I've been through PFL twice now and here's what I learned: the "normal" processing time is 7-14 days, BUT that assumes everything goes perfectly. If there's ANY issue with your claim - even something tiny - it can get stuck in processing limbo for weeks without anyone telling you. Some tips: 1) Check your EDD account daily to see if they've posted any notices requesting additional info 2) Make sure your employer responds to their verification request promptly 3) Call if you don't see movement after 10 business days And yes, 100% confirmed there is NO waiting period for PFL baby bonding. That's only for disability claims.

UPDATE: My claim was just approved this morning! Took exactly 9 days from submission to approval. No waiting period deducted, so all 5 weeks were approved. Thanks everyone for your help!

Random but make sure you keep track of your last day worked too because sometimes they calculate it wrong and it can delay your payments if the dates don't match up with what your doctor put!

Just checking in - have you received any updates on your claim? Did you check your claim status online as suggested? If it's still showing nothing by next week, I'd definitely recommend calling EDD directly.

I remember being so confused about this last year! Just to add my experience - yes, all payments show in your regular EDD account but the categorization isn't always super clear. Sometimes they label things weird and it's confusing. I just had my second baby and this time I created a simple spreadsheet to track expected payment dates/amounts and then matched them against what showed up in my account. Made things much easier to understand.

That spreadsheet idea is brilliant! I'm definitely going to do that to stay organized. Thanks for the tip!

my coworker just had a baby an she said her PFL was like $200 more per week than her SDI from when she was pregnant even tho it was only like 6 months apart lol. think its cuz she got a fat bonus right b4 she went out

One more important thing to add: If you're transitioning from State Disability Insurance (SDI) for pregnancy to Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bonding, you have two options: 1. Continue your claim: This uses the same benefit amount as your SDI claim, based on your older earnings. 2. File a new claim: This recalculates your benefit based on more recent earnings. If your income has increased significantly, option #2 would likely result in a higher weekly benefit. However, there's a trade-off - filing a new claim may cause a gap between benefits while the new claim processes, whereas continuing your claim is seamless. Since you mentioned it's been 3+ years since your last claim, this wouldn't apply to your current situation, but it's useful information for anyone reading who might be filing for pregnancy disability followed by baby bonding.

UPDATE: I used the Claimyr service that someone recommended below, and got through to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. She told me they received my paperwork but it was flagged for "additional review" because my employer reported a different PDL end date than what my doctor submitted. She was able to verify everything and pushed it through! Said I should see payment in 3-5 business days. Such a relief!

Pro tip for anyone reading this thread later: If you're pregnant and planning to transition from PDL to baby bonding, call your employer's HR department BEFORE submitting your PFL paperwork. Make sure they have the correct end date for your disability claim, and get it in writing if possible. So many of these delays happen because employers and doctors submit conflicting dates.