EDD denied my pregnancy SDI claim for 'insufficient earnings' despite working full-time - help!

This literally just happened to me last month!!! The exact same BS denial reason. Turns out they were looking at the wrong quarters for my base period. Since I filed in January 2025, they should have looked at Oct 2023-Sept 2024 earnings, but somehow they were looking at older quarters. Had to get it corrected by appealing. Such a nightmare when ur pregnant and already stressed!!

This is a fairly common mistake in the EDD system, especially with pregnancy claims. Here's what you need to do: 1. First, verify which quarters they're using for your base period. The base period is NOT the most recent quarters worked - it's usually the 4 completed quarters that were 5-18 months before your claim date. 2. Request a reconsideration (Form DE 1326C) rather than a formal appeal. Mark it as "Wage information is missing or incorrect" and include copies of your paystubs or W-2s from those quarters. 3. If you filed your claim in March 2025, your base period would be Oct 2023 through Sept 2024. Make sure you have documentation for those specific quarters. The reconsideration is much faster than the formal appeal process, which can take months. You should receive a new determination within 10-14 business days after they receive your documentation.

I've seen this happen with pregnancy claims more often lately. Another thing to check - if you changed jobs during your base period, sometimes EDD doesn't properly connect all your wage records. When you submit your reconsideration, include ALL employers during that base period time frame. Also, just to confirm - you're applying for SDI Pregnancy Disability, not Paid Family Leave (PFL) yet, right? Because those are different programs with different qualifications. The reconsideration form needs to be mailed or faxed, unfortunately. The SDI Online portal doesn't have an upload option for this specific form.

tbh i think EDD is just automatically denying tons of claims these days hoping people wont appeal. my sister got denied for the same reason last year but she definitely had enough wages. she appealed and magically got approved 3 weeks later with no explanation. the systems so broken

I had this EXACT PROBLEM last year with my pregnancy disability claim!!! Was working full time for 2+ years and suddenly "insufficient earnings" denial. I spent WEEKS trying to call EDD. Finally I used this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual human at EDD in about 10 minutes instead of the usual hangups or hours of waiting. The agent saw the error immediately - they had somehow missed an entire quarter of my earnings. Fixed it on the spot and I had my payments within days. Check out their site claimyr.com or their video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd Seriously, worth every penny when you're 36 weeks pregnant and need this resolved fast. I was losing my mind with stress until I got through.

have you checked your past couple w2s? cuz sometimes employers classify earnings wrong or don't pay into the right programs. i found out my company wasn't actually paying into SDI for the first 6 months i worked there even tho it showed deductions on my paystub! might be worth double checking with your HR dept too?

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - after you submit your reconsideration form, I would still recommend trying to speak with an EDD representative directly. They can often resolve these wage-related denials much faster than waiting for the paper process. Also, if your doctor has already completed your medical certification (DE 2501), make sure that's not expired while you wait for this wage issue to be resolved. The medical certification is only valid for a certain period, and you might need your doctor to update it if this takes too long to resolve.

did u check if theres a message in ur SDI online inbox? sometimes they need additional info but dont tell u except in the portal

Update us when you get it resolved! So many pregnant women going through this same nightmare with EDD right now. The stress is SO not what we need during pregnancy!!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress while so close to your due date! This "insufficient earnings" denial seems to be happening to way too many pregnant women lately. One thing that helped me when I had a similar issue - make sure to keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit to EDD. I'd also recommend sending your reconsideration form via certified mail so you have proof they received it and when. Also, while you're waiting for the wage issue to be resolved, double-check that all your other paperwork is in order - like making sure your doctor's medical certification form is complete and that your expected delivery date matches what's on file. Sometimes they'll use any small discrepancy as an excuse for further delays. Hang in there mama! It sounds like you're on the right track getting this sorted out. The fact that other people here have had the same exact issue and got it resolved gives me hope yours will be fixed soon too.

I went through this exact same frustrating situation 8 months ago when I was 34 weeks pregnant! The "insufficient earnings" denial is unfortunately super common with pregnancy SDI claims - it's usually a system glitch where they calculate the base period wrong or miss quarters of earnings. Since you mentioned you've been working consistently at the same job for 18 months, this is almost certainly an EDD error. Here's what worked for me: 1. File the reconsideration form (DE 1326C) ASAP with all your pay stubs from the correct base period quarters 2. Send it certified mail so you have tracking 3. While waiting, try to get through to speak with someone directly - the Claimyr service mentioned above actually worked for me too after days of failed attempts The good news is once they see the error, it gets fixed pretty quickly. Mine was resolved within a week once I got through to an actual person. Don't let them stress you out more than pregnancy already does - you WILL get this sorted out! Also make sure your medical certification is still valid while this gets resolved. My doctor had to resubmit mine because the process took longer than expected. Keep us posted on how it goes! Sending you positive vibes that this gets resolved super fast 💕

I'm dealing with this EXACT same issue right now at 32 weeks pregnant! Got the "insufficient earnings" denial letter yesterday and I've been working full-time for over 2 years. It's so frustrating because you can literally see all your SDI contributions on every paystub, but somehow their system can't figure it out. Reading through all these responses is giving me hope though - sounds like this is a really common glitch with their base period calculations. I'm going to try the Claimyr service to get through to someone since calling the regular number has been impossible. @Layla Sanders - please keep us updated on how it goes with your correction! We're all rooting for you. The last thing any of us need is this kind of stress when we're already dealing with everything else that comes with being this pregnant. It's honestly ridiculous that so many women are going through this exact same problem. You'd think EDD would have fixed whatever is causing these base period calculation errors by now!

This is so frustrating but unfortunately very common! I went through this exact same denial 6 months ago when I was 35 weeks pregnant. The "insufficient earnings" error is usually because EDD's system is looking at the wrong quarters for your base period calculation. Since you filed in March 2025, your base period should be October 2023 through September 2024. I'd bet money they're either missing one of those quarters or looking at older data. Here's what I learned from my experience: - The reconsideration form (DE 1326C) is definitely faster than a formal appeal - Include pay stubs from ALL quarters in your base period, even if they seem obvious - Send everything certified mail for your records - Keep calling or try that Claimyr service others mentioned - sometimes an agent can fix it immediately The good news is once they identify the error, the correction happens pretty quickly. Mine was resolved within about 10 days total. Try not to stress too much (easier said than done, I know!) - this is clearly a system issue, not anything you did wrong. You've been working and paying into SDI, so you absolutely deserve these benefits! Keep us posted on your progress! 🤞