California Paid Leave Calculator: California PFL and SDI Benefits (2026)

How much does California PFL and SDI pay in California?

State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) pay 90 percent of your average weekly wage if it is $1,252.30 or less (70 percent of the state average weekly wage of $1,789), otherwise 70 percent, up to $1,765 a week. A worker on $1,500 a week receives about $1,127.07, 75 percent of pay. Benefits run for up to 52 weeks for your own disability and 8 weeks for family leave, counted separately. Waiting period: none for PFL. SDI has a 7-day unpaid waiting period per disability claim. To qualify you need at least $300 in SDI-covered wages in the base period, with no minimum tenure. The program is funded by a 1.3 percent employee payroll deduction on all wages; employers pay nothing. The cap and the 90 percent threshold reset every January 1. Figures effective January 1, 2026, checked September 14, 2026.

How is the California weekly benefit calculated?

State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) pay 90 percent of your average weekly wage if it is $1,252.30 or less (70 percent of the state average weekly wage of $1,789), otherwise 70 percent, up to $1,765 a week. The state works out your average weekly wage from the wages your employers reported for the base period, not from your current pay stub, so a recent raise or a change of hours may not be reflected yet.

Three examples with the current figures. A California worker earning $800 a week receives about $720, which is 90 percent of pay. At $1,500 a week the benefit is $1,127.07, or 75 percent. At $3,000 a week it is $1,765, because the $1,765 weekly maximum applies, or 59 percent. Anyone earning about $2,530 a week or more in California receives the maximum, so the share of pay replaced keeps falling as wages rise above that. The weekly floor is $50.

How many weeks does California PFL and SDI pay?

SDI pays up to 52 weeks for your own disability, including pregnancy; PFL pays up to 8 weeks in a 12-month period for bonding, caregiving, or a military exigency. The two run separately, so a birth parent commonly stacks SDI and then PFL. The calculator caps the weeks you enter at the limit for the leave type you choose and shows the total, so you can see at a glance what 52 weeks would be worth at your wage.

Waiting period: None for PFL. SDI has a 7-day unpaid waiting period per disability claim. Where a program has an unpaid first week, most employers let you cover it with sick leave or PTO, and several states require them to allow it if you ask.

Who qualifies for California PFL and SDI?

At least $300 in wages subject to SDI withholding during the base period (roughly 5 to 18 months before the claim). No minimum tenure with the employer.

Who pays for it: Employees pay 1.3 percent of all wages in 2026, with no taxable wage ceiling. Employers pay nothing toward SDI or PFL. The benefit itself comes from the state fund or an approved private plan, not from your employer's payroll, which is why it continues if you change jobs during the base period and why it is separate from any company parental or sick leave you also have.

Is your job protected while you receive California PFL and SDI?

SDI and PFL pay money only. Job protection comes from the federal FMLA and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA, employers with 5 or more employees), which run alongside the benefit.

The state job-protection law that applies in California: California Family Rights Act: 12 weeks per year, employers with 5 or more (Gov. Code 12945.2). Pregnancy Disability Leave: up to 4 months, employers with 5 or more (Gov. Code 12945). The federal FMLA adds 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for employees with 12 months of service and 1,250 hours at an employer with 50 or more employees, and where both apply the paid benefit and the FMLA run at the same time rather than back to back.

When do the California figures change?

The maximum weekly benefit and the 90 percent threshold reset every January 1 with the state average weekly wage. The figures on this page took effect on January 1, 2026 and were checked on September 14, 2026 against the amounts published by California Employment Development Department (EDD). Statute: Cal. Unemp. Ins. Code 2601 ff. (Disability Insurance) and 3300 ff. (Paid Family Leave).