EDD maternity disability payment schedule - always bi-weekly or based on filing date?

EDD disability payments are issued according to a set schedule - it's every two weeks from the date they processed your first certification, not necessarily every other Friday for everyone. Your payment schedule is determined by when your claim was established in their system. Since you filed on March 10th, you should expect payments roughly every 14 days from when they processed your first certification form (not filing date). \n\nYou'll get a debit card in the mail first, and payments will be automatically deposited to it unless you set up direct deposit on the EDD website. The first payment might take a bit longer because they need to mail the card.

Thank you! So if they processed my first certification on March 15th (according to my online account), should I expect payments around the 29th, then April 12th, and so on? I'm just nervous because I have my mortgage due on the 1st and wasn't sure if I should dip into savings or if I'll have the payment by then.

my payments came on tuesdays!! not fridays. and they were exactly 2 weeks apart every time. but my friend who filed like a week after me got hers on thursdays. so def not same day for everyone

That's really helpful to know, thanks! Did your first payment take longer to arrive than the subsequent ones?

It's based on when YOUR claim was processed, not a universal schedule!!! When I was on pregnancy disability in 2024, my payments came every other Wednesday like clockwork. My first payment took almost 3 weeks to arrive after approval (SO FRUSTRATING), but after that it was consistent. \n\nThe EDD website is USELESS for explaining this. They just say \

If you're having trouble reaching EDD, I used Claimyr to get through to an agent when I had payment questions with my maternity disability claim. They connect you with an EDD rep without the hours of waiting on hold. It worked really well - got through in about 20 minutes instead of spending all day redialing. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5

Omg where was this when I needed it?? I literally wasted two entire days trying to get through. Saving this for when I need to deal with the baby bonding portion!

To clarify some confusion in this thread: SDI (State Disability Insurance) for pregnancy typically follows a biweekly payment schedule based on when your claim was established, not on a universal calendar. Here's how it works:\n\n1. After your claim is approved, your payment schedule is set\n2. Payments are issued every two weeks if you complete your certifications on time\n3. Your specific payment day (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) depends on your claim processing date\n4. First payments often take longer due to card issuance and initial processing\n5. Subsequent payments are more predictable if you certify on time\n\nFor your March 10th filing with March 15th processing, I'd recommend having backup funds for your April 1st mortgage just in case the timing doesn't line up perfectly. Your first payment might arrive just before or just after that date.

This is super helpful, thank you! I'll make sure to keep some savings accessible just in case. Does transitioning from SDI pregnancy disability to PFL baby bonding cause any payment delays? I'm trying to plan for that transition too.

when i had my baby last yr my payments came on mondays but my sister got hers on thursdays so its different for evryone

I just went through this whole process! So for SDI during pregnancy, I got paid every other Tuesday. But here's where it gets annoying - when I switched to baby bonding PFL after birth, my payment schedule CHANGED and I started getting paid on Fridays instead. No explanation why! Something about it being a new claim even though it's all connected. Just a heads up that might happen to you too.

Oh wow, I hadn't even considered that the payment days might change between SDI and PFL. That's really good to know - I'll definitely need to budget carefully during that transition period. Did you experience any gap between your last SDI payment and first PFL payment?

YES! There was about a 2.5 week gap between my last SDI payment and first PFL payment. Even though I filed the PFL claim before my SDI ended. Something about

To answer your follow-up question - your payment dates would be approximately March 29, April 12, April 26, etc. if your claim was processed on the 15th. But don't count on exact dates - sometimes they're a day early or a day late. \n\nAnd as someone else mentioned, when you transition from pregnancy disability to baby bonding PFL, there's often a delay of 1-3 weeks, AND your payment schedule might change. This happens because technically you're filing a new claim (DE2508 form for PFL instead of DE2501 for disability).\n\nWhen planning for your mortgage, I'd recommend keeping at least 4-5 weeks worth of essential expenses accessible during your entire leave period, especially during the transition from SDI to PFL.

Thank you so much for the specific dates and detailed advice! I'm going to move some additional money from our long-term savings just to be safe during the transition period. Really appreciate everyone's help with this!

Just went through this exact situation! I'm currently on my PFL baby bonding leave and can confirm what others are saying. My SDI payments during pregnancy came every other Thursday, and I got my first payment about 10 days after my claim was processed (not approved - processed). One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure you're certifying for benefits every two weeks on time through your EDD portal. If you miss the certification deadline, it can delay your payment by several days or even push it to the next cycle. Also, definitely keep extra savings handy for the SDI to PFL transition. Mine had a 3-week gap even though I filed the PFL paperwork early. The systems don't talk to each other as smoothly as they should. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

I'm currently going through the same process and can add some recent experience! Filed my SDI claim in early February and my payments have been coming every other Wednesday like clockwork. What I learned from calling EDD (after waiting 2+ hours on hold) is that your payment day is assigned based on the last digit of your Social Security Number and when your claim gets processed - it's not random but there is a system to it. One tip that saved me stress: download the EDD mobile app if you haven't already. It makes certifying for benefits much easier and you can check your payment status without logging into the full website. Plus you get push notifications when it's time to certify, which helps avoid those delays Lucas mentioned. For budgeting purposes, I'd definitely echo what others said about keeping extra funds available. My first payment took 12 days to arrive after processing, but every payment since then has been exactly 14 days apart. The debit card arrived about 5 days before my first payment was deposited, which was nice timing.

Adding to this helpful thread as someone who just finished the entire SDI to PFL process! My experience was similar to others - SDI payments came every other Friday (filed in January 2024), but here's something I haven't seen mentioned yet: if your baby arrives earlier or later than your due date, it can affect the transition timing. I delivered 10 days early and had to update my SDI claim end date, which then delayed my PFL start by an extra week while they processed the change. So definitely notify EDD immediately when baby arrives if it's not on your expected due date! Also, one money-saving tip: if you're getting the EDD debit card, you can transfer funds to your regular bank account for free through their website to avoid ATM fees. The card has pretty limited fee-free ATM locations, so I just transferred everything over each payment. Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy and navigating all this paperwork! It's confusing but the payments do eventually become predictable once you get through the initial setup period.

Just wanted to add my recent experience to help with your planning! I filed my SDI claim in late February and got my first payment exactly 14 days after my claim was processed (not filed). My payments come every other Monday, and they've been super consistent once I got past that first longer wait. One thing I learned that might help - you can actually call EDD and ask them to confirm your specific payment schedule once your claim is processed. I did this after reading horror stories online about unpredictable timing, and the rep was able to tell me exactly which Mondays to expect payments. It really helped with budgeting peace of mind. Also, definitely certify online as early as possible during your certification window (usually opens Sunday night for the following two weeks). I've been certifying Sunday evenings and getting paid the following Monday like clockwork. The few times I waited until later in the week to certify, my payment was delayed by 2-3 days. Hope this helps and congratulations on your upcoming arrival! The EDD process is stressful but once you get into the rhythm it becomes much more manageable.

I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant and just submitted my SDI claim last week, so this thread is incredibly helpful! Based on everyone's experiences, it sounds like I should expect my first payment about 10-14 days after processing, then every two weeks after that on whatever day gets assigned to me. One question I haven't seen addressed - has anyone had issues with their doctor's certification forms causing delays? My OB's office said they submitted everything electronically, but I'm worried about potential hiccups since this is my first time dealing with EDD. Also, for those who mentioned the EDD mobile app, does it show the status of your doctor's paperwork too, or just your own certification submissions? Planning to follow the advice about keeping extra savings accessible during the SDI to PFL transition. It's frustrating that there are these gaps between programs, but at least now I know to expect it and can prepare accordingly. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences!