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Hey Sarah! I just went through something similar earlier this year - had to change my PFL start date from planned to immediate due to unexpected childcare issues. The good news is that EDD really doesn't care about your employer's feelings or convenience, they only care about whether you qualify for the benefit and have your paperwork in order. Since you already have your birth certificate submitted and you're within the bonding window (baby born in June), you should be totally fine. The key things are: 1) Make sure you and your employer report the same actual start date on all forms, 2) Don't file your claim until after you've actually started your leave, and 3) Keep documentation of HR approving the date change. I had zero issues with my payments even though I changed my date with literally one day notice. Your employer might be annoyed but that's their problem, not EDD's! You're entitled to this benefit and sometimes life happens. Don't stress too much about it - focus on your family and let the system work as it's supposed to.
Thank you so much Ava! This is exactly what I needed to hear. It's such a relief to know that others have been through this exact situation and it worked out fine. I was really spiraling thinking EDD would reject my claim over the date change. I'm definitely going to get that email confirmation from HR and make sure all the dates match up perfectly. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience - it's helping me sleep better tonight!
I went through the exact same thing last year when my babysitter quit with zero notice! Had to switch my PFL start date from my planned date to immediate. I was so worried EDD would give me problems, but honestly they processed everything normally. The only thing that mattered was making sure my employer submitted their portion with the correct new start date that matched what I put on my claim form. Got my first payment right on schedule. Your childcare emergency is totally valid - that's exactly the kind of situation PFL is meant to help with! Don't let HR make you feel bad about it, you're using a benefit you've earned.
Ive been dealing with this for 6 months now. its a nightmare. dont let them ghost you keep calling!!!
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my PFL claim 3 weeks ago and still nothing. The waiting is so stressful, especially when you really need that income. I tried calling a few times but keep getting disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Has anyone had luck getting through during specific times of day? Maybe early morning or late afternoon? Really hoping we both get some movement on our claims soon! 🤞
I just went through this exact situation last year! Filed my SDI claim about 2 weeks after my disability start date because I was also using up my accrued PTO first. The process was super smooth - just make sure you have your doctor's portion ready to go since that's usually the bottleneck. Also heads up, when you do your bi-weekly certifications later, they'll ask about ANY income you received during those specific 2-week periods, so keep track of exactly which dates your sick pay covered. The EDD system is actually pretty good at handling these mixed situations where people use employer benefits first. Good luck with everything and congratulations on your little one! 👶
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same situation. I was getting worried that I might have complicated things by waiting, but it sounds like this is actually pretty common. I'll definitely keep careful records of my sick pay dates for the certifications later. And thank you for the congratulations! 😊
Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a very similar situation with my second baby in 2024. Started leave on a Friday, used my PTO for the first 10 days, then filed my SDI claim. The key thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet tracking exactly which dates I received sick pay vs when I expected to start receiving SDI benefits. This made the bi-weekly certifications SO much easier later on. Also, don't stress about the timing - EDD sees these mixed benefit situations all the time, especially with maternity leave. The most important thing is being accurate with your dates, not the speed of filing. You've got plenty of time within that 49-day window!
That spreadsheet idea is brilliant! I'm definitely going to set one up tonight to track everything. You're right that being accurate with dates is more important than filing quickly - I was getting stressed about the timing but it sounds like I'm well within the safe window. Thanks for sharing your experience, it really helps to hear from other moms who've navigated this process successfully!
am i the only 1 who thinks its ridiculous we only get 8 weeks? other countries get way more time with their babies 😤
Preach! 🙌 We're so behind on this. My cousin in Canada got a whole year off!
Just a heads up, sometimes the system glitches and shows your claim as inactive even when it's not. If that happens, don't panic! Just call and they can usually sort it out pretty quick.
Oliver Fischer
Just checking in - has your husband had any luck submitting the retroactive interruption form? As others have mentioned, it's definitely better to sort this out now rather than waiting until his next leave period is about to begin. One other important thing to note: make sure any dates he puts on the reestablishment form (DE 2501F) for his August leave are EXACT. If he puts August 1-14 but then takes August 3-17 instead, it can cause major issues with processing. The dates on the form need to match the actual leave dates precisely.
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Amina Sy
•Thank you for checking back! He finally managed to get through to EDD yesterday after several attempts. The representative said he can submit the interruption form late and it shouldn't impact his next leave period. She also said we should submit the reestablishment form at least 10 days before his next leave period starts. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly! And thank you for the tip about exact dates - his work schedule can sometimes shift a bit so we'll make sure to only submit the form when the dates are 100% confirmed.
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Yara Nassar
That's great news that he got through to EDD! I'm glad they confirmed he can submit the interruption form late. Just wanted to add one more tip from my experience - when he submits the DE 2501F for his August leave, make sure he has his employer's confirmation of the approved dates in writing first. My husband's work initially approved certain dates but then had to shift them due to a project deadline, and we had already submitted the reestablishment form. It created a whole mess with EDD where they said the dates didn't match what his employer reported. We had to get a letter from HR explaining the schedule change and it delayed his benefits by almost 2 weeks. Also, keep track of exactly how many weeks he's used so far (sounds like 2 weeks) so you don't accidentally go over the 8-week limit. EDD won't automatically stop you from filing for more time than you're entitled to, but they'll definitely come after you for overpayment later!
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Dmitry Sokolov
•This is such valuable advice, thank you! I hadn't even thought about the employer confirmation piece - that's definitely something we'll make sure to get in writing before submitting any forms. The overpayment warning is scary too... we'll definitely keep a running tally of weeks used. Quick question - when you say "what his employer reported," does EDD automatically verify leave dates with employers? Or is this something that only happens if there's a discrepancy? I'm trying to understand how closely they monitor the employer side of things.
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Derek Olson
•Great question! From what I understand, EDD doesn't automatically verify with employers for every claim, but they do have systems in place to cross-reference information. When your husband's employer processes payroll and reports wages/time off to state agencies, there can be flags if the dates don't align with what was submitted to EDD. In my case, I think what happened was that EDD's system flagged the discrepancy when they processed the benefit payments and saw that the dates on our form didn't match what the employer had reported in their quarterly filings. It's not like they call your HR department for every claim, but the data eventually gets compared through their automated systems. The safer approach is definitely to make sure everything matches upfront rather than hoping it won't get caught. State agencies are getting better at data matching, especially for benefit fraud prevention. Better to have that employer confirmation letter ready just in case!
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