
California Paid Family Leave
CommunityGovernment Services


Ask the community...
I'm super confused about the EDD PFL payment process. My husband just got his baby bonding approval letter yesterday which shows he'll get $1,460/week for 8 weeks (we had twins in January!). The letter has all the payment dates and amounts listed, but no actual debit card came with it. Is this normal? Does the Bank of America EDD card come separately after the approval letter? This is our first time dealing with any state benefits and we're not sure if we should be calling EDD about a missing card or if we just need to wait longer. The first payment is supposed to post next week according to the letter.
Super worried about my PFL baby bonding situation! My pregnancy disability ended on 1/12/25 and I filed for PFL on 1/19/25. EDD sent me a text saying they'd reach out if they needed anything else from me, but it's been complete silence since then. Haven't received ANY payments since my last disability check! My savings are almost gone and my husband's income barely covers our mortgage. Has anyone else experienced this weird gap between disability and PFL? It's been over 3 weeks now and I'm starting to panic. Do I need to call them? Submit something else? I checked my online account and it just shows my claim as 'pending' with no explanation. Help!!!
When I was waiting for my PFL after disability last year my coworker told me she had luck submitting a new claim completely but idk if thats good advice actually lol. My sister-in-law said just keep calling until you get through but that took her like 3 full days of trying! This whole process is so confusing especially with a newborn.
UPDATE: I finally got through to EDD this morning! Used the Claimyr service that someone recommended and was connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. Turns out my doctor DID file the DE2501F form but it was processed under a slightly different name (they had my middle name as my last name 🙄). The agent fixed it right there on the phone and said I should see payments within 3-5 business days. Such a relief! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
Super confused about my situation and hoping someone can help! I'm a part-time adjunct professor at a community college working on semester contracts. I'm currently receiving partial unemployment benefits to supplement my part-time income. Here's where it gets complicated - I'm 7 months pregnant and due in mid-April, but my teaching contract runs through the end of May 2025. Do I need to switch from UI to Pregnancy Disability Leave when I have the baby? Can I continue claiming UI while still teaching? Or do I have to file for SDI/PFL right away even though I plan to finish my semester? I'm worried about losing income during this transition and don't want to mess anything up with EDD. I've been getting conflicting info from colleagues and am totally lost about how these benefits work together. Any advice from someone who's navigated this weird UI/teaching/pregnancy situation before? Thanks!!
Regarding notifying your department: YES, you should definitely communicate with both your department chair and HR. This is separate from your EDD benefits, but important for your job protection. Even as an adjunct, you may have rights under CFRA (California Family Rights Act) or pregnancy disability laws. I recommend: 1. Notifying your chair in writing of your pregnancy and expected leave dates 2. Asking HR about any paperwork they need for your leave 3. Clarifying your return-to-work expectations for future semesters 4. Getting documentation of everything in writing Many colleges have specific maternity leave policies for faculty - even adjuncts. Some departments will work with you on finding a substitute to finish the semester if needed or arrange accommodations. Don't miss out on any job protections by focusing only on the EDD benefits.
My Paid Family Leave officially ended on June 12, 2025 when my daughter turned 1 year old. Then literally 5 days later I tested positive for COVID and couldn't work for almost 2 weeks! I had to stay home with ZERO income because apparently COVID special pay isn't a thing anymore. I'm desperate - is there ANY way EDD would extend my PFL benefits to cover these days? I'm so frustrated because I barely got to use my full PFL entitlement in the first place (only took 3 weeks total) since I started a new job during my baby's first year. Now I'm out 2 weeks of pay when I have daycare bills piling up!!! Anyone know if there's any exception process I could try? ðŸ˜
Just got slapped with an overpayment notice from EDD claiming I was overpaid during my baby bonding PFL in 2022. The notice says the overpayment was 'my fault' and I owe $2,740! Here's the crazy part - I have detailed notes from March 2023 when I spoke with an EDD representative (got her name and ID#) who specifically told me there was a calculation error on THEIR end with my base period wage input. She even said it was their mistake! The confirmation letter I received about payment arrangements also indicated the error originated with EDD. I'm so frustrated because I budgeted carefully during my leave and now they're trying to blame me for their mistake three years later. Should I appeal this? I believe they record all calls, so there should be evidence that their rep admitted it was their error. Has anyone successfully fought an 'at fault' determination? The appeal deadline is in 2 weeks so I need to decide quickly.
i dunno y everyone is saying appeal. my cousin works at EDD and says they almost never reverse these decisions and u just waste time. if it was their mistake maybe they'll waive the penalty but youll still have to pay the overpayment amount back anyway
This is simply not accurate. While it's true that you often still need to repay the overpayment, getting it classified as "no fault" makes a HUGE difference - no penalties, no interest, and possibility of a waiver if it causes financial hardship. Also, appeals absolutely DO succeed when there's clear evidence of administrative error, especially with documented proof like OP has. Please don't discourage people from exercising their right to appeal!
One more tip - when filing your appeal, be very specific about the remedy you're seeking. Are you disputing the entire overpayment amount, or just the "at fault" classification? If you have proof they made the calculation error, you might be able to get the whole thing dismissed, but at minimum you should be able to get a "no fault" determination which protects you from penalties and interest.
That's really helpful! I honestly hadn't thought about what specific remedy to request. I think I'll primarily argue for complete dismissal since it was their calculation error, but alternatively request the no-fault classification if full dismissal isn't granted. I'll make sure to clearly state both in my appeal.
Ruby Garcia
One more thing to be aware of - if your husband received SDI for Pregnancy Disability Leave before applying for PFL Baby Bonding, he should already have an EDD debit card. In that case, the PFL funds would go to the existing card, not a new one. But since you mentioned this is your first time with state benefits, I'm assuming he didn't have SDI first.
0 coins
Isaiah Thompson
AuthorOh that's good to know for future reference! But you're right, this is his first claim since obviously he couldn't get pregnancy disability leave (that was me, but I have private disability through my employer so I never dealt with EDD). This is just for his 8 weeks of baby bonding with the twins.
0 coins
Evelyn Martinez
Has your husband checked his UI Online account? Sometimes the payment will show as issued there before the physical card arrives. It might give you peace of mind to see if the system shows the payment as processed yet.
0 coins
Isaiah Thompson
AuthorThat's a smart idea! I just asked him to check and he says it shows the claim as approved but no payment activity yet. I guess that means they haven't sent money to the card yet anyway, so we're not missing anything even without the card. Hopefully both will show up soon!
0 coins