EDD maternity leave question - Can I work one part-time job while still on disability for my main job?

Yes, you can potentially work one job while receiving benefits for another, but you MUST report any wages you earn. This is a common situation with multiple employers. The key factors are: 1) your doctor needs to certify you're unable to perform your regular/customary work for the main job, 2) you must report ALL earnings from the part-time job on your certification forms, and 3) your benefits may be reduced based on those part-time earnings using EDD's formula. Make sure you're completely transparent with EDD about your situation to avoid potential overpayment issues later.

you should call and ask EDD directly. I got told diffrent things by 2 people on here when i was on leave. One was completely wrong & I almost lost my benifets. dont trust random internet ppl with something this important!!

I was in a similar situation last year with my maternity leave! I had my main hospital job (36hrs/week) and a weekend retail job (10hrs/week). My OBGYN wrote the disability note specifically for the hospital job and mentioned I could still do limited sedentary work. I was able to return to my retail job part-time while still receiving disability benefits for my main position. The most important thing is reporting ALL income on your certification forms. They will reduce your weekly benefit amount based on what you earn part-time. There's a calculation they use - if you earn under a certain amount, they just reduce your benefit proportionally rather than cutting it completely. Make sure your doctor specifically notes on your disability paperwork that you're cleared for limited remote work but not for your main physical job. That documentation is crucial!

I'm going to share something that might help you reach EDD directly to get a definitive answer. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) when I had a similar question about working part-time while on maternity leave. They connected me to an EDD rep in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 The EDD rep told me that as long as my doctor certified I couldn't do my regular work, and I reported all earnings from other employment, I was following the rules. Getting this answer directly from EDD gave me peace of mind.

Be VERY careful with this!! A friend of mine did something similar and ended up with a huge overpayment notice because she didn't document everything perfectly. EDD can be incredibly strict about this stuff and the appeals process is a nightmare. If your part-time income isn't much, it might be safer to just focus on recovery and not risk complications with your benefits.

When I had my baby in 2023, I tried calling EDD to ask almost this exact question and spent 3 days trying to reach someone. By the time I finally got through, the person I talked to seemed confused themselves and gave me a really vague answer. Something about "partial benefits" but couldn't explain the calculation. So frustrating!!!

To answer your question about the certification form - there's actually a specific section where you report work and earnings. You'll enter the hours worked and wages earned for each specific day of the certification period. In the additional information section, you can clarify that these earnings are from a different employer than the one your claim is based on. Be extremely precise with dates and amounts. When you transition to PFL baby bonding, the same rules apply - you must report any part-time earnings. The main difference is that disability is based on your medical inability to perform your regular work, while PFL is about bonding time with your child. As long as you're still using most of your time for bonding and only working minimally, and reporting all earnings, you should be okay. I recommend getting written clarification from EDD about your specific situation before proceeding.

Just wanted to add my experience from 2022 - I was in almost the exact same situation with a remote consulting job while on maternity leave from my main employer. The key thing that saved me was having my doctor write a very specific note that said I was "unable to perform the essential functions of [main job title] due to physical limitations from cesarean delivery, but medically cleared for sedentary computer work not exceeding 10 hours per week." I also kept detailed records of every hour worked and every dollar earned from the part-time job, and reported it all on my certifications. EDD did reduce my weekly benefit amount based on the part-time earnings, but I never had any issues or overpayment notices. The reduction formula they use is actually pretty reasonable - you get to keep most of your benefits plus the part-time income. One tip: when you call EDD, ask them to note your file that you discussed working part-time for a different employer while on leave. Having that conversation documented in their system can help if any questions come up later.

I'm currently going through something similar! I'm on maternity leave from my full-time nursing job but considering doing some freelance graphic design work from home. Reading everyone's experiences here is really helpful. One thing I wanted to add - my sister went through this last year and she said the most important thing was keeping absolutely meticulous records. She created a spreadsheet tracking every single hour worked and dollar earned from her part-time gig, plus screenshots of all her EDD certification submissions showing she reported everything. When EDD did a random audit of her claim 6 months later, having all that documentation saved her from any issues. Also, she mentioned that the EDD reps she spoke with emphasized that the key factor is whether your doctor says you can't do your REGULAR job duties, not whether you can do ANY work at all. So getting that specific language in your medical documentation is crucial. Has anyone here dealt with the audit process? I'm wondering how common those are and what triggers them to review a claim more closely.