Just want to add some encouragement as someone who went through this exact transition in August 2025! The anxiety about that first payment is so real when you're dealing with a new baby and bills piling up. My timeline was: - Approved on a Friday - First payment hit exactly 8 business days later (the following Wednesday) - Every payment after that came like clockwork every 14 days The automatic nature of PFL payments is honestly amazing - no certifications, no weekly check-ins, just money appearing in your account every two weeks. It's one of the few things EDD actually does well! **What saved my sanity during the wait:** - Set up direct deposit immediately (definitely faster than BofA card) - Started checking EDD account daily on day 7 for the "Paid" status change - Used the BofA app with notifications so I knew instantly when money hit You're in the hardest part right now - waiting for that first payment. But based on everyone's consistent experiences here, you should see money very soon! Once it starts, you can finally relax and focus on enjoying your bonding time instead of stressing about finances. Hang in there Ryan - you've got this! Your little one is lucky to have such a caring parent who's working hard to make sure everything is taken care of. The relief when that first payment hits is incredible! 🍼💙

Hey Ryan! I just went through this exact same transition from SDI to PFL in October 2025 and completely feel your stress! The not knowing when money will actually show up is the worst part, especially with a new baby and bills due. Here's what happened with mine: - Approved on a Tuesday - First PFL payment hit my account 9 business days later (Thursday of the following week) - After that, payments came automatically every 14 days - never had an issue The relief of not having to certify for PFL is incredible! Once you're approved, you literally just wait for money to appear every two weeks until your claim ends. **What helped me survive the waiting:** - Set up direct deposit through EDD portal right away (saves 1-2 days vs BofA card) - Starting day 7, checked my EDD account every morning for status changes - When it switched from "Pending" to "Paid," money usually hit within 24-48 hours - Downloaded BofA app and enabled instant notifications for deposits I know you're probably refreshing your account constantly right now (I did the same thing!), but based on everyone's timeline here, you should see that first payment very soon. Once it starts, PFL is honestly one of the most reliable EDD programs - you can finally focus on bonding with your little one instead of stressing about finances. You're doing great navigating all this with a newborn! That first payment will come through and then you can actually enjoy your leave time. Congrats on your baby! 🍼

Hello! Did you ever get paid past your baby’s birthday? My benefits stopped the day before my daughter’s 1st birthday. I had about 1 week left of benefits left in my claim :

This is such an important thread - thank you to everyone sharing their experiences! I'm seeing conflicting information here that's really concerning. Some people like @Amina Toure and @FireflyDreams report getting their full 8 weeks even past the 1-year mark, while @Chanaii Hgmg and @Lizeth Aparicio had their benefits cut off right at the birthday. This suggests EDD might be inconsistently applying their own rules, which is incredibly unfair to families. For anyone in this situation, I'd strongly recommend: 1. Get written confirmation from EDD about your specific case before your baby's birthday 2. Document everything - save emails, take screenshots of your claim status 3. If benefits are cut off unexpectedly, file an appeal immediately 4. Consider contacting your state representative if you believe EDD is misapplying the rules The fact that some families are losing precious bonding time due to what appears to be inconsistent policy enforcement is really troubling. No parent should have to worry about their benefits being cut short when they're following the rules correctly.

I'm a new mom with a 6-week-old and this entire thread has been such an incredible resource! Reading through everyone's experiences and suggestions is both heartbreaking and empowering - heartbreaking because so many of us are facing this impossible 8-week deadline, but empowering because of all the creative solutions and advocacy strategies you've all shared. One thing I wanted to add that might help - if your company offers tuition reimbursement or professional development benefits, sometimes these programs have clauses about extended leave for "life transitions" or "family planning." It's a long shot, but I've heard of people successfully arguing that bonding time with a new baby is professional development in work-life balance and family management skills. Also, some credit unions and employee financial wellness programs offer short-term emergency loans specifically for family transitions that could help bridge the gap if you take unpaid leave. The interest rates are usually much better than credit cards or personal loans. @Katherine, I'm so inspired by how you've turned this panic into such productive action! The combination of medical documentation, vacation time, flexible scheduling, and part-time arrangements you're putting together is brilliant. You're not just advocating for yourself - you're potentially paving the way for other new parents at your company to have better options in the future. This community has shown me that we don't have to accept inadequate policies quietly. When we share our experiences and support each other's advocacy efforts, we can find solutions that seemed impossible at first. Thank you all for being so generous with your advice and encouragement! 💕

I'm a new mom with a 3-week-old and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Reading everyone's experiences and creative solutions is giving me so much hope and practical strategies to start preparing for my own 8-week deadline. One resource I haven't seen mentioned yet is checking if your company has any partnerships with family support organizations or childcare resource and referral services. My employer has a partnership with a local family resource center that offers free consultations about childcare transitions, work-life balance coaching, and even small emergency grants for new parents facing financial hardship during leave transitions. Also, if you're in a union or professional association, they sometimes have hardship funds or emergency assistance programs specifically for members dealing with family transitions. Even if these don't extend your leave directly, they can provide financial support that makes unpaid time more feasible. @Katherine, reading about your journey has given me such courage to start advocating early for my own situation. The way you've systematically explored every option and built a comprehensive plan with your supervisor is exactly the kind of proactive approach I want to take. Your daughter is going to benefit so much from having a mom who fights this hard for family time! This entire discussion has shown me that the 8-week PFL limit doesn't have to be the end of the conversation - there are so many creative ways to extend bonding time if you're willing to research, advocate, and think outside the box. Thank you everyone for creating such a supportive and informative community for new parents! 💕

I'm a new parent too and just wanted to say how sorry I am that you're dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare during what should be a special bonding time with your daughter! The stress of not having income while caring for a newborn is unimaginable. Reading through all the advice here, it sounds like you're getting some really solid guidance. The DE1326C form seems to be the consensus solution, and I love that you're taking a multi-pronged approach with the certified mail AND the office visit. One small tip I wanted to add - when you go to the EDD office tomorrow, consider bringing your baby with you if possible. I know that sounds crazy with a 3-week-old, but sometimes having a visual reminder of WHY this is urgent (aka your tiny human who depends on that income) can motivate staff to go the extra mile. Plus, if there are long wait times, people are often more understanding about letting parents with infants go first. Also, if you have any friends or family members who can help with follow-up calls while you're recovering and bonding, don't hesitate to ask. You shouldn't have to be dealing with this level of stress right now. Sending you so much luck for tomorrow's office visit! This community has your back and we're rooting for you to get this resolved quickly! 💪👶

I'm so glad you found all this helpful advice here! As someone who works in benefits administration, I wanted to add one more thing that might help speed up your resolution. When you visit the EDD office tomorrow, ask them to put a "priority flag" or "urgent processing" note on your account specifically because you have a newborn and are experiencing financial hardship. Many people don't know that EDD has internal priority codes for certain situations like new parents, and sometimes staff won't think to add these unless you specifically ask. Having that flag can help ensure your case gets looked at more quickly once the paperwork is processed. Also, if you end up needing to escalate further, consider reaching out to the California Department of Social Services ombudsman - they sometimes have more pull with EDD than individual legislators' offices, especially for PFL/disability insurance issues. Best of luck tomorrow - you've got this mama! Your persistence is going to pay off. 🍀

I'm also new to this community and dealing with this exact same stressful situation! My baby bonding PFL was supposed to end this Friday but my employer just approved extending it until May 20th. I've been absolutely panicking about getting this changed with EDD before my benefits get cut off. Like so many others here, I've had zero success calling EDD - tried the main line at least 22 times over the past 10 days with nothing but busy signals, endless hold music, or sudden disconnections. The online portal won't work for me either because of some glitch where it won't recognize my apartment number format. This thread has been such a game-changer! I had no clue about the fax option or that PFL-specific phone number everyone's mentioned. Based on all the incredible success stories shared here, I'm definitely going to fax my request to 1-916-319-4576 first thing tomorrow morning. I'll keep it simple and direct like @Nathan Kim suggested - just include my claim ID, SSN, original return date vs new return date (May 20th), brief explanation, and my contact info. The advice about following up with that dedicated PFL line (1-877-238-4373) to confirm receipt also sounds really smart. And I'll absolutely keep certifying while waiting for the change to process based on what @Amara Chukwu shared about maintaining continuous certification. Thank you all for sharing what actually worked instead of just the generic "call EDD" advice you get everywhere else! Navigating this bureaucracy while exhausted with a newborn feels impossible, but reading these real success stories gives me hope that this can actually get resolved. I'll definitely update once I hear back! 🤞

I'm also new here and going through this exact same frustrating situation! My baby bonding PFL was supposed to end next Monday but I just got approval from my employer to extend through May 25th. I've been absolutely stressed trying to figure out how to get this updated with EDD. Like everyone else, I've had zero luck with phone calls - tried the main EDD line probably 18 times over the past week and a half with nothing but busy signals or disconnections that happen after hours of hold music. The online portal is completely useless for me too because ID.me keeps having issues with my double-barreled surname. Reading through all these responses has been such a relief! I had no idea about the fax approach or that dedicated PFL phone number. Based on all the success stories here, I'm planning to fax my request to 1-916-319-4576 tomorrow. I'll use the straightforward format @Nathan Kim recommended - claim ID, SSN, original return date vs new return date (May 25th), clear request for the change, plus my contact details. I'm also going to follow up with a call to 1-877-238-4373 in a few days to confirm receipt, and definitely keep certifying throughout the process like @Amara Chukwu mentioned about maintaining continuous certification. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing practical solutions that actually work! Managing this bureaucratic maze while sleep-deprived with a newborn feels overwhelming, but seeing so many real success stories gives me hope. I'll update once I hear back about my request! 🙏