EDD SDI holiday payment schedule - will Christmas delay my disability payment?

holidays usually delay everything with EDD... my payments were consistently late around thanksgiving last year when i was on disability. don't count on getting it early thats for sure!!

Ugh that's what I was afraid of. Did your payment come the day after the holiday or was it delayed by several days?

EDD SDI payments typically process as scheduled, but if the payment date falls on a holiday, you'll usually receive it the next business day after the holiday. Since Christmas is on the 25th, and your certification period ends on the 24th, you might actually get paid on schedule since processing would happen before the holiday. But if there's any delay in processing, you might not see the payment until the 26th or 27th, depending on how EDD and your bank handle the holiday schedule. \n\nIt's always best to plan for the possibility of delays around holidays. You can check your payment status on the SDI Online portal once your certification period ends.

Thank you! This is really helpful. I'll keep an eye on the portal and plan for a possible delay just to be safe.

This happened to me last year!! My payment was supposed to come Christmas Eve but didn't hit my account until Dec 27th because of the holiday weekend. Super annoying when you're counting on that money!

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's frustrating! I'll definitely plan for a few days' delay then.

The EDD disability system is INFURIATING around holidays!! Last year my payment was delayed by 5 DAYS because of Christmas and New Year's!! They never warn you about this stuff and then suddenly you're scrambling to pay bills. And good luck trying to call them to find out what's happening - it's IMPOSSIBLE to get through to anyone!!!!

so true about not being able to reach anyone!! tried calling EDD like 20 times last month about my late payment, never got through

If you're having trouble getting through to EDD on the phone, I recently discovered a service called Claimyr that helped me reach an EDD rep in under 25 minutes. I was dealing with a payment delay similar to what you're describing and was going crazy trying to get answers. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me days of frustration when I needed to know why my disability payment was held up.

Thanks for the tip! Will check it out if my payment doesn't show up after the holiday. At this point I'll try anything to avoid the EDD phone nightmare!

Everyone's experience is different with EDD SDI holiday payments. The official policy is that if a payment would normally be issued on a state holiday, it should process on the next business day. However, I've found that sometimes the system actually processes payments a day early before holidays, while other times there are delays of 2-3 business days.\n\nSince your certification period ends on the 24th (Christmas Eve), there are a few possible scenarios:\n\n1. Your payment might process on the 24th as normal\n2. It could be delayed until the 26th since the 25th is a holiday\n3. If there are any bank processing delays, it might not show up until the 27th or 28th\n\nI'd recommend certifying as early as possible on the 24th to improve your chances of getting paid before the holiday. Also make sure your payment method is set up correctly - direct deposit is usually faster than the EDD debit card.

This is great information - thank you! I have direct deposit set up, so hopefully that will help. I'll make sure to certify first thing in the morning on the 24th.

wait i'm confused...don't u have to wait for them to certify u? i thought we dont do anything for SDI payments after the initial filing? or is this PFL ur talking about??

You're right about regular SDI - for most disability claims, you don't need to certify after the initial claim and medical provider certification. The system automatically processes payments every two weeks. However, for certain claim types (like Pregnancy Disability transitioning to Paid Family Leave, or extended claims) you might need additional certifications. But for standard disability claims, once approved, payments should issue automatically until your claim ends.

Oh, I think I was confusing the terminology! I'm on regular SDI, not PFL. So I guess I don't actually have to do anything - the system should just process my payment automatically? That's a relief.

my sister works at a bank and she says ALL direct deposits get delayed during holidays, not just EDD stuff. something about the federal reserve being closed or whatever. just plan on everything being late around christmas, thats what i always do!

This is true! Banking holidays affect everything. I work in payroll and we always have to adjust our processing schedule around holidays.

As a follow-up on the holiday schedule: I checked the EDD website and Christmas (December 25th) is indeed an official state holiday where EDD offices are closed. But since your payment period ends on the 24th, which is Christmas Eve (not an official state holiday, though offices may close early), there's a chance your payment might still process on the normal schedule.\n\nMy advice is to check your payment status on SDI Online on the 24th. If it shows as

Thanks again! I'll definitely check the portal on the 24th to see the status. This is really helpful information.

I went through this exact situation last Christmas! My SDI payment period ended on December 23rd and I was so worried about the holiday delay. What actually happened was that my payment processed normally on the 23rd and hit my account the next day (Christmas Eve) via direct deposit. The key thing I learned is that EDD processes SDI payments automatically at the end of each 14-day period, and as long as that end date isn't the actual holiday, you're usually okay. Since your period ends on the 24th (Christmas Eve), you should be fine - it's the 25th that's the official holiday. Just keep an eye on your SDI Online account on the 24th to see if the payment shows as "Paid" status. If it does, it should hit your bank account within 1-2 business days even with the holiday. Good luck!

Just wanted to add my experience from when I started SDI last spring - the automatic payment system is pretty reliable once you get into the rhythm of it. Since you mentioned this is your first time on disability, one thing that helped me was setting up text alerts through my bank so I'd get notified as soon as any deposit hit my account. That way I wasn't constantly checking and stressing about it. Also, if you haven't already, make sure to keep all your medical appointment documentation organized - you might need it later for continued certification or if there are any issues. The holiday delays are frustrating but temporary, and it sounds like you're being smart by planning ahead for potential delays!

I'm new to this community and just started my SDI claim process last month, so this thread is incredibly helpful! Reading everyone's experiences with holiday payment timing is exactly what I needed to see. I'm still waiting for my first payment approval, but knowing that there can be delays around holidays helps me set realistic expectations. It's reassuring to see how supportive this community is - as someone navigating the EDD system for the first time, all these real-world experiences and tips are invaluable. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge!

I get paid on Fridays. Usually, I’m the direct deposit it sent on Thursdays however, this Thursday was Thanksgiving. I haven’t received direct deposit yet and it’s Saturday.