EDD Disability vs Unemployment: Can I wait to file until after earning higher wages?

Disability (SDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) are completely different programs with different rules. For SDI, there isn't a "benefit year" in the same way as UI. For disability, your benefit amount is based on wages earned during a specific base period, which is the 12-month period approximately 5-18 months before your disability claim begins. So if your higher wages were only in the last 6 months, waiting a bit longer might put those higher wages into your base period calculation. The quarters used for your base period depend on when you file your claim. EDD has a base period calculator on their website you can use to see exactly which months would count.

i was on both at diff times an they r completely diff. disability pays more usually but its harder 2 get. u need a doctor to say ur disabled. unemployment u just gotta be laid off.

To add some clarity here: SDI calculates your benefit amount based on the highest quarter of earnings in your base period. The base period is divided into four quarters, and they look at your earnings in the 5-18 months before your claim starts (not including the most recent completed quarter). Your weekly benefit amount will be approximately 60-70% of your average weekly wage during your highest-paid quarter, up to a maximum of $1,620 per week for 2025. So yes, if you've had higher wages recently, waiting until those wages fall into your base period calculation would likely result in higher benefits. You can actually see when your higher wages would count by using the base period calculator on the EDD website.

When I applied for SDI last year after my accident, the claim rep explained that the base period for disability works on a rolling quarter system. So if you file in January-March 2025, your base period would be October 2023-September 2024. If you file in April-June 2025, your base period would shift to January 2024-December 2024, and so on. If your higher wages started 6 months ago, you might want to calculate when those higher wages would fall into your base period. You're smart to think about timing this! By the way, when I was trying to reach EDD about my claim, I was going crazy with busy signals for days. Then someone told me about Claimyr.com which got me connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It was a lifesaver for getting my specific questions answered.

i got on disability twice and both times they calculated it differently lol so who knows how they ACTUALLY do it. first time was decent payment second time was garbage even tho i was making more money!!! typical edd mess

Just to address your original question directly: Disability and Unemployment are completely different programs. UI has a benefit year that lasts 12 months from when you file, during which you can collect benefits until you exhaust your claim balance. With SDI, you don't have a "benefit year" in the same way - you just have a claim that lasts as long as your doctor certifies you're unable to work, up to a maximum of 52 weeks. If you're trying to maximize your benefit amount, then yes, timing your claim so your highest wages fall within the base period makes sense. From what you've described, waiting a bit longer could potentially increase your benefit amount substantially if your recent higher wages would then be included in the calculation.

OMG the EDD is IMPOSSIBLE to deal with!!!!! I had surgery last year and they denied my disability claim for no reason then took 3 MONTHS to fix it!!! Good luck getting anyone on the phone!

One other factor to consider: if your surgery can wait (medically speaking), you might also look at how many quarters of your higher wages will fall into the base period. If waiting another month would add another full quarter of higher earnings into your calculation, it could make a significant difference in your weekly benefit amount. You can actually estimate your potential weekly benefit amount yourself. Take your highest-paid quarter in the base period, divide by 13 (weeks in a quarter), and multiply by about 0.6-0.7 to get a rough estimate of your weekly benefit.