Will my EDD SDI disability payments go on my existing unemployment debit card?

Yes, your disability payments will be loaded onto the same Bank of America EDD debit card that you used for unemployment benefits. The card works for all EDD benefit programs (unemployment, disability, and paid family leave). As long as your card hasn't expired, you're all set! Just make sure your address is current in the system so you receive any notices.

BE CAREFUL!!! If your card is more than 3 years old it might be EXPIRED even if you still have it!! Check the expiration date on the front!!! I learned this the HARD WAY and had to wait almost 2 weeks for a new card while my payments were stuck in limbo!!! The EDD system is such a NIGHTMARE about this stuff and they don't warn you!!!

same thing for me they put it on my old card but make sure u can log into the BofA prepaid website to check ur balance some people forget their password and have trouble resetting it

I had unemployment in 2023 and got disability in January this year. My disability pay went to the same card but they sent me a new one anyway for some reason? So I ended up with two identical cards lol. The system is weird sometimes.

If you're having any issues with your claim, I recommend using Claimyr to get through to an EDD agent. I was in the same boat about payment method confusion, spent days trying to call with no luck. Tried Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to a disability rep in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd. Saved me so much stress when I needed to confirm my payment details.

they use the same card but u can also set up direct deposit if u want to ur regular bank account. thats what i did cuz i hate using that stupid edd card and all the fees. just go into ur SDI online account and theres an option somewhere to change payment method

ALSO make sure you've done all your certifications!!! Sometimes the payments don't show up because you missed certifying for a period!!! The SDI certification schedule is DIFFERENT from unemployment so don't assume it works the same way!!!

When I was on maternity leave last year they used my old unemployment card too but took forever to actually deposit the money. Like 3 weeks after approval before I saw a penny! So don't count on it being fast just because you already have the card.

Does ANYONE know why the EDD can't just use DIRECT DEPOSIT like EVERY OTHER NORMAL ORGANIZATION in 2025???!!!! This stupid card system is so OUTDATED!!!! I'm on my second disability claim and I HATE having to deal with this card nonsense EVERY TIME!!!

My sister got a new card automatically even though she had an old one so maybe just depends on how old your card is? I think they expire after a few years regardless if you've been using them or not.

Just went through this exact situation last month! Your SDI payments will definitely go to the same EDD debit card you used for unemployment. The key thing is making sure your card hasn't expired - mine was from 2022 and still worked fine. One tip: download the Bank of America EDD app if you haven't already, makes it way easier to check your balance and transfer money to your regular bank account. Also, even though your award letter doesn't mention payment timing, I got my first disability payment about 10 days after approval. Hope your back heals up quick!

I went through this same situation about 6 months ago when I transitioned from unemployment to disability for a shoulder injury. Yes, they'll use your existing EDD debit card as long as it's not expired - no need to wait for a new one! Just make sure your address is updated in the system in case they need to send you any notices. One thing that helped me was calling the Bank of America EDD customer service line (not EDD directly) to confirm my card was still active before my first payment was scheduled. They were actually pretty helpful and could verify everything was set up correctly. Also, if you're tight on timing for rent, you might want to check if your landlord accepts partial payments - my first disability payment was slightly less than my unemployment was, so it caught me off guard. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been through both unemployment and disability with EDD. Your payments will definitely go to the same debit card, but here's something nobody mentioned yet - if you haven't used your card in over a year, Bank of America sometimes puts a security hold on it even if it's not expired. I had this happen and had to call them to reactivate it before my first disability payment could go through. Only took about 5 minutes on the phone but could have caused a delay if I hadn't been proactive. Since you mentioned your card is from last year, you're probably fine, but might be worth giving them a quick call just to make sure everything's ready to go. Also, keep all your disability paperwork together - you'll need it if any issues come up. Hope your back heals quickly and you can get back to work soon!

I can confirm that your SDI disability payments will go to the same EDD debit card you used for unemployment! I just went through this exact situation 3 months ago when I had to go on disability for a knee surgery. The payments showed up on my existing card without any issues. One thing I'd recommend is logging into the Bank of America EDD website to make sure your card is still active and check the expiration date - mine was fine but I wanted to be 100% sure before my first payment. Also, keep in mind that your first disability payment might take a bit longer than expected (mine took about 12 days after approval), so if you're cutting it close with rent, maybe give your landlord a heads up. The good news is once the payments start, they're pretty consistent. Hope your back injury heals up fast and you can get back to normal soon!

Hey Pedro! I went through this exact same situation about 8 months ago when I had to transition from unemployment to disability for a work-related wrist injury. Your SDI payments will absolutely go to the same EDD debit card you used for unemployment - no need to worry about waiting for a new card! The system is designed to use the same Bank of America EDD card for all their benefit programs. Just make sure your card hasn't expired (check the date on the front) and that your address is current in their system. One thing I learned the hard way - even though you have the card, I'd recommend calling Bank of America EDD customer service (the number on the back of your card) just to confirm it's still active, especially since it's been over a year. Sometimes they put holds on cards that haven't been used in a while for security reasons. My first disability payment took about 10 days after approval, so you should be good for rent if you just got approved. Hang in there with the back injury - I know how stressful it is dealing with both the physical pain and the financial uncertainty!

Hey Pedro! I actually just went through this same situation a few weeks ago when I had to go on disability for a herniated disc. Your disability payments will definitely go to the same EDD debit card you used for unemployment - that's exactly what happened with mine. The card works for all EDD benefit programs, so no worries about waiting for a new one! Just double-check that your card hasn't expired (the date is on the front) and make sure your address is updated in their system. One thing I'd suggest is testing your card at an ATM or trying to log into the Bank of America EDD website to make sure it's still active, especially since it's been over a year. My first disability payment showed up about 9 days after I got my approval letter, so you should be in good shape for rent. Hope your back heals up quickly - I know how tough it is dealing with the pain and stress of everything at once!

Hey Pedro! I went through this exact situation about 4 months ago when I had to go on disability for a back injury too. Your SDI payments will definitely go to the same EDD debit card you used for unemployment - no need to wait for a new card! Just make sure to check the expiration date on your card since it's been over a year. I'd also recommend calling the Bank of America EDD customer service line (number on the back of your card) to verify it's still active, especially since you haven't used it in a while. Sometimes they put security holds on inactive cards. My first disability payment took about 8 days after approval, so you should be good for rent timing. One heads up though - your disability weekly amount might be different from what you got on unemployment since it's calculated differently (based on your recent wages vs. unemployment formula). Hope your back heals up soon! The financial stress on top of the physical pain is no joke.