You've been white-knuckling it at work for months. Somewhere in your head is a voice saying people take leave for surgery, not for this.
That voice is wrong on the law. In California, a mental health condition that keeps you from doing your regular work is treated the same as a physical one: the state pays part of your wages while you're out (SDI), and a separate law protects your job while you're gone (CFRA). Two different systems. You can use both at once. Here's the route.
Waypoint 1: The money — State Disability Insurance (SDI)
If a licensed provider certifies that your condition keeps you from working, SDI pays you:
- 90% of your wages if you earn up to about $65,000 a year
- a flat weekly amount in a middle band, and ~70% of your wages above roughly $84,000, up to the weekly maximum¹
- Up to the 2026 cap of $1,765/week, for as long as 52 weeks²
That's real money. Someone earning $850/week takes home about $765/week on leave. This isn't your employer's money and it isn't a favor — you've been paying into SDI out of every paycheck (look for "CASDI" on your stub).
Who certifies: a physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist can certify SDI claims; check current EDD rules for your provider type, and ask your therapist to coordinate with your doctor if needed. You file at edd.ca.gov; the provider files their part electronically.
Leave is not the only option, and sometimes not the right one. If you can keep working with a change — a modified schedule, remote days, different supervision, time off for appointments — that is a reasonable accommodation, it has no service threshold, and your employer may not force you onto leave instead. What you can ask for, and why you never have to name your diagnosis → And if the worry underneath the whole question is what your workplace will learn, that has its own answer: through official channels, it learns nothing. What an employer can and cannot find out →
Waypoint 2: The job protection — CFRA
SDI pays you but doesn't protect your job. The California Family Rights Act does: up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in 12 months for your own serious health condition — and a mental health condition requiring ongoing treatment qualifies.³ You're covered if your employer has 5 or more employees and you've worked there 12 months and 1,250 hours.³ When you return, they must give you the same or a comparable job.
Waypoint 3: What you tell your employer (less than you think)
You do not owe your employer your diagnosis. The phrase that works:
"My doctor has certified that I need medical leave for a serious health condition. I'm requesting CFRA leave starting [date]."
"Serious health condition." Full stop. HR may send you paperwork for your provider — that's normal. What they may not do is demand your diagnosis, retaliate, or fire you for asking. If any of that happens, document dates and contact the Civil Rights Department (calcivilrights.ca.gov).
The worked example
Maria, warehouse lead in Fresno, $52,000/year ($1,000/week), major depressive episode. Her psychologist certifies she can't work for 8 weeks. She files SDI → receives 90% = $900/week after the seven-day unpaid waiting period (she's under the low-earner threshold). She requests CFRA the same day → her job is held. Total out-of-pocket wage loss over 8 weeks: about $1,700 — the unpaid first week plus $100 a week after it — not $8,000. She uses two of those weeks to start with a therapist who has real openings.
What happens next after you file: provider certifies → EDD processes (typically 2–3 weeks to first payment) → payments arrive every two weeks → your provider certifies extensions if needed. Keep seeing your therapist during leave; treatment records are what support an extension.
Ready to actually file? The printable SDI claim worksheet → — every step with a checkbox and the exact words for each conversation.
Q&A
Q: Can I take paid mental health leave in California? A: Yes. SDI pays 70–90% of wages (2026 max $1,765/week) when a provider certifies you can't work due to a mental health condition, and CFRA separately protects your job for up to 12 weeks if your employer has 5+ employees.
The six questions this raises, answered separately
- CFRA or FMLA — which one actually covers you →. California's law starts at five employees; the federal one starts at fifty.
- What a leave certification has to say →. Three facts, and your diagnosis is not one of them.
- Can you take it intermittently? → Yes, and a rule stops your employer charging a half day for a one-hour appointment.
- What you can actually get paid →. Four sources, one of which does not cover your own condition at all.
- How long it can last →. Twelve weeks is one of three clocks, and the shortest.
- The printable planner, in eight parts →
Our therapist directory: See its current status →
If violence is the reason, Government Code §12945.8 protects time off for court and protective orders at every employer, and for counselling and safety planning at employers of 25 or more, with a signed statement as sufficient proof. Time off work after domestic violence →
Every statute page on this site, by situation — crisis, hospital, bills, work, home, school, family. California mental health law, by situation →
Sources
- SB 951 (2022, Durazo); EDD, SDI benefit amounts — edd.ca.gov
- EDD, Paid Family Leave / SDI 2026 maximum weekly benefit — edd.ca.gov
- California Family Rights Act, Gov. Code §12945.2 — calcivilrights.ca.gov
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