Documenting Your Income

Having comprehensive income documentation is crucial for a smooth SDI claim. This guide covers what to collect and how to organize it.

What to Collect

Pay Stubs (Last 18 Months)

You need pay stubs covering your entire base period plus some buffer:

W-2 Forms

Keep your W-2 forms for:

• The current year (when available)
• The previous 2 years

These show:

• Total CA SDI taxes withheld (Box 14)
• Total compensation reported to California
• Verification of employment

Flight Records (Optional but Helpful)

If you need to prove when you were actually working vs. using sick time:

• PBS bid records
• Actual trip flown records
• Sick time usage records

How to Organize

Create a Timeline

Document your work history:

Month     | Status         | Income
----------|----------------|--------
Jan 2025  | Full schedule  | $32,000
Feb 2025  | Full schedule  | $28,000
Mar 2025  | Partial sick   | $25,000
Apr 2025  | Full sick time | $18,000
May 2025  | Disability     | $0

Calculate Quarterly Totals

For your base period, calculate:

Q1: Jan + Feb + Mar = $____
Q2: Apr + May + Jun = $____
Q3: Jul + Aug + Sep = $____
Q4: Oct + Nov + Dec = $____

Highest Quarter: $____ (this determines your benefit)

Flag Sick Time Usage

Mark any periods where you used sick time or vacation time. This may be important if EDD asks about:

• When your disability began
• Why income varied
• What was "regular" pay vs. sick pay vs. vacation pay

Understanding Pay Type Distinctions:

Different types of compensation may be evaluated differently by CA EDD when determining your disability status and benefit amount:

• Regular flight pay: Normal working income
• Sick pay: May be counted as income when determining if you're earning less due to disability
• Vacation pay: May be treated differently than sick pay for SDI evaluation purposes

If you have periods with mixed pay types, document them clearly. Understanding these distinctions can be important when working with EDD on your claim. For current policy on how each pay type is evaluated, contact CA EDD directly.

Where to Find Documents

Workday

1. Log into Workday
2. Navigate to Pay → Pay Statements
3. Download each statement as PDF
4. Save with naming convention: PayStub_2025-01-15.pdf

Direct Access

If you can't access Workday:

1. Contact FedEx Benefits Center
2. Request historical pay information
3. Allow time for processing

Bank Records

Your bank can provide:

• Direct deposit history
• Payment amounts and dates
• Backup verification

Creating Summary Documents

Consider creating summary documents that are easy for EDD to understand:

Monthly Income Summary

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  MONTHLY INCOME SUMMARY - [Your Name]                      ║
║  Employee ID: XXXXX                                        ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  Month     | Gross Pay  | Flight Pay | Sick Pay | Vac Pay ║
║  ----------|------------|------------|----------|--------- ║
║  Jan 2025  | $32,000    | $28,000    | $0       | $4,000  ║
║  Feb 2025  | $28,000    | $26,000    | $0       | $2,000  ║
║  Mar 2025  | $25,000    | $15,000    | $8,000   | $2,000  ║
║  Apr 2025  | $18,000    | $0         | $18,000  | $0      ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Quarterly Summary for Base Period

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  QUARTERLY INCOME - BASE PERIOD                      ║
║  For Claim Filed: [Month/Year]                       ║
║  Base Period: [Start] to [End]                       ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  Quarter        | Total Wages    | Notes            ║
║  ---------------|----------------|------------------ ║
║  Q1 (Jan-Mar)   | $85,000        | Full schedule    ║
║  Q2 (Apr-Jun)   | $92,000        | ← HIGHEST        ║
║  Q3 (Jul-Sep)   | $78,000        | Vacation month   ║
║  Q4 (Oct-Dec)   | $88,000        | Full schedule    ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║  HIGHEST QUARTER: $92,000                            ║
║  ESTIMATED WEEKLY BENEFIT: $1,765 (max)              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Digital Organization

Create a folder structure:

SDI_Claim/
├── Pay_Stubs/
│   ├── 2024/
│   └── 2025/
├── W2_Forms/
├── Calculations/
│   ├── quarterly_summary.xlsx
│   └── highest_quarter.pdf
├── Medical/
│   ├── doctor_info.txt
│   └── medical_records/
└── Correspondence/
    ├── EDD/
    └── Hartford/

Checklist

Use this checklist to track document collection:

• Downloaded last 18 months of pay stubs
• Saved W-2 forms (2-3 years)
• Calculated quarterly totals for base period
• Identified highest quarter
• Created summary documents
• Saved documents in organized folders
• Made backup copies (cloud or external drive)

Next Steps

• Sick Bank Strategy - Managing your time off banks
• What to Save Now - Other important documents
• Calculator - Calculate your expected benefit