Updated April 2026 · 7 min read

In this article
The formula in 5 steps Worked example: $72,000 salary Worked example: $22,000 salary (90% tier) Why your number might differ from EDD's EDD's official calculator vs ours

The formula in 5 steps

How EDD calculates your PFL benefit — 5-step flowchart: identify base period, find 4 quarters, pick highest quarter, divide by 13, apply 70% or 90% rate, capped at $1,765

The complete EDD formula visualized

Step 1: find your base period

EDD looks at a 12-month window of your past wages. Which 12 months depends on when you file. The base period always ends at least one full quarter before your claim starts. (Full breakdown in our base period article.)

Step 2: find your highest-paid quarter

Out of the four quarters in your base period, EDD picks the one where your employer reported the most wages. They don't average the quarters. They don't total the year. Just the single best quarter.

Step 3: calculate your average weekly wage (AWW)
AWW = Highest Quarter Wages / 13

Why 13? A calendar quarter has 13 weeks (well, 13.04, but EDD rounds). This gives your average weekly earnings during your best quarter.

Step 4: pick the rate
If AWW <= $1,252 → rate = 90%
If AWW > $1,252 → rate = 70%

No sliding scale. No blending. One threshold, two outcomes. (More on how this works and the cliff effect in our 70% vs 90% article.)

Step 5: calculate and cap
Weekly Benefit = min(AWW x Rate, $1,765)

Multiply AWW by the rate. If the result exceeds $1,765, it gets capped. The cap for 2026 is $1,765/week. (See our cap article for what salary hits it.)

That's it. Five steps. Every PFL and SDI benefit in California goes through this same calculation.

Worked example: $72,000 salary, claim filed April 2026

Step 1. Claim starts in Q2 2026 (April), so the base period is January 2025 through December 2025.

Step 2. At $72,000/year with steady pay, each quarter has $18,000. Highest quarter: $18,000. No surprises here since all four are equal.

Step 3. AWW = $18,000 / 13 = $1,384.62.

Step 4. $1,384.62 is above $1,252, so the rate is 70%.

Step 5. $1,384.62 x 70% = $969.23. Round to $969. That's below the $1,765 cap, so no capping needed.

Weekly benefit: $969. Over 8 weeks of PFL, that's $7,752 total.

Compare that to the person's normal weekly gross: $72,000 / 52 = $1,385. PFL replaces 70% of it, as expected.

Worked example: $22,000 salary (90% tier)

This one hits the lower tier. $22,000/year, same filing date.

Steps 1-2. Base period Jan-Dec 2025. Quarterly wages: $5,500 each. Highest quarter: $5,500.

Step 3. AWW = $5,500 / 13 = $423.08.

Step 4. $423.08 is below $1,252. Rate: 90%.

Step 5. $423.08 x 90% = $380.77. Round to $381. Well under the cap.

Weekly benefit: $381. Over 8 weeks: $3,048.

At 70% this same person would get $296/week. The 90% tier adds $85/week, or $680 over the full 8 weeks. For someone earning $22,000 a year, that $680 matters.

Why your number might differ from EDD's

You're using current salary, EDD uses old wages

Our calculator (and most online calculators) take your current annual salary and divide by 4 to estimate your highest quarter. If your income was different during the base period, the estimate will be off. Got a raise 6 months ago? Changed jobs? Had a quarter with no income? The calculator can't know that.

Your quarterly wages aren't even

If you earned $12,000 in Q1 and $22,000 in Q3 (overtime, bonus, commission), EDD will use Q3 and your benefit will be higher than what a calculator shows for your average salary. The opposite is also possible: if your best quarter was lower than your salary would suggest, the benefit will be lower.

EDD rounds differently

EDD rounds the weekly benefit to the nearest dollar, and their internal rounding at each step of the calculation can produce numbers that are a dollar or two different from what you'd get doing the math yourself. Nobody has lost sleep over a $1 discrepancy, but it explains why the numbers sometimes don't match exactly.

Your employer reported wages late or incorrectly

EDD can only use wages that your employer filed in their quarterly tax reports (form DE 9C). If your employer filed late, the wages might not appear in EDD's system when your claim is processed. If they filed incorrectly (wrong quarter, wrong amount), your benefit will be wrong. You can check your reported wages at myEDD before filing.

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Check wages before you file, not after If there's a wage reporting error, getting it corrected takes weeks. Your employer files an amended DE 9C with EDD. If you've already filed a PFL claim with the wrong wage data, you'll be waiting for both the correction and the recalculation. Save yourself the headache and verify first.

EDD's official calculator vs ours

EDD doesn't have a public PFL calculator on their website. They have a rate and benefit amounts page with tables and a PDF, but no interactive tool where you type in a salary and get a number.

Our calculator on the home page uses the same formula described above. Type in your annual salary, and it divides by 4, divides by 13, applies 70% or 90%, and caps at $1,765. It assumes your income was steady throughout the base period. If your situation is more complicated (uneven quarters, job change, gap in employment), the number is an estimate, not a guarantee.

For exact figures, check your wage records at myEDD and run the 5-step formula yourself using your actual highest quarter. That's the same number EDD will calculate.

Not legal advice. Estimates only. Your actual benefit is determined by EDD from official wage records. Source: EDD PFL benefit calculation.