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Anyone else having issues seeing their baby bonding PFL approval status on the EDD website? I've been checking the site DAILY for the past 2 weeks waiting to see my claim approval and payment amount. Was getting super anxious since bills are piling up. On a whim, I decided to check my Money Network card balance today (even though the EDD site showed nothing about a payment being issued) and SURPRISE - found over $4,200 deposited! Apparently EDD processed my payment but never updated the online portal to show approval. Just sharing in case others are obsessively refreshing the EDD site like I was. Check your card directly! Now I can finally get my car fixed (check engine light's been on forever) and pay my property taxes without stressing.
Quick tax question that's driving me crazy! I received PFL benefits last year when I took 6 weeks off to care for my mom after her hip surgery. It was about $4,800 total. Tax season is here and I'm organizing all my documents - will EDD be sending me a 1099-G form for these benefits? My tax preparer is asking and I can't find a straight answer anywhere. Also, are these benefits even taxable by California? I know the federal govt taxes them but not sure about state. Thanks in advance for any help!
Just to clarify a few points about PFL and taxes since there seems to be some confusion: 1. Paid Family Leave benefits ARE federally taxable (report on federal return) 2. PFL benefits are NOT taxable by California (don't include on state return) 3. EDD is required to send 1099-G forms by January 31st 4. You can access your 1099-G online through your EDD account 5. If you received benefits but didn't report them, you should file an amended federal return Hope this helps clear things up for everyone!
When I got PFL for my mother's cancer treatments two years ago, the EDD website was showing incorrect benefit amounts on my 1099-G. It took forever to get it fixed, and I almost filed with the wrong numbers. So make sure you double-check the amounts against your payment history before filing!
I'm at my wits' end trying to help my husband claim his baby bonding PFL benefits! Our daughter is turning 1 next month, and we've been trying to get his claim processed for nearly a YEAR with zero success. The nightmare started when EDD initially approved his claim and gave him a benefit amount, but then flagged it because the address on his application didn't match our daughter's birth certificate. We submitted the physical birth certificate copy, but by then they assigned him a caseworker who NEVER returns our calls or voicemails (we've literally called daily for months). We even went to an EDD office in person, but they just directed us back to the phone/online system saying they "can't help with PFL issues" in person. My husband has filed new claims online multiple times, but nothing happens. With the 12-month claim window closing next month, is there ANYTHING we can do to get his approved benefits before it's too late? Has anyone else dealt with completely unresponsive caseworkers?
I just wanted to clarify something important about PFL claims for baby bonding. There are actually TWO important deadlines to be aware of: 1. You must APPLY within 12 months of the child's birth 2. You must TAKE the leave within 12 months of birth Since your husband was initially approved and has been actively trying to resolve this for months, he has clearly met the first requirement. However, for the second requirement, he needs to have actually taken time off work for bonding purposes within the first year of your child's life. Based on your post, it sounds like he may have already taken this time off last year when he was initially approved? If so, I would specifically mention this in all communications with EDD and your assembly member. Emphasize that he fulfilled both requirements - he applied AND took the time off within the required timeframe - and is simply waiting for the approved benefits to be released after the address verification issue.
Yes! He did take the full 6 weeks off work right after our daughter was born. He returned to work after that because we couldn't afford to have him unpaid any longer, thinking the PFL payment would come soon after. Thank you for pointing out these two separate requirements - I'll definitely emphasize this in our communications.
also make sure ur husband checks his spam folder every day!!! sometimes edd sends emails that go to spam and then they close ur case if u dont respond in like 10 days. happened to my cousin and she had to start all over again with her claim
Is anyone else dealing with the nightmare of a PFL baby bonding claim that's just STUCK? I've been in 'pending' status for 6 weeks now! My son is already 12 weeks old, and I've called EDD 9 times. Every rep gives me the same useless response - 'I'll file an incident report and someone will look into it within 7-10 business days.' I've heard this FOUR TIMES now and nothing changes. I'm completely out of savings, my employer's leave is unpaid, and I'm about to miss another rent payment. The last rep I talked to actually told me there was nothing wrong with my claim that she could see - no flags, no missing documents, nothing needed from me - it's just 'in the system waiting to be processed.' HOW is this acceptable?? Anyone found a way to actually get their claim unstuck or reached someone who could help beyond filing another useless incident report?
Have you verified that your employer properly completed and submitted their portion of the claim? In my experience working with many employees on PFL claims, this is often the hidden issue. The EDD representatives can see that the claim was filed but might not notice that the employer portion is incomplete. I would suggest contacting your HR department to confirm they've submitted everything required for your PFL claim.
UPDATE: Based on all your helpful suggestions, I called this morning and specifically asked for a Tier 2 specialist. After explaining I'd had multiple incident reports filed without resolution, they transferred me to someone who actually knew what they were doing! The specialist confirmed my claim had code 320 (stuck in transition review) and escalated it with an urgent financial hardship flag. She said I should see movement within 72 hours instead of the usual weeks-long wait. I'll update again when I hear something. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help!
I'm 36 weeks pregnant and just sent in my maternity leave paperwork to EDD yesterday. Here's my situation - I already have an open UI claim from when my hours were cut back in January. I never actually certified for any payments on that UI claim because I knew I wouldn't qualify (not enough hours). Now I'm confused about what happens next with my pregnancy disability/maternity leave. Does EDD automatically switch me from the UI claim to maternity leave once they process my DE2501 form? Or do I need to do something else to activate the maternity benefits? Really don't want to mess this up and delay my payments after baby comes next month!
The EDD system is SO confusing with all these different benefit types! I made the mistake of thinking my maternity leave would automatically transition to baby bonding and ended up with a 3-week gap in benefits. What I learned: pregnancy disability (SDI) and baby bonding (PFL) are COMPLETELY separate claims, even though they're both through EDD. For your situation, having an inactive UI claim shouldn't cause problems as long as you're not certifying for UI while on disability. The key things to remember: 1. Track your claim status online religiously 2. Call if nothing shows up within a week 3. Know your exact disability end date (get it from your doctor) 4. File your baby bonding claim BEFORE your disability claim ends 5. SAVE EVERY PIECE OF PAPER they send you And yes, unfortunately, you might need to call them. Their online system is better than it used to be but still can't handle certain situations like yours.
That's correct. For vaginal delivery, the standard disability period is 4 weeks before birth and 6 weeks after. For C-section delivery, it's 4 weeks before birth and 8 weeks after. Your doctor can also extend these periods if there are complications. This is just for the disability portion (SDI) - everyone gets the same 8 weeks of baby bonding (PFL) regardless of delivery type.
Lim Wong
Since some people are asking about the transition from Pregnancy Disability to Baby Bonding PFL, here's what you need to know: 1. Your Pregnancy Disability claim (SDI) and Baby Bonding (PFL) are two separate claims 2. You need to file your PFL claim AFTER your SDI claim ends, but don't wait more than 41 days after birth 3. Use form DE2501F for disability and DE2508 for PFL 4. The online portal often shows claim status incorrectly during transitions 5. Money Network deposits can happen even when the portal shows "pending" When transitioning, if the website shows no updates after 10 business days from submission, call EDD directly at 833-978-2511 to verify your status rather than assuming there's a problem.
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Fidel Carson
thank u for this!! saving this comment for when i need to apply next month!
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Xan Dae
im having this weird issue where my pfl claim says completed on the website but i dont have any card. how do i even get the money network card? nobody told me about this part lol my baby is 6 weeks old and im so confused
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Lim Wong
The Money Network card is automatically mailed to you after your first claim is approved, typically within 7-10 business days. If your claim shows completed but you haven't received a card after two weeks, call EDD at 833-978-2511 to check if it was mailed. They may need to issue a replacement. You can also call Money Network directly at 1-866-898-2213 to check if a card was issued and possibly expedite a replacement.
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