Will my IHSS income affect SDI maternity leave application while working part-time?

You definitely need to report ALL income sources when you apply for SDI, including your IHSS wages. The good news is that small amount of IHSS income probably won't significantly impact your benefit calculation, but failing to report it could cause problems later. As for timing, you can apply for SDI as soon as your doctor certifies you can't work due to your pregnancy - you don't have to wait until the baby arrives. Your doctor typically needs to complete the medical portion of your DE2501 form. Most providers will certify disability starting 4 weeks before your due date, sometimes earlier if there are complications.

Thank you! So even though the IHSS is just for 10 hours a month, I should definitely include it? I'm just worried about them denying my claim because technically I'm still being paid for IHSS while on leave. My doctor already said she'd certify me starting Jan 31st.

i was in a similar situation last yr but it was with doordash income (side gig) while working full time. def report everything!!! my friend didnt report her side income and ended up with an AUDIT and had to pay back some benefits. not worth the hassle!!

Oh no, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! Did she have to pay back the whole amount or just a portion? I definitely don't want to deal with an audit.

Let me clarify how this works with IHSS specifically. When you're on SDI for pregnancy disability, you can continue to be an IHSS provider IF you are physically able to perform those duties. EDD does not automatically consider IHSS work incompatible with pregnancy disability. However, you absolutely must report the income. Your SDI benefit amount is calculated primarily based on your highest-earning quarter during your base period (roughly 5-18 months before your claim). The small IHSS income might slightly increase your weekly benefit amount if it was consistent throughout your base period. For your timing question: File your claim on your first day of disability (Jan 31). Don't wait until after delivery. The online system at SDI Online (https://edd.ca.gov/SDI_Online) will allow you to begin the application process up to 49 days after your disability begins, but there's no reason to delay.

This is so helpful! So I can actually continue doing the IHSS hours during my pregnancy disability if I'm physically able to? I wasn't sure if that would be considered

Just dropping in to say DO NOT WAIT to file! I waited too long after my disability started (thought I needed the baby's birth certificate first LOL) and it delayed my benefits by almost 3 weeks. File online as soon as your disability begins on 1/31. The system is pretty straightforward but expect to wait FOREVER if you need to call them with questions. I spent 3+ hours on hold multiple times trying to get simple answers.

If you need to reach an EDD rep without the crazy wait times, try Claimyr.com - it's a service that gets you through to a real EDD agent usually within 10-15 mins. Saved me so much frustration when I had to fix an issue with my maternity claim last year. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. I used it twice and got through quickly both times.

That service sounds amazing! The EDD wait times are terrifying. I'll keep this in my back pocket in case I run into problems. Thanks!

congrats on the baby!! i had my second in november and the SDI process was actually easier than i thought. just make sure ur doctor submits their part quickly bc mine took forever and delayed everything!!!!

EDD is ABSOLUTE GARBAGE with providing clear information about this stuff!!! I was an IHSS provider for my mom (15 hrs/week) while working another job and when I went on maternity leave, they gave me completely wrong information THREE TIMES about how to handle the reporting. I ended up with an overpayment notice for $2,300 that I'm still fighting. The system is designed to CONFUSE people. Document EVERYTHING. Save screenshots of all your submissions. Record phone calls if your state allows it. Trust me on this.

Oh that's really concerning... I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Did you continue with your IHSS work during your pregnancy disability? That's the part I'm most confused about.

Yes, I continued the IHSS work (it was for my mom, not as physically demanding as my main job). That's what caused the confusion. Different EDD reps told me different things about how to report it. One said to stop IHSS work completely, another said it was fine to continue but report the income each certification period, and a third said I should have filed two separate claims. Complete mess. If you continue IHSS work, document EVERYTHING and get clarification in writing if possible.

To follow up on the timing question - since your doctor is certifying you starting 1/31, you should create your SDI Online account NOW if you haven't already. Then submit your claim on 1/31 or 2/1. Your doctor will need to complete their portion either electronically or via paper form. Here's what will happen next: 1. After submitting your initial pregnancy disability claim, you'll receive benefits for up to 4 weeks before birth and 6-8 weeks after (depending on delivery type). 2. About 5-6 weeks after delivery, you'll want to transition to PFL for baby bonding (separate application). 3. During both benefit periods, you'll need to report any IHSS income. For the IHSS work - as others have mentioned, you can continue this work during pregnancy disability IF you are physically capable of performing those specific duties. The key point is that disability is TASK-SPECIFIC, not blanket coverage for all types of work. Since caring for your son might involve different physical requirements than your retail job, it's possible to be disabled from one but not the other.

This is really helpful - I didn't realize disability was task-specific. That makes so much sense now! My retail job involves a lot of standing and lifting, while the IHSS is mostly supervision and minimal physical work. I've already created my SDI account so I'll be ready to file on 1/31. For the transition to PFL for baby bonding, do I need to wait until my pregnancy disability ends or can I apply for that in advance too?

when i had my twins in 2025 i completely forgot to mention my small etsy shop income on my SDI application and nothing bad happened lol... but probably better to report everything to be safe

This is exactly how people end up with overpayment notices months or years later. EDD can and does cross-reference income reporting with tax records. The system sometimes catches these discrepancies during annual audits, which is why some people