SDI Benefit Calculation: How far back do they look & weekly amounts for $35k and $21k salaries?
Hey everyone, I'm trying to figure out how SDI benefits are calculated. Does anyone know how far back they look at your earnings? Also, I'm curious about the weekly benefit amount. If someone makes around $35,000 a year, what would their weekly benefit be? And what about for someone making $21,000 a year? Any info would be super helpful!
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Zainab Ismail
I went through this recently! They typically look at your earnings from the past 12-18 months to calculate your SDI benefits. As for the weekly amount, it's usually about 60-70% of your weekly wages. For $35,000 annually, you'd be looking at roughly $673 per week. For $21,000 annually, it would be approximately $404 per week. Hope this helps!
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Connor O'Neill
•Wow, thanks for breaking it down like that! Do you know if there's a maximum benefit amount?
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Zainab Ismail
•Yeah, there is a maximum! For 2023, it's $1,620 per week. But that's for really high earners.
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Yara Nassar
•This is super helpful info! 👍 Do you know if they take taxes out of these amounts or if we have to pay taxes on them later?
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Zainab Ismail
•Good question! SDI benefits are generally not taxable at the federal level, but you might want to check with a tax professional to be sure about your specific situation.
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Keisha Robinson
ugh, i wish i knew this before i applied. i totally underestimated my benefit amount and now im stuck with less than i couldve gotten 😭
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GalaxyGuardian
•Same boat, friend. 🚣♀️ The whole system is so confusing!
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Paolo Ricci
•Can't you appeal or ask for a recalculation? Might be worth a shot!
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Keisha Robinson
•rly? i didnt know that was an option. gonna look into it, thx!
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Amina Toure
Just a heads up, these calculations can get complicated real quick. If you have variable income or worked multiple jobs, it might not be as straightforward. Always best to check with EDD directly for your specific case.
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Oliver Zimmermann
Anyone else feel like they need a PhD to understand all this SDI stuff? 🤯 Why can't they make it simpler?
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Natasha Volkova
•Seriously! It's like they're trying to confuse us on purpose. 🙄
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Javier Torres
•lol true. maybe we should start a "SDI for Dummies" book 📚🤣
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Emma Davis
Hey guys, I found a way to actually get someone on the phone at EDD! I used this site's (claimyr.com) calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, waits for a live agent to pick up, then sends the call to my phone. It does cost $20, but it works. Here's a video about it: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ
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CosmicCaptain
•Sounds too good to be true. Is this legit?
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Emma Davis
•I was skeptical too, but I tried it and it actually worked. Saved me hours of frustration!
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Malik Johnson
•$20 seems steep just to talk to someone. Shouldn't this be free?
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Emma Davis
•I get it, but for me, it was worth it to finally get my questions answered. Time is money, you know?
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Isabella Ferreira
Pro tip: Keep detailed records of all your earnings and hours worked. It'll make the whole process smoother if you need to dispute anything.
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Ravi Sharma
•This! 💯 Learned it the hard way. Now I have a spreadsheet for everything.
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Freya Thomsen
Does anyone know if gig work counts towards SDI calculations? I do some freelancing on the side and I'm not sure if that's included.
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Omar Zaki
•It can, but it gets tricky. You need to make sure you're paying into SDI for that income. Might wanna check with a tax pro.
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Dyllan Nantx
Thanks for posting this question! I'm in a similar situation and this thread has been super informative. One thing I'd add is that the base period they use for calculating your benefits is typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your claim starts. So if you file in February 2025, they'd look at earnings from October 2023 through September 2024. Also, make sure all your employers have been properly reporting your wages to EDD - I had an issue where one of my part-time jobs wasn't showing up and I had to provide pay stubs to get it corrected.
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Brooklyn Knight
•This is really helpful info about the base period calculation! That's exactly the kind of detail that's hard to find elsewhere. Quick question - when you had to provide pay stubs for the missing employer, how long did it take EDD to update your records and recalculate your benefits? I'm worried I might have a similar issue with one of my previous jobs.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Great breakdown on the base period! That calendar quarter explanation really clarifies things. I'm curious though - if someone had a significant pay increase or decrease during that base period, does EDD weight the more recent quarters more heavily, or do they just average everything out equally across all four quarters?
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