EDD SDI overpayment because I returned to work before doctor's release date - how to repay?
I'm stressing out about an overpayment situation with my disability claim! My doctor's note had me returning to work on January 28, 2025, but my company had a critical project starting on January 23 and really needed me back. I felt good enough to work, so I went back on the 23rd. The problem is, I didn't immediately report the change to EDD SDI and accidentally got paid through the 28th (the doctor's original release date). I just realized this yesterday and went into my SDI Online account to report that I actually recovered on January 22 and returned to work on January 23. Now I'm panicking because I have no idea how to repay the 5 days of benefits I wasn't supposed to receive. Will they automatically adjust it? Send me a bill? Should I call them? Has anyone dealt with this? I don't want to get in trouble for fraud when it was just a mistake!
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Leslie Parker
Don't worry too much, this happens more often than you think. EDD should send you a Notice of Overpayment in the mail within a few weeks. The notice will explain exactly how much you owe and give instructions for repayment. You can either pay it all at once or request a payment plan if it's a significant amount. The most important thing is that you already self-reported the correct return-to-work date, which shows good faith on your part.
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Freya Ross
•Thank you! That makes me feel better. Do you know if there are penalties or interest for overpayments when you self-report like I did?
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Sergio Neal
omg they're gonna come after u for FRAUD!! jk lol but seriously they'll probably just send u a bill. i went back to work 3 days early last year and got an overpayment notice about a month later. no big deal really
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Freya Ross
•Haha you scared me for a second! Thanks for sharing your experience. A month isn't too bad of a wait.
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Savanna Franklin
When this happened to me last year I NEVER heard anything from them! I even called to try to tell them about it and got disconnected 4 times. Eventually I just gave up and nothing ever happened. Not saying thats the right way to handle it but EDD isn't exactly efficient with these things...
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Juan Moreno
•This is NOT good advice. Ignoring an overpayment can result in penalties and the debt being sent to collections. The fact that you haven't heard anything yet doesn't mean they won't eventually catch it during an audit. The proper procedure is to wait for the Notice of Overpayment, which can sometimes take 2-3 months to arrive, and then follow the repayment instructions.
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Amy Fleming
I had almost the identical situation in August. Doctor had me coming back Feb 3, but I felt better and started working Jan 29. Got paid through Feb 3 which was about $643 too much. I got the overpayment notice about 6 weeks later and just wrote them a check. Since you self-reported before they caught it, you shouldn't have any penalties. They actually gave me a small discount (like 5%) for prompt payment! If you're really worried, you might try calling them to speed things up, but good luck getting through. I spent literally DAYS trying to reach someone at EDD about my overpayment.
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Alice Pierce
•If you need to reach EDD about this, try Claimyr.com - I used them to get through to EDD when I had an overpayment issue last month. They got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. Totally worth it for the peace of mind of getting this resolved quickly.
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Esteban Tate
The system is DESIGNED to confuse people! They make it impossible to report changes properly and then act like YOU did something wrong. I bet they'll hit you with interest and penalties even though you tried to do the right thing. This happened to my sister and they garnished her tax refund without even telling her first! The EDD is completely broken and nobody in Sacramento cares enough to fix it.
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Leslie Parker
•That's not accurate. For voluntary self-reported overpayments, EDD typically does not assess penalties. Garnishment only occurs after multiple ignored notices and usually only for fraud cases. While the system does have inefficiencies, spreading misinformation increases anxiety for people trying to resolve legitimate issues. The OP did the right thing by reporting the change, and the standard process is pretty straightforward.
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Sergio Neal
wait does this mean I should report if I went back like 2 days early? I didn't think it was a big deal so I just never said anything and that was like 3 months ago...
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Juan Moreno
•Yes, you should report it. Even small overpayments need to be repaid, and it's better to self-report than have them discover it later during an audit. You can submit the information through your SDI Online account under the "Report Return to Work" section, or call the EDD SDI office. The overpayment amount will be calculated based on your daily benefit amount multiplied by the number of days you were overpaid.
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Savanna Franklin
My cousin works at EDD and she says they're so backlogged with fraud cases from the pandemic that they barely follow up on honest mistakes like this anymore. Don't waste your time calling them.
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Amy Fleming
•That's not true at all. SDI and unemployment are completely different divisions within EDD. Pandemic fraud was mostly UI (unemployment), while disability claims are processed by the SDI division. They absolutely do follow up on ALL overpayments, regardless of size or reason. I can tell you from personal experience they will eventually send a notice for even small amounts.
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Freya Ross
Thanks everyone for the responses! I feel much better knowing I'm not alone in this situation. I'm going to wait for the notice to arrive and then pay it right away. I'll try calling them next week just to make sure everything is properly documented on my account. I might try that Claimyr service if I can't get through on my own. I'm just relieved to know that self-reporting likely means no penalties!
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Amina Diallo
Good on you for self-reporting right away! That really shows integrity. I went through something similar last year - returned to work 4 days early from my disability leave and got an overpayment notice about 8 weeks later. The amount was around $520 and they gave me several payment options including a 6-month payment plan with no interest since I had self-reported. The whole process was actually pretty painless once I got the notice. Just make sure to keep checking your mail regularly because the notice can sometimes get buried in other EDD correspondence. You're doing everything right by being proactive about this!
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Ravi Gupta
•Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing. A 6-month payment plan with no interest sounds very reasonable - I was worried they'd want it all back immediately. I'll definitely keep an eye on my mailbox for that notice. It's good to know that being proactive and honest about these situations actually works in your favor with EDD. This whole thread has been incredibly helpful!
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