Welcome to the Employment Development Department

For Employers

The SDI programs are State-mandated, and funded through employee payroll deductions. California workers covered by SDI are covered by two programs: Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave.

  • Disability Insurance(DI)
    Protects your workers against partial wage loss due to a disability that is not work related. The DI allows you to redirect funds that you would otherwise use to provide your worker with short–term disability protection into a more competitive employee benefit package.
  • Paid Family Leave (PFL)
    Your employees who need to take time off work to care for their seriously ill child, spouse, parent, or registered domestic partner, or to bond with a new minor child will receive approximately 55 percent of their salary in PFL benefit payments.
  • Elective Coverage
    What will you do if you need to take time off from work due to your own illness / injury or pregnancy related condition, or to care for a seriously ill family member or bond with a new minor child? Through this program, self–employed individuals and business owners can protect themselves against the loss of income due to injury, pregnancy, or illness or PFL–related needs.
  • Voluntary Plan
    California law allows employers or a majority of employees to apply to EDD for approval of a Voluntary Plan (VP) for the payment of Disability Insurance (DI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) insurance benefits to their employees in lieu of the mandatory State plan coverage. To be approved for a VP, the employer must post a security deposit with the EDD to guarantee that it meets all obligations of the VP. The benefits and rights under a VP must equal to or exceed the State plan in all respects and provide at least one greater right or benefit than provided by the State plan.