Working part-time 1099 hours during CA SDI after childbirth - will it affect my benefits?

congrats on the baby!! i did something similar last yr, worked like 10 hrs a week on a side project while on disability after my c-section. as long as ur doctor approves and u report the income it SHOULD be ok but the EDD website is super confusing on this!

This is tricky. The official EDD SDI rules state that if you're receiving disability benefits, you're certifying that you're unable to perform your "regular or customary work." The key here is that if you start doing ANY work - even if it's different from your regular job - EDD might determine you're no longer disabled. For Pregnancy Disability specifically, if your doctor originally certified you as unable to work, but now you feel able to do part-time 1099 work, EDD could potentially: 1. Reduce your weekly benefit amount based on your earnings 2. Determine you're no longer eligible for full benefits 3. Create complications when you transition to PFL My suggestion: Call EDD directly and ask about your specific situation before accepting. They'll require you to report any income while on claim anyway, so better to know the consequences first!

I've been in your exact situation! When I had my baby in 2023, I was offered some freelance work during my disability period. Here's what I learned after many frustrating calls to EDD: - Working part-time during pregnancy disability can reduce your benefits using their partial benefit calculation - You MUST report ANY income earned during your claim period - Your doctor technically needs to certify that you can work part-time (this varies by doctor) - The transition from SDI to PFL can get complicated if you're working I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually reach a live EDD agent to discuss my situation. They have a service that helps you get through to EDD without the endless hold times. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/1X-mEsLtbmQ?si=1hcSq3KFtCr4oAmd The EDD agent told me exactly how many hours I could work without losing benefits completely. Saved me a ton of stress!

BEWARE!! I did some work during my maternity leave and it completely MESSED UP my claim!! The EDD system is NOT designed to handle partial work - it's all or nothing with them. They ended up FREEZING my entire claim for THREE WEEKS while they "investigated" and I had to send in all kinds of documentation. The stress was NOT worth the extra money! Plus when I transitioned to PFL, they had to do a whole new claim review which took FOREVER. The EDD systems don't talk to each other properly and you end up caught in bureaucratic nonsense. Just take your full leave and enjoy your baby!!

Here's the official guidance based on current EDD rules for 2025: 1. SDI after childbirth: You can work part-time, but you MUST report all earnings and your doctor must certify you're able to perform that specific work 2. Partial benefits calculation: Your weekly SDI amount will be reduced by the amount you earn (minus $25 or 25% of your earnings, whichever is greater) 3. Transitioning to PFL: When you switch to bonding time, you'll need to file a new claim, and working part-time is generally more straightforward during PFL 4. Documentation: Keep meticulous records of all hours worked and income earned during your claim period The key is proper reporting. As long as you're transparent with EDD about your work and income, you can usually maintain partial benefits. But expect paperwork and possible delays.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I think I'm going to try reaching out to EDD first before accepting any work. I'll look into that Claimyr service since I've been having such a hard time getting through. I also need to talk to my doctor - I had no idea I'd need their certification to do part-time work! I have a follow-up appointment next week, so I'll bring it up then. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. This system is so much more complicated than I expected!

my cousin just had this same problem!!! she ended up not doing the work cuz her doc wouldnt sign off on it. said somethin about liability issues if she approved work during recovery period. maybe depends on what kinda birth u had?

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who navigated this recently. I was on SDI after my delivery and ended up doing some freelance graphic design work (also 1099). Here's what worked for me: 1. Got written approval from my OB first - she was actually supportive since it was just computer work from home 2. Called EDD using that Claimyr service (totally worth the fee btw) and spoke to a rep who walked me through the partial benefit calculation 3. Kept detailed records of every hour worked and dollar earned 4. My benefits were reduced but not eliminated - ended up being worth it financially The key thing the EDD rep told me was that as long as the work doesn't interfere with your recovery and your doctor approves it, part-time remote work during pregnancy disability is generally okay. Just be 100% transparent about reporting income. One warning though - make sure you understand how it might affect your PFL transition. I had to provide extra documentation when I switched over, but it wasn't as bad as some people make it sound. Good luck mama!