I just went through this same situation 4 months ago and can confirm what everyone else is saying - you cannot delay SDI benefits after delivery. I had the exact same misconception initially! What helped me was understanding that SDI pregnancy benefits are structured in two distinct phases: 1. Pre-delivery disability (up to 4 weeks before due date) - this part IS optional 2. Post-delivery recovery disability (6-8 weeks after birth) - this part is NOT optional and must start at delivery The key insight is that once you give birth, you're automatically considered medically disabled for recovery purposes. Your doctor will certify this disability period, and EDD requires you to claim benefits starting from your delivery date if you're taking any time off work. However, I found a great solution working with my HR department: they coordinated my company's paid leave with SDI through "concurrent benefits." During my 8-week recovery period (I had a C-section), I received both SDI payments AND my company topped up the remaining amount to reach my full salary. This gave me the best of both worlds without any timing games. My suggestion: Schedule a meeting with HR and ask specifically about "concurrent benefits" or "wage supplementation during SDI." Most established companies have policies for exactly this situation. You'll likely end up with better total compensation than trying to sequence the benefits separately, plus you avoid any risk of EDD issues. The system really is designed to work together - I just wish someone had explained it to me this clearly from the start!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm 32 weeks pregnant and was having the exact same confusion about timing SDI benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly enlightening. Just to add my perspective as someone currently navigating this - I met with my HR representative last week after initially thinking I could delay SDI, and they confirmed what everyone here is saying. Our company has a "benefit coordination" policy where they supplement SDI payments to bring you up to 100% salary during the disability period. What I found really helpful was asking HR for a written timeline showing exactly how the benefits work together. They gave me a document that breaks down: - Weeks 1-6 post-delivery: SDI + company supplementation = full salary - Weeks 7-14: Paid Family Leave for bonding - Additional weeks: Company's separate parental leave policy (if applicable) I think the key thing I learned is that most established companies have already figured out how to coordinate state and company benefits optimally. We don't need to game the system - the system is designed to work together! For anyone else in this situation: definitely ask your HR for a written breakdown of how your specific company coordinates benefits. It takes all the guesswork out of it and helps you plan your finances properly. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this community is so valuable for navigating these complex systems!

Yo finalmente recibí mi pago ayer, después de 5 semanas de espera. No pierdan la esperanza, amigos!

Yo acabo de recibir mi primer pago después de 6 semanas de espera! Lo que más me ayudó fue llamar múltiples veces al día hasta que alguien contestara. También recomiendo verificar que su información bancaria esté correcta en el sistema - aparentemente ese fue parte del problema en mi caso. No se rindan, eventualmente llega! 💪

I just went through this last month! No tax forms for SDI. But make sure you keep track of how much you received anyway. My friend who does taxes told me it's good practice to keep records of all income even if it's not taxable, just in case you ever get audited. Better safe than sorry!

Just wanted to add my experience - I was on SDI for 8 weeks after knee surgery last year and can confirm what others are saying. No tax forms from EDD for disability benefits, and my tax preparer said not to worry about reporting it. The only thing I'd suggest is keeping your benefit payment records from your SDI Online account, just for your own files. It's nice to have documentation showing the dates and amounts in case you ever need it for other purposes (like applying for loans or anything that asks about income history). Recovery went smoothly and the whole SDI process was actually pretty straightforward once I got through the initial paperwork!

i had a baby in 2023 and the BEST advice i can give you is document EVERYTHING. time of calls, who you talked to, what they said. because when i finally got thru they tried to tell me different things each time. when i could quote exactly what the last person said they suddenly "found" my paperwork lol

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress during your pregnancy! I just went through something similar last month and wanted to share what finally worked for me. After weeks of getting nowhere with the regular phone lines, I ended up contacting my local state senator's office (not just assembly - try both!). They have dedicated EDD caseworkers who can expedite urgent cases. Since you have preeclampsia concerns and are due in 3 weeks, this definitely qualifies as urgent medical need. When I called, I explained that I was pregnant with complications and hadn't received SDI payments for 6 weeks despite proper documentation. They submitted a priority inquiry that same day, and EDD called ME back within 48 hours to resolve the issue. Turns out there was a glitch in their system that flagged my claim for manual review but no one was assigned to review it. Also, if you haven't already, try logging into your SDI Online account from a different browser or device. Sometimes their website doesn't display all the information properly, and there might be a document request or message you can't see. The representative told me that pregnancy disability claims with medical complications (like preeclampsia) should be processed as priority cases, so definitely mention that when you do get through to someone. Hang in there - you WILL get your money, and it should be backdated to your first day of disability. Focus on your health and that baby! 💕

This is such a perfect example of why the EDD system needs major improvements! The fact that something as common as switching from vaginal delivery to C-section can cause weeks of payment delays is absolutely ridiculous. New parents shouldn't have to become claims experts just to get the benefits they're legally entitled to. I'm so glad you persisted and got it resolved, Ethan - your story will definitely help others who find themselves in the same frustrating situation. It's crazy that manual intervention was needed for something that should be a routine system update. Hopefully EDD will eventually streamline this process, but until then, posts like yours are invaluable for helping people know when to push back instead of just waiting indefinitely.

This entire thread is incredibly valuable for anyone dealing with pregnancy disability claims! What strikes me most is how common this issue seems to be, yet there's virtually no clear information from EDD about what to expect when delivery methods change. Ethan, I'm so glad you shared your experience and kept everyone updated - it really shows the importance of advocating for yourself rather than just assuming delays are normal. The fact that multiple people here have dealt with similar processing issues suggests this is a systemic problem that EDD should address. For anyone else facing this situation, it seems like the key takeaways are: 1) delivery method changes trigger manual reviews that aren't well communicated, 2) the payments will eventually come through retroactively, but 3) you may need to speak with a representative to get things moving. Thanks to everyone who contributed their knowledge here - this is exactly the kind of real-world insight that helps navigate these bureaucratic maze situations!