California State Disability Insurance (DI): the 2026 figures
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Benefit rule | 90% of high-quarter wages ÷ 13 when the high quarter is $16,279.90 or less; above that, the greater of 70% of high-quarter wages ÷ 13 or $1,127; between $50 and $1,765 a week |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | $50 to $1,765 |
| Weeks: Own health or pregnancy | 52 |
| Unpaid waiting period: own health or pregnancy | 7 days |
| Employee premium, 2026 | 1.3% of wages |
| Official calculator | edd.ca.gov |