Do I have to claim my SDI (California benefits) as income on my federal taxes for tax year 2016?

[rickysturbo57]

Do I have to claim my SDI (California paid benefits) as income on my federal taxes for tax year 2016 when I file?

[GeoffreyG · Accepted solution]

Probably not.  California State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefits are generally not taxable, either on a federal level or on a state level.  In fact, they are never taxable, except when considered to be a substitute for unemployment compensation, and when paid to an individual who is ineligible for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits only because of the disability.

If that is the case, where SDI benefits are received in lieu of UI benefits, then the California Employment Development Department (EDD) will provide the claimant with a Form 1099-G, showing the amount of the taxable benefits (if any).

Thus, if you don't have a 1099-G indicating that your SDI benefits are taxable, you may safely exclude all of your SDI income from any tax return or form.  For more information on this topic, you can read summary tax guidance provided by the California EDD itself at the following webpage:

http://www.edd.ca.gov/Disability/FAQ_Employers_Benefits.htm

(See the FAQ:  Is SDI reportable for tax purposes.)

Thank you for asking this important question.

[famoso619]

Is that CASDI?

[webdev]

Yes, if someone received California State Disability Insurance (SDI) benefit payments (checks) from California Employment Development Department (EDD). No, if you are referring to the payroll deduction you see on your paystub that is also called CA-SDI and is included on someone's W-2. For those who may not know, the funds collected from the payroll deductions are used to fund the SDI benefits received by people who are on short-term (less than 1 year) disability. Women who are pregnant are covered first by SDI, then by Paid Family Leave (PFL) after giving birth.

[Badongvaleriano]

How come to i can claim sdi 2017

[Krystal goodloe]

 I got something from you guys saying that you guys owe me from 2016 so I'm following directions to see what's going on

[DawnC]

Who did you get an email from - and about what?    @Krystal goodloe

Avoid phishing scams and spoofed sites

Phishing emails usually contain messages directing the recipient to a “spoof website”—a bogus version of a legitimate business' website. The messages often appear to be from an organization that the recipient is associated with financially, such as a bank, tax software provider, or the Internal Revenue Service.

[Yakov]

thanks