Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the EDD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the EDD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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Wait I thought PFL was only for bonding with a new baby?? I didn't know you could use it for taking care of sick family members too! Learn something new everyday I guess.
PFL in California can be used for three purposes: bonding with a new child (birth, adoption, foster placement), caring for a seriously ill family member, or participating in a qualifying event when a family member is deployed to a foreign country on active military duty. It's 8 weeks total per 12-month period regardless of which type you use.
UPDATE: I wanted to let everyone know what happened in case it helps someone else. I filed a new claim online and had my husband's cardiologist complete the new certification form. As suggested, I made sure they included specific language about the defibrillator vest and supervision requirements. I called EDD using the Claimyr service that was recommended (which actually worked great - connected me to a real person in about 8 minutes) and the rep confirmed that I was doing everything correctly. She added a note to my file about the urgency of my husband's condition. My claim was approved in 6 days, and I've already received the first payment. Thank you everyone for your help!
So glad it worked out for you! Thanks for coming back to update - it's always helpful to know the outcome. Sending healing thoughts to your husband.
That's great news!! Hope your husband gets better soon ❤️
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One important thing to remember is that EDD pays based on the week you certify, not when they process the payment. So if you submitted a timesheet that covered multiple weeks with different work hours, make sure you check how they broke it down by week. Sometimes this causes confusion when the math doesn't seem to add up.
omg this explains why my payment was weird!!! i reported 2 weeks together with different hours each week!
UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD this morning! The agent explained that for PFL with part-time work, they do send a separate notice showing the calculation, but it comes 5-7 days after the payment. She confirmed my hours were recorded correctly and walked me through the formula (similar to what @helpful_person described above). My advice to anyone else with this issue - check your mail for the notice, and if you don't get it within a week after payment, definitely call. And yes, document EVERYTHING!
Great! Glad you got it sorted out. The mail delay is so annoying though. In 2025 you'd think they'd have this all available instantly online.
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Look I'm just gonna be real with you - EDD's internal systems are a MESS. Half the time the different departments don't even communicate properly. I've had plenty of issues with them over the years. My sister had a similar situation and they never even connected her old UI penalty with her pregnancy claim. But why risk it? Pay off what you owe if you can, and be super transparent going forward. The fact that you closed your previous claim when you returned to work actually works in your favor - shows you weren't trying to double-dip long term.
Thank you! That's actually encouraging to hear. I wasn't trying to cheat the system - it was a stupid mistake during a really stressful time. I think I'll try to pay off what I owe and then start fresh with my pregnancy claim. Appreciate everyone's advice!
random question but how far along are you? i'm 6 months and just starting to figure out all this paperwork stuff too! the whole process is SO confusing... i'm filling out my DE2501 next week! 🤰
I'm 22 weeks! So just about 5.5 months. And yeah, the paperwork is overwhelming, especially with all the different forms and timelines. Are you planning to take the full 4 weeks before your due date for PDL?
yes!!! taking the full 4 weeks before! my doc said to start disability at 36 weeks but i'm so tired already lol. hope ur EDD stuff gets sorted out! pregnancy is stressful enough without money worries 😫
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my sister tried to go from UI to SDI last year and they denied her SDI claim saying she wasn't eligible because she was already getting UI. had something to do with being "unemployed" vs "disabled" and you can't be both. anyone else run into this?
That situation usually happens when someone tries to collect both benefits simultaneously or didn't properly stop UI before starting SDI. To clarify for everyone: You cannot receive UI and SDI for the same period because UI requires you to be able to work, while SDI requires you to be unable to work due to disability (including pregnancy). However, you can stop UI, transition to SDI for pregnancy, then to PFL for bonding, and then return to UI if you meet all eligibility requirements at each stage. The key is proper timing of applications and certifications to avoid overlap.
ah ok makes sense. she probably messed up the timing. thx for explaining!
Thank you all SO MUCH for all this helpful information! I feel much more confident about my plan now: 1. Continue UI until 36 weeks 2. Stop certifying for UI completely before applying for SDI 3. Apply for SDI at 36 weeks with my doctor's help 4. After birth and recovery (likely 8 weeks with c-section), apply for PFL for 8 weeks of baby bonding 5. If I haven't found a job by then, return to UI but make sure I have childcare arrangements to be "available for work" I've made a note on my calendar to talk to my doctor about the DE2501 form at my 32-week appointment. This community has been incredible - thank you again for saving me from potentially making costly mistakes!
Yuki Nakamura
my hubby did this!! yes he can get PFL even after being fired! as long as he paid into SDI within the last 18 months he qualifies! but the benefits are based on a percentage of what he earned during his highest-paid quarter in the base period so might be less money than he hopes lol the EDD system for PFL is actually way better than unemployment in my experience... they didn't give us any hassle about him being unemployed when he applied. took about 10 days to get approved and then another week to get the first payment on the debit card good luck with your little one!! those first few months are so precious 💕
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Zara Shah
•Thank you! That's reassuring to hear you had a good experience. Did your husband try to find a new job while on baby bonding or did he wait until after the leave period? I'm wondering how to advise my son's father about timing his job search.
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Aisha Ali
My bff just went through this and found out there's actually a HUGE mistake people make... if he applies for Unemployment first and then PFL, sometimes the computer system gets confused. Because technically you have to be "able and available to work" for unemployment but you're saying you're NOT available to work for PFL since you're caring for a baby. The EDD computers sometimes flag this as fraud even though it's totally legal to transition from one program to another! Make sure if he calls that he explains clearly he was denied unemployment and is now applying for a completely different benefit. And get EVERYTHING in writing!
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Nia Harris
•This is an excellent point! The two programs do have contradictory requirements. For unemployment, you must certify you're looking for work. For PFL, you're certifying you can't work because you're bonding with a child. To avoid problems, he should be very clear in his PFL application that he was denied unemployment and is no longer pursuing it. If he does win his unemployment appeal later, he should immediately inform both departments to avoid any overlapping benefits which could result in an overpayment notice.
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