Estimated weekly benefit for a Construction Worker earning $65,000/year · Based on EDD official formula
For a Construction Worker earning $65,000/year, EDD calculates your PFL benefit using the highest-quarter method:
$65,000 ÷ 4 = $16,250 · Union wages reported by your employer to EDD are included in the base period.
$16,250 ÷ 13 weeks = $1,250/week
$1,250 × 70% = $875/week
$875 × 8 weeks = $7,000 total
| Leave Duration | Weekly Benefit | Total Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | $875/wk | $875 |
| 2 weeks | $875/wk | $1,750 |
| 4 weeks | $875/wk | $3,500 |
| 6 weeks | $875/wk | $5,250 |
| 8 weeks | $875/wk | $7,000 |
For construction trades, the most important PFL fact is that EDD uses your single highest-earning quarter in the base period, not your annual salary, so an uneven year usually works in your favor. Construction income is rarely flat. A busy summer building season can pack in long weeks and overtime, while winter rain delays, weather shutdowns, and between-job gaps can leave a quarter nearly empty. When earnings concentrate, your highest quarter can sit far above a simple salary ÷ 4.
On a $65,000 year the even assumption puts the best quarter at $16,250 (AWW about $1,250). But a worker who logged most of that income across a strong summer might have a peak quarter near $22,000, an AWW of roughly $1,692, which at 70% pays about $1,185/week instead of $875. Estimate from your real best quarter, never from salary ÷ 4.
California pays 90% of your average weekly wage when AWW is $1,252.30 or less, and 70% above it. At a flat $65,000 your AWW of about $1,250 sits just under that line, so the even case actually qualifies for the 90% tier, paying roughly $1,125/week rather than the $875 shown at the conservative 70% rate. But a single strong quarter that lifts your AWW past $1,252 flips you to 70%. This is why two construction workers earning the same annual amount can get very different weekly checks depending on how their income was distributed.
| Highest quarter | AWW (÷13) | Rate | Weekly benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $16,250 (even ~$65k/yr) | $1,250 | 90% | ~$1,125 |
| $16,280 | $1,252 | 90% | ~$1,127 |
| $18,000 | $1,385 | 70% | ~$969 |
| $22,000 (strong season) | $1,692 | 70% | ~$1,185 |
How you are paid decides whether you are covered at all. If you work for a contractor or through a hall and SDI is withheld from your check (shown as CASDI on your stub), you are covered for PFL like any other employee. If you work as a self-employed or 1099 contractor, no SDI is withheld and you are not eligible for standard PFL, unless you enrolled in EDD's Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (DIEC) and paid premiums for at least two quarters before your claim, or you also had separate W-2 wages with SDI in the base period.