Can I get my SDI benefit amount adjusted if my recent wages were much higher than previous quarters?

Unfortunately, this is one of the most frustrating parts of SDI that catches many people by surprise. EDD uses a specific base period for calculating your benefit amount, which is generally 5-18 months before your disability claim starts. So the wages you earned right before your disability aren't considered at all. There is a form called DE 2545WS (Wage Adjustment/Protest) that you can submit, but it only helps if there were actual errors in the wages reported during your base period. It won't help just because you're earning more now than you were during the base period - that's just how the system is designed. What quarter did your disability begin in? I can break down exactly which months they're looking at for your calculation.

yea ur stuck with what they calculated. happened to my cousin too, she got promoted right b4 maternity leave and it didnt matter. the base period is like set in stone or whatever

I went through something similar when I filed for SDI last year. For a February 2025 claim, they're looking at your wages from October 2023 through September 2024, so your December 2024 promotion isn't counted at all. I tried everything to get mine adjusted - called multiple times, submitted the wage protest form, even talked to a supervisor eventually. But they all said the same thing - the base period calculation is fixed by law and there are no exceptions just because you earned more recently. The only silver lining is that if you need to file a new disability claim in the future, your higher wages would be included in that calculation. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Ugh I HATE THIS SO MUCH. Same thing happened to me last year and I nearly lost my apartment because of it!!! The whole EDD system is designed to screw people over. I spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone and when I finally did they were like "sorry, nothing we can do" in the rudest way possible.

I know exactly what you're going through! I was in the same boat last year when I had to go on disability right after getting a big raise. I couldn't get through to EDD for weeks despite calling constantly. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual EDD representative in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd The rep confirmed what others here are saying - they can't adjust based on recent wages, only if there's an error in the reported wages for the base period. However, talking to them directly helped me understand exactly which quarters they were using and confirm they had the correct wage information. Having certainty at least helped me plan my finances better during disability.

Since you're dealing with an immediate financial hardship because of this, I'd recommend a few practical steps: 1. Double-check that EDD has your correct wage information for the base period quarters. Request a wage verification from them to confirm. 2. If you have any optional deductions that could be paused (like retirement contributions), consider adjusting those temporarily. 3. Check if you have any short-term disability insurance through your employer that might supplement the state SDI benefits. 4. For many injuries, you might be eligible for both SDI and workers' compensation if the injury happened at work. I know it's frustrating, but understanding exactly how they calculated your benefit amount at least helps you know what you're dealing with.

why dont they use the alternate base period for this? isnt that for ppl who's wages changed?

After reading through this whole thread again, I wanted to add one more thing - make sure you're getting the maximum weekly benefit amount based on the quarters they ARE using. The max SDI benefit is now $1,620 per week in 2025. So even if they're using your older, lower wages, if those wages were still high enough to qualify you for the maximum benefit, you should be getting that. Also, double-check that your "$1,600 per month" figure isn't actually $1,600 per week, which would be close to the maximum. The SDI benefit calculator can be confusing about whether it's showing weekly or monthly amounts.

I'm glad you caught that! $1,620 weekly is actually the maximum SDI benefit in 2025, so you're getting the highest amount possible. That works out to about $7,020 per month, which is still less than your new salary but much better than $1,600 monthly. This is a really common misunderstanding with SDI benefits. Even though they're using your older wages from the base period, if those wages were high enough to qualify you for the maximum benefit (which they apparently were), you'll get the maximum regardless of how much higher your recent wages became.

What a relief that you figured out the weekly vs monthly confusion! That's a huge difference and I'm so glad someone pointed that out. $1,620 weekly is actually really good for SDI - many people get much less. Just wanted to add that if you're still concerned about the income gap, you might want to check if your employer offers any supplemental disability insurance that could help bridge the difference. Some companies have voluntary short-term disability plans that work alongside state SDI. Also, since you mentioned a back injury, make sure you're working with a good physical therapist if possible - the sooner you can recover and return to work, the sooner you'll be back to your full salary. Hope your recovery goes smoothly!

Wow, what a rollercoaster this thread has been! I'm so glad you figured out the weekly vs monthly confusion - that's a massive difference and honestly happens to a lot of people when they first get their SDI paperwork. $1,620 weekly is actually excellent for SDI benefits. I went through something similar when I first applied for disability benefits last year. The award letters can be really confusing about whether they're showing weekly or monthly amounts, especially when you're already stressed about your situation. It's totally understandable that you initially misread it. Since you're getting the maximum weekly benefit, it sounds like your wages during the base period (Oct 2023 - Sep 2024) were actually pretty solid even before your December promotion. The system worked out in your favor in this case, even though it felt unfair at first. Hope your back injury heals quickly so you can get back to that new higher salary!

What a relief that you figured out the weekly vs monthly mix-up! That's such a huge difference and honestly, I can completely understand how that confusion happened when you're already dealing with the stress of an injury and navigating the SDI system for the first time. $1,620 weekly is actually really solid for SDI - you're getting the maximum benefit amount which means your wages during those base period quarters were high enough to qualify you for the top tier. While it's still less than your new post-promotion salary, $7,020 monthly is definitely more manageable than what you initially thought you were getting. I've seen so many people get confused by the weekly vs monthly thing on their award letters. The paperwork isn't always super clear about it. It's a good reminder for anyone else reading this to double-check those details when you first get your SDI determination! Hope your back injury heals up quickly so you can get back to that higher salary. In the meantime, at least you know you're getting the maximum SDI benefit possible under the current system.

This thread has been such a great learning experience! As someone who's relatively new to understanding how SDI works, I had no idea about the base period calculation or how they determine which quarters to use for benefits. The weekly vs monthly confusion would have definitely caught me off guard too - it's such an easy mistake to make when you're already stressed about everything else. @Chloe Taylor I'm so glad you figured out you're actually getting $1,620 weekly instead of monthly! That's a huge relief and makes such a difference for managing your expenses during recovery. It's also really helpful to know that $1,620 weekly is actually the maximum SDI benefit - that's good information for anyone else who might be in a similar situation. Thanks to everyone who contributed such detailed explanations about how the base period works and why recent wage increases can't be factored in. Even though the system seems frustrating at first, at least now I understand the logic behind it. Hope your back injury heals quickly so you can get back to your full salary soon!

I'm so glad this thread had a happy ending! As someone who's new to this community and still learning about SDI, this has been incredibly educational. The weekly vs monthly confusion is totally understandable - when you're already stressed about an injury and dealing with unfamiliar paperwork, it's so easy to misread those details. @Chloe Taylor congratulations on figuring out you're actually getting the maximum SDI benefit! $1,620 weekly is really solid and should definitely help make your recovery period more manageable financially. It's also reassuring to know that even though the base period system seems unfair at first glance, it actually worked out well in your case since your pre-promotion wages were already high enough to qualify you for the top benefit tier. This thread is a perfect example of why community support is so valuable when navigating these complex systems. Everyone's explanations about base periods, alternate base periods, and benefit calculations have given me so much insight into how SDI actually works. I'll definitely be referring back to this if I ever need to file a claim myself. Wishing you a speedy recovery so you can get back to that new higher salary soon!

What a relief reading through this whole thread! As someone new to this community, I learned so much about how SDI benefits actually work. @Chloe Taylor I'm so glad you figured out the weekly vs monthly confusion - that's such a huge difference and honestly something I probably would have misread too when dealing with all that paperwork stress. It's really helpful to see how the base period system works in practice, even though it seems counterintuitive at first. The fact that you're getting the maximum SDI benefit of $1,620 weekly shows that your pre-promotion wages were already pretty solid during those base period quarters. While it's still frustrating that your December promotion can't be factored in, at least you're getting the highest amount possible under the current system. This thread is such a great example of why community support matters when navigating these complex government programs. Everyone's detailed explanations about base periods, benefit calculations, and even tips for getting through to EDD have been incredibly valuable. I'm bookmarking this for future reference! Hope your back injury heals quickly so you can get back to that new higher salary.

As someone who's completely new to this community and the SDI system, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea how the base period calculations worked or that there was such a significant difference between weekly and monthly benefit amounts. @Chloe Taylor I'm so relieved you figured out you're getting $1,620 weekly instead of monthly - what a massive difference that makes! I can totally understand the initial panic when you thought you were only getting $1,600 per month. The stress of dealing with an injury while trying to navigate unfamiliar government paperwork would make anyone prone to misreading those details. It's really enlightening to learn that you're actually receiving the maximum SDI benefit amount, which means your wages during the base period quarters (Oct 2023 - Sep 2024) were already high enough to qualify you for the top tier. While it's still frustrating that your December 2024 promotion can't be factored in, at least the system worked out better than you initially thought. This whole discussion has taught me so much about how SDI works - from base periods to alternate base periods to the specific quarters they use for different claim dates. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for future reference. The community support here is amazing, and I hope your back injury heals quickly so you can get back to your full salary soon!

Wow, this thread has been such a rollercoaster to read through! As someone who's brand new to this community and completely unfamiliar with the SDI system, I learned so much just from following along with everyone's responses. @Chloe Taylor I'm so happy you figured out the weekly vs monthly confusion - that must have been such a huge relief! I can totally understand how you'd misread that initially when you're already dealing with the stress of an injury and trying to navigate all this unfamiliar paperwork. $1,620 weekly versus $1,600 monthly is such a massive difference! It's really reassuring to know that you're actually getting the maximum SDI benefit amount. While the base period system seems frustrating at first (especially when you just got a big promotion), at least it worked out that your pre-promotion wages were already high enough to qualify you for the top tier. This whole discussion has been incredibly educational for me. I had no clue about base periods, alternate base periods, or how they determine which specific quarters to use for calculations. Everyone's detailed explanations have given me so much insight into how the system actually works. I'm definitely saving this thread as a reference in case I ever need to file for SDI myself. Hope your back injury heals quickly so you can get back to enjoying that well-deserved promotion salary!

As someone who's new to this community and just learning about the SDI system, this entire thread has been absolutely fascinating to follow! @Chloe Taylor I'm so relieved that you figured out the weekly vs monthly confusion - what a huge difference that discovery made for your peace of mind! Reading through everyone's explanations has taught me so much about how SDI benefits actually work. I had no idea about base periods or why they use wages from 5-18 months ago instead of your most recent earnings. While it definitely seems counterintuitive at first (especially in situations like yours where you just got a promotion), I can see how having a standardized system helps with administrative consistency. The fact that you're receiving $1,620 weekly - which is the maximum SDI benefit - is actually really great news! It shows that even your pre-promotion wages during the base period quarters were substantial enough to qualify you for the highest tier. While it's still less than your new salary, $7,020 monthly is definitely much more manageable than the $1,600 monthly you initially thought you were getting. This thread is such a perfect example of why community support is so valuable when dealing with complex government programs. Everyone's detailed knowledge and willingness to help really made the difference in understanding your situation. I'm definitely bookmarking this for future reference! Wishing you a speedy recovery so you can get back to enjoying that well-deserved promotion.