EDD SDI sent partial payment - rest of disability amount missing?
So confused right now! I checked my BofA card this morning and saw a deposit from EDD, but it's only about 60% of what I should be getting for my disability payments. My weekly benefit amount is supposed to be $857 (based on my income from last year), but today's payment was only $514. I've been on disability since March 9th, 2025 after my hand surgery. Has anyone else experienced partial payments like this? I certified on time and my doctor submitted all the required paperwork. Could this be because of taxes? I didn't think they took taxes out unless you specifically request it. My rent is due in 5 days and I was counting on the full payment. Should I panic??
17 comments
Join the conversation
Christopher Morgan
Don't panic yet. This is actually pretty common. Check your claim history in SDI Online - it probably shows the full payment amount minus deductions. Most likely explanations: 1) You requested tax withholding when you applied, 2) You have child support or other garnishment orders, 3) They're adjusting for the waiting period - remember the first 7 days don't get paid, or 4) There was an overlap with paid work days from your employer. Login to your account and check the payment details section. It should break down exactly why the amount was reduced.
0 coins
Zoey Bianchi
AuthorThanks! I just checked my SDI Online account and you're right - there's a breakdown. Turns out they're withholding for taxes (I must have checked that box by accident) and there was some overlap with my last paycheck from work. Ugh, I should have been more careful when filling out the application. Will this be the same for all future payments?
0 coins
Aurora St.Pierre
yeahh happened to me too last month!! i freaked out bc i only got like half what i was expecting. turns out i had child support garnishment that i forgot about lol. check your payment history in the portal it tells u exactly why
0 coins
Grace Johnson
This is why I HATE the EDD system!!! They NEVER explain anything clearly when you file! You'd think they could put a big warning like "YOUR PAYMENT WILL BE REDUCED BY $XXX FOR THESE REASONS" but nooooo, they just send whatever amount they want and expect you to figure it out! I had the same thing happen with my pregnancy disability last year and spent HOURS trying to get someone on the phone to explain it. The whole system is designed to confuse people!!
0 coins
Jayden Reed
There are several reasons why you might receive a partial payment from EDD SDI: 1. Tax withholding (federal taxes are 10%) 2. Court-ordered deductions (child support, etc.) 3. Adjustment for waiting period days 4. Overlap with work wages 5. Retroactive adjustments 6. Benefit calculation corrections I recommend checking your payment details in your SDI Online account under "View Payment Activity." If it doesn't fully explain the deduction, you should contact EDD directly. Be prepared for a long wait, unfortunately.
0 coins
Zoey Bianchi
AuthorThanks for the detailed list! I checked my account and it does show tax withholding plus an adjustment for some overlap with my last paycheck. At least I know why now. Do you know if I can change the tax withholding for future payments? I'd rather deal with taxes next year than be short on rent now.
0 coins
Nora Brooks
my sdi has been all over the place. first payment was full, second was partial, third was nothing for 3 weeks then suddenly full amount plus backpay. sometimes they dont even tell you why! my neighbor works at edd (not disability side tho) and she says their system is super old and glitchy
0 coins
Eli Wang
Yep totally agree with this! My wife got different amounts almost every payment during her maternity disability. Sometimes it would be the full amount, sometimes like $100 less for no apparent reason. We gave up trying to figure it out honestly. As long as it was close enough we just accepted it because calling EDD is basically impossible these days.
0 coins
Cassandra Moon
I've been dealing with EDD SDI for my back injury since January and discovered you can actually change your tax withholding preference! Login to SDI Online, go to 'Tax Withholding' under the 'Claims' tab, and you can update your preference there. The change should apply to future payments. If you need to talk to someone at EDD about why your payment was reduced, good luck getting through on the phone lines. I tried for 2 weeks straight with no luck. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. Saved me hours of redial frustration. The agent explained everything about my weird payment amounts and fixed some issues with my claim too.
0 coins
Zane Hernandez
is that service legit? ive been trying to reach someone at edd about my partial payments for like 10 days now. do they get you thru to actual disability people or just the main edd line?
0 coins
Cassandra Moon
Yes, they connect you to the actual disability division agents. I was skeptical too but it worked for me when I had issues with my disability payments fluctuating. Way better than calling 100+ times myself.
0 coins
Zoey Bianchi
AuthorThank you! I might need this service if I have more issues. For now, I at least understand why my payment was partial, and I've updated my tax withholding preferences for future payments. Such a relief to know what happened!
0 coins
Grace Johnson
The same EXACT thing happened to me!!! Got $682 instead of the $1120 I was supposed to get. When I FINALLY reached someone after calling for DAYS, turns out they had deducted for: 1) the stupid 7-day waiting period (even though I was already 3 weeks into my claim?!), 2) tax withholding I never asked for, and 3) some bogus "adjustment" they couldn't even explain properly. The lady on the phone was SO RUDE when I asked for details. Classic EDD!! 🤬
0 coins
Jayden Reed
The waiting period is often confused with payment timing. The 7-day waiting period is always the first 7 days of your claim, but the deduction might appear later depending on how your payments are processed. For example, if your first certification covered 14 days, you'd get paid for 7 days (the second week). If your next certification was for 14 more days, you'd get the full amount. But if there was a processing delay or recalculation, they might adjust previous payments. That might explain the timing issue you experienced.
0 coins
Zoey Bianchi
Update: I was able to log into my SDI Online account and found the payment breakdown. It shows tax withholding (which I apparently selected) and an adjustment for overlapping work days. I also found where to change the tax withholding setting for future payments! Thanks everyone for your help - at least now I understand why the payment was lower than expected. For anyone else experiencing this, definitely check your payment details in the portal first before panicking like I did!
0 coins
Christopher Morgan
Glad you figured it out! Just remember that changing your tax withholding now doesn't affect the payment you already received - it'll only apply to future payments. Make sure you're setting aside some money for taxes next year if you turn off withholding.
0 coins
Rachel Clark
@Christopher Morgan That s'a really good point about the taxes! I definitely need to budget for that. Quick question - do you know roughly what percentage of the SDI payment gets withheld for taxes? I want to make sure I m'setting aside enough if I turn off withholding for future payments.
0 coins