Confused about EDD SDI maternity benefit payment schedule - only received one payment after approval

Yes, this is actually normal! The 7-day waiting period starts from your disability date (April 4th), so you don't get paid for the first week. After that, payments can be a bit irregular at first. The system sometimes sends out a single day payment first, then moves to the regular biweekly payment cycle. Your first full payment should include all benefits owed from after the waiting period up until the end of the first payment cycle. Most people receive their first full payment within 10-14 days after claim approval. The payment system can be confusing but this sounds like the normal process to me!

this happened to me too!! got a random 1-day payment and freaked out lol. took about 2 weeks after that to get my first full payment. the system is weird but it'll catch up

The EDD system is DELIBERATELY DESIGNED to confuse people and delay payments!!! I had the EXACT same problem last year with my pregnancy disability. Got ONE random payment then nothing for almost THREE WEEKS!!! When I finally got through to them (after calling 47 TIMES), they said it was "normal" and "in process" but couldn't explain WHY they do it this way. It's all about delaying payments to save the state money. Your full payment will eventually come but don't count on it being consistent or on time EVER. Document EVERYTHING and check your payment history obsessively because they WILL make mistakes!!!

I think ur confusing SDI with PFL maybe? With Paid Family Leave you get the full 8 weeks after birth for bonding but with SDI disability for pregnancy its different. My sister just went through this and said SDI is before birth and then switches to PFL after. Did you apply for the right one?

I had a baby in January and went through the same thing. After the waiting period, I got one random payment for like $100 something and then nothing for almost 2 weeks. Then suddenly a big payment showed up that covered everything I was owed. After that initial weirdness, the payments came regularly every 2 weeks. Hang in there!

If you need to speak with an EDD representative right away, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). When I was on maternity disability last year, I couldn't get through for weeks until another mom told me about this service. They connect you with an EDD agent usually within 30 minutes instead of spending days trying to get through. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. It really helped me sort out some payment issues I was having with my maternity SDI claim.

Here's a detailed breakdown of how the payment schedule typically works for EDD SDI maternity claims: 1. First 7 days = unpaid waiting period 2. Sometimes a single-day payment is issued first as the system processes your claim 3. First full payment usually arrives 10-14 days after claim approval (includes all back benefits) 4. After that, regular bi-weekly payments start The timing can be affected by weekends, holidays, and processing backlogs. You can check your payment history on UI Online under the "Payment Activity" section to see if there are any pending payments in the system. If nothing shows up in the next few days, it might be worth trying to contact EDD for clarification.

when my sister was on maternity disability last year she said the payments were always weirdly timed. never came on the same day even though they were supposed to be every 2 weeks. sometimes early sometimes late. EDD is a mess lol

For what it's worth, the initial payment irregularity is actually by design in the EDD system. Your claim gets approved, then they often issue a small initial payment while the full calculation for back benefits is processed. Once that's complete, you'll receive the lump sum for all days owed, and then the system switches to a regular biweekly schedule. I recommend setting up direct deposit if you haven't already - it's typically 2-3 days faster than waiting for paper checks. Also, make sure you continue to certify your claim every two weeks, even if payments seem delayed. Missing a certification can cause further delays.

I went through this exact same situation with my maternity disability claim last year! The single payment followed by a wait is totally normal - it's just how their system processes new claims. What helped me was checking my UI Online account daily because sometimes payments would show as "pending" before they actually hit my bank account. Also, I found that payments typically arrived on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, so I'd always check those days first. The anxiety about money during maternity leave is so real, but hang in there - once the system gets going with your regular payments, it becomes much more predictable. You've got this!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my maternity disability claim about 3 weeks ago and got approved last week. Just like you, I received one tiny payment (mine was for $87) and then nothing. I've been panicking thinking something went wrong with my claim. Reading all these responses is so reassuring - it sounds like this weird initial payment pattern is just how EDD processes new maternity claims. I'm going to stop obsessing over my account every hour and give it another week or two for the full payment to come through. Thanks for posting this question because I was too embarrassed to ask if this was normal!

I'm currently dealing with this exact situation too! Filed my maternity SDI claim 2 weeks ago, got approved, and received one small payment of $62 last Friday. I was starting to panic that something was wrong with my claim since I expected regular payments to start right away. Reading everyone's experiences here is such a huge relief - it sounds like this bizarre single payment followed by a waiting period is just the standard process, even though it makes no sense from our perspective! It's so stressful being on maternity leave and not knowing when the next payment will arrive. Thank you to everyone who shared their timelines and explanations. It really helps to know this is normal and that the full back payment usually comes within 2 weeks of that initial weird payment. Fingers crossed we all see our payments soon!

I'm a new mom dealing with this exact same payment confusion! Got my maternity SDI claim approved two weeks ago and received one small payment of $73, then nothing since. I've been calling EDD non-stop but can never get through to a real person. Reading all these responses is incredibly reassuring - I had no idea this weird single payment pattern was normal! It's so stressful being on maternity leave and not understanding when money will actually arrive. The EDD website doesn't explain any of this, so finding this community discussion has been a lifesaver. Thank you to everyone who shared their timelines and experiences. It really helps to know that the full back payment typically comes 10-14 days after that initial random payment. I'm going to try to be more patient and stop checking my account obsessively!

I'm currently going through this exact same situation! Filed my maternity SDI claim about a month ago, got approved two weeks ago, and received one tiny payment of $94. Then absolutely nothing for almost two weeks. I was starting to think there was an error with my claim or that I had done something wrong during the application process. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I had no idea this irregular payment pattern was actually normal! The EDD system is so confusing and their website doesn't explain any of this. It's especially stressful when you're on maternity leave and really depending on these payments. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it's so comforting to know that multiple people have gone through this exact same thing and that the full back payment usually arrives within 10-14 days of that weird initial payment. I'm going to try to be more patient and stop panicking every day that goes by without a payment!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Filed my maternity SDI claim 3 weeks ago, got approved last week, and received one payment for $81 - then nothing since. I've been so stressed thinking something went wrong with my application. Reading everyone's experiences here is such a relief! It's incredible how many of us are going through the identical situation with these weird single payments followed by radio silence. The EDD system is so poorly designed - they really should explain this payment pattern somewhere on their website instead of leaving new parents panicking about their finances. Based on what everyone is sharing, it sounds like I should expect my full back payment within the next week or so. Thank you all for sharing your timelines and reassuring those of us currently in the waiting period. This community support means everything when you're navigating this confusing process during an already stressful time!

I'm also going through this exact same situation right now! Filed my maternity SDI claim about 2 weeks ago, got approved last Friday, and just received one tiny payment of $58 yesterday. I was completely confused and worried that something was wrong with my claim since I expected regular bi-weekly payments to start immediately after approval. Reading through all these experiences is such a huge relief - I had no idea this weird single payment pattern was actually the normal process! It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't explain this anywhere on their website. Being on maternity leave and not knowing when the next payment will arrive is incredibly stressful, especially when your savings are running low. Thank you to everyone who shared their timelines - it's so comforting to know that this bizarre system actually works and that the full back payment typically arrives within 10-14 days of that initial small payment. I'm going to try to be patient and stop obsessively checking my account every few hours!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my maternity SDI claim 3 weeks ago, got approved 10 days ago, and received one random payment of $76 - then complete silence. I've been checking my account obsessively and starting to panic that I did something wrong during the application process. This thread has been such a lifesaver! It's incredible how many of us are experiencing this identical weird payment pattern. The stress of being on maternity leave with unpredictable payments is overwhelming, especially when EDD's website gives zero explanation about why this happens. Based on all the timelines shared here, it sounds like I should expect my full back payment any day now. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - knowing this chaotic system actually works (eventually) gives me so much peace of mind during this already stressful time!

I just went through this exact same experience with my maternity SDI claim! Filed in February, got approved, received one weird payment for $52, then nothing for almost 2 weeks. I was absolutely panicking and thought my claim had been cancelled or something went wrong. Then suddenly a much larger payment showed up that covered all the back benefits I was owed from after the waiting period. After that initial weirdness, my payments have been coming regularly every 2 weeks on Wednesdays. The system is definitely confusing and poorly explained, but it does eventually work! Based on your timeline, I'd expect your full back payment to show up within the next few days. Try not to stress too much (easier said than done, I know) - this seems to be the standard process for new maternity claims even though it makes zero sense to us!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Filed my maternity SDI claim about 3 weeks ago, got approved last week, and received one small payment of $92 on Monday - then nothing since. I've been frantically checking my UI Online account multiple times a day thinking something went wrong with my application. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a huge relief! It's amazing how many of us are going through this identical weird payment pattern with that random tiny first payment followed by radio silence. The stress of being on maternity leave and not knowing when the next payment will arrive is overwhelming, especially when you're already dealing with recovery and a new baby. EDD really needs to explain this process better on their website instead of leaving new parents panicking about their finances. Based on all the timelines shared here, it sounds like I should expect my full back payment within the next week or so. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community support means everything when you're navigating such a confusing system during an already vulnerable time!

I'm currently experiencing this EXACT same situation! Filed my maternity SDI claim about 2.5 weeks ago, got approved last Thursday, and received one tiny payment of $103 this past Monday. Since then - absolutely nothing! I've been refreshing my UI Online account probably 20 times a day thinking I broke something during the application process. Finding this thread has been such a godsend - I had no idea this bizarre single payment pattern was actually normal! It's so reassuring to see that literally dozens of us have gone through this identical experience. The anxiety of being on maternity leave with unpredictable income is already overwhelming without having to decode EDD's mysterious payment system. Thank you to everyone who shared their timelines and explanations - based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like my full back payment should arrive within the next week or so. I'm going to try to stop obsessively checking my account and trust that this weird system will eventually catch up!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now too! Filed my maternity SDI claim about 10 days ago, got approved on Friday, and just received one random payment of $115 yesterday. I've been so confused and worried that something was wrong with my claim since I was expecting regular bi-weekly payments to start right away. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - I had no idea this weird single payment followed by a waiting period was actually the standard process! It's so stressful being on maternity leave and not understanding when the next payment will arrive, especially when your savings are getting low. The EDD website really doesn't explain any of this, so finding this community discussion has been a lifesaver. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it gives me so much peace of mind to know that this bizarre system actually works and that the full back payment typically comes within 10-14 days of that initial small payment. I'm going to try to be more patient and stop checking my account every few hours!