State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits can help a Californian live through the days they are not earning income and, spend the time recovering their health. They can get enough benefits to pay for the basic costs of living.

The amount Californians get depends on their income they earned at work.

The Current Amounts

Benefits amounts do change over time. Since January 1, 2010, the lowest weekly benefits amount has been $50 and the highest weekly amount $987. Comfortable working class wages are enough to get the maximum. No worker will come too short on income when they get the minimum amount, no matter how little the earnings were during their time at work.

Less Than The Money Earned To Spend

Income will drop during the time our of work. But not too low. The amount is around 55 percent the workers income, unless a low income worker would get less than the minimum or a middle to high income worker would get more than the maximum. The more money a Californian earns and the more they pay into the disability insurance fund in payroll taxes, the more money they can get in benefits.

Disability insurance guarantees there is a limit to how low income can drop. In California, productive work adds to both the income count and the count stored for the financially insecure days that follow the first day of an injury or an illness, or the first day of a pregnancy or the birth of a new child.

The Benefits Counts

Workers can count up their costs by week, by day, or for the long run. They just have to count out the benefits. Weekly benefits are the usual benefits. The daily benefit is calculated by dividing the weekly benefit amount by 7. The most a worker can get before running out of benefits is the weekly amount multiplied by 52 weeks, or if the total income earned during the base period is lower, that amount.

The Base Period

The Employment Development Department (EDD) always uses the same amount to calculate benefits amounts. The amount of income earned during 12 months before the health condition changed, or the family situation changed, and time was taken off work. The first four quarters of the last five full quarters is the base period.

The Amount Makes A Difference

All the time the worker spends not working can go by without any harsh cuts in spending. Payments will get deposited in the account for an EDD Bank of America debit card that lasts three years.

Source:

California Employment Development Department, California Employers Guide 2011 (Internet, January 2011).