Working part-time while on EDD Disability? Reporting income question

u can work part time on disability but ur benefits get reduced. i think u need to report on those forms they send u every 2 weeks

Yes, you can definitely work part-time while receiving SDI benefits, but you MUST report your income. The forms you'll receive are called "Disability Continued Claim Certification" (DE 2500A) and there's a specific section where you report any work and earnings during your claim period. Your benefit amount will be reduced if you earn over a certain threshold. EDD uses a formula where they deduct earnings that exceed 55% of your pre-disability weekly income from your weekly benefit amount. Keep all your pay stubs and be very accurate with reporting - mistakes can lead to overpayment issues later.

I just went through this last year! Make sure you're VERY careful about reporting every penny. My coworker got hit with an overpayment notice because she wasn't clear about her part-time hours. The EDD paperwork isn't super clear IMO.

I HATE how confusing EDD makes all this!!!!! They don't explain ANYTHING properly and then penalize YOU when mistakes happen! I had disability last summer and worked one shift at my job and the whole thing got so messed up I almost lost ALL my benefits because of their stupid system. Be careful and document EVERYTHING you submit to them!!!!

One important thing to understand is that SDI and unemployment are completely different programs, even though both are administered by EDD. With SDI, the key is that your doctor has certified you can work reduced hours. You'll report your wages on the continued claim forms (DE 2500A) that you'll receive every two weeks. Also, make sure your employer knows about your disability claim. Some employers have integration with SDI where they'll pay you the difference between your SDI benefits and your regular wages for approved disability leaves. This is sometimes called "SDI integration" or "wage continuation.

When I was on disability last year i had the worst time trying to get through to an actual person at EDD when I had questions about my part-time earnings. Kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message for WEEKS until I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a rep in about 20 minutes. Totally worth it for getting actual answers about my specific situation. There's a video on how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km and their website is claimyr.com

Just to add something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure your doctor knows you're working part-time while on disability. They need to certify that you're cleared for limited work hours as part of your medical restrictions. If your certification paperwork says you're unable to work at all, but you're reporting wages, it could create problems with your claim. The paperwork needs to specifically indicate partial disability with approved limited hours.

I think u need to also tell ur employer bout the part time situation not just EDD? My HR dept handled alot of the paperwork for me when I was in a similar situation

my wife got so confused with all the forms she just stopped working completely till her disability was over lol sometimes its easier that way tbh

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I'm going to make sure my doctor updates my certification to specifically state I can work limited hours, report all my earnings on the DE 2500A forms, keep copies of everything, and talk to my HR department about any company-specific policies. Really appreciate all the advice!

One more thing to keep in mind - if you're working for the same employer that you were with before your disability claim, they might have specific return-to-work protocols. Some companies require their own medical clearance forms in addition to what EDD needs. Also, make sure you understand your state's disability discrimination laws - your employer is required to provide reasonable accommodations for your medical condition. Document any conversations you have with HR or your manager about your reduced hours just in case any issues come up later. Good luck with your recovery!

I went through this exact situation about 6 months ago! One thing I learned that might help - when you're filling out the DE 2500A forms, they ask for your "gross earnings" for each week. Make sure you report the actual week you earned the money, not when you got paid. So if you worked Monday-Friday but got paid the following week, report it for the week you actually worked. This tripped me up initially and caused some confusion with my benefit calculations. Also, keep a simple log of your daily hours worked - it makes filling out the forms so much easier than trying to remember everything later!