Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
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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!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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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Just updating to let everyone know that I got this resolved! It took 4 days total - 2 days for ID.me to respond and 2 more to complete the account merge. I used Claimyr to get through to EDD (took about 25 mins to connect) and explained the situation. They put a note on my account and told me to call back once the ID.me issue was fixed. After ID.me merged my accounts, I called EDD again and they were able to push my PFL claim through. Payment is being deposited tomorrow! Thanks everyone for your help with this stressful situation.
So glad to hear it worked out! Enjoy those baby snuggles without the financial stress hanging over you.
congrats!! the relief must be huge. thx for sharing ur experience!
Oh wow, reading through all these experiences is both helpful and terrifying! I'm 8 months pregnant and planning to apply for PFL in a few weeks. I'm pretty sure I have multiple ID.me accounts from different job applications over the years. Should I try to sort this out BEFORE I apply for PFL, or wait until it becomes a problem? It sounds like being proactive might save me a lot of headache later, especially with a newborn!
Definitely be proactive! I wish I had sorted out my ID.me accounts before applying. It's so much easier to deal with when you're not sleep-deprived and stressed about missing payments. Try logging into any email accounts you might have used for job applications and search for "ID.me" to see how many accounts you have. If you find duplicates, submit that help ticket now while you have the mental bandwidth to deal with it properly!
Absolutely agree with Connor! I'm due in 2 months and just went through all my old emails after reading this thread. Found 3 different ID.me accounts 😱 Already submitted a ticket to get them merged. Much better to deal with this now when I can actually think clearly! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread is a goldmine for expecting parents.
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Does anyone know if theres a maximum amount you can receive on PFL? I make decent money and I'm worried about taking a big pay cut if I need to use it.
Yeah, there's usually a cap. In my state, it's about 60-70% of your wages up to a certain amount per week. But it varies, so check your local rules.
Oof, that could be rough. Guess I better start saving up just in case. Thanks for the info!
@Arjun Kurti Since you started in November, you should definitely check your earnings history from any previous jobs too! California PFL looks at your earnings in the base period (usually the first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). If you had another job before November, those earnings might help you qualify even if your current job hours alone aren't enough. You can check your earnings online through the EDD website - they should have all your reported wages on file. Also, make sure to apply as soon as you know you'll need the leave, since there can be processing delays. Good luck! 🤞
This is such valuable advice! I didn't know about the base period calculation - that's really helpful to understand. Quick question though: when you say "first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters," does that mean they skip the most recent quarter? I'm trying to figure out which of my previous job earnings would actually count since I've had a few different positions over the past year.
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Don't panic! I made this exact same mistake last year. Here's what worked for me: I called the EDD PFL line first thing in the morning (around 8:02 AM) and got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The rep was super helpful and explained that they can switch your application type pretty easily if you catch it early. She submitted a correction form on her end and told me to watch for an email confirmation within 3-5 business days. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes once I got someone on the phone. Your benefits won't be affected as long as you get it corrected soon. Hang in there! 💪
This is exactly what I needed to hear! 🙏 Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm definitely going to try calling first thing in the morning tomorrow. Did you have to provide any additional documentation when they made the correction, or was it just a verbal request?
I had the exact same panic attack when I did this last year! 😅 Here's what saved me: instead of just calling randomly, I used the EDD callback feature on their website. You request a callback and they actually call YOU back within 24-48 hours. Way less stressful than sitting on hold forever. When they called, I explained the mistake and the agent was like "oh this happens all the time, no worries." She switched it from Care to Bonding in literally 2 minutes and sent me a confirmation email the same day. Your benefits timeline shouldn't be affected at all - they just update the form type in their system. Breathe, you got this! 🌟
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This is so helpful to read everyone's experiences! I'm actually going through something similar right now - got denied for PFL about a month ago and the reason was confusing but now I think it might be related to this "full wage continuation" issue. I was on unpaid leave for 3 weeks to care for my newborn but didn't really understand the denial letter at the time. Reading through all these detailed success stories is giving me the motivation to look into appealing. @Olivia Harris your breakdown is super clear - I had no idea you could request your wage history for free to see what data EDD has on file. That seems like such a smart first step to figure out what went wrong. @Marcus Marsh I hope your appeal goes smoothly! It sounds like this is definitely a fixable problem based on everyone's experiences here. This thread is proof that the EDD system has some serious glitches but they can be corrected with the right documentation.
@Zara Malik You should definitely look into appealing! Based on all the success stories in this thread, it sounds like the full "wage continuation denial" is super common when you re'actually on unpaid leave. The fact that you were caring for your newborn and not getting paid during those 3 weeks sounds exactly like what everyone else here dealt with. @Olivia Harris s step-by-step'approach seems like the way to go - start with requesting that free wage history report to see what bogus data EDD has on file. Even though it s been'a month, it s definitely'worth pursuing since people are getting full back pay once these system errors get corrected. Don t let'EDD s broken'system discourage you from getting the benefits you deserve! 💪
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I went through something very similar about 6 months ago - got denied for PFL because of "full wage continuation" even though I was on completely unpaid FMLA leave. It's such a frustrating error! What really helped me was getting super organized with my documentation. Here's what I'd recommend: 1. Request your wage and claim history from EDD (it's free through your online account) - this will show you exactly what wage data they have on file that's causing the denial 2. Get a detailed letter from your payroll department confirming you received $0 wages during your leave dates 3. Gather your actual pay stubs showing zero earnings for those weeks 4. If you have any emails or texts about requesting unpaid time off, include those too The appeal took about 6 weeks for me, but I got approved with full back pay. Don't let their broken system discourage you - this type of denial gets overturned all the time once you provide proof that you weren't actually getting paid. You've got this! 💪
@Jasmine Hernandez Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It s'incredibly helpful to hear from someone who actually went through this whole process successfully. Your 4-step approach is really clear and actionable. I had no idea that requesting the wage and claim history could show exactly what incorrect data EDD has - that seems like such a crucial first step to understand where their system went wrong. The 6-week timeline with full back pay gives me realistic expectations too. I m'feeling much more confident about tackling this appeal now that I have a proven game plan to follow. Really appreciate you taking the time to share these details - this community support means everything when dealing with EDD s'broken system! 🙏
Chris Elmeda
I'm about 7 months pregnant and this entire thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea there were so many nuances to the SDI to PFL transition process. Reading everyone's real experiences has taught me more than any official EDD documentation I've found online. A few things I'm taking away from this discussion: - Apply for PFL 5-9 days BEFORE disability ends (not after!) to avoid payment gaps - Keep all documentation and take screenshots of account statuses - Extensions beyond standard recovery periods are totally normal with proper medical justification - The PFL application will generate a completely separate claim number One question for the group - has anyone had experience with this process if you're planning to take the full 12 weeks of bonding leave? I'm wondering if there are any additional considerations for longer PFL claims or if the application process is the same regardless of how many weeks you're requesting. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly! As a first-time mom, this community has made navigating the benefits system feel so much more manageable. It's clear that being proactive and organized (like the original poster) makes all the difference in having a smooth transition.
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Dylan Campbell
•Great question about the full 12 weeks of bonding leave! I just finished my 12-week PFL baby bonding period last month, and the application process is exactly the same regardless of how many weeks you're requesting. When you apply, you'll select your desired start date (the day after your disability ends) and end date (up to 8 weeks for bonding), and the system calculates everything automatically. One thing to keep in mind - California PFL only covers up to 8 weeks for baby bonding, not 12 weeks. If you want 12 weeks total, you'd need to combine your disability leave + 8 weeks PFL bonding + any additional unpaid FMLA time your employer offers. So if you had 6 weeks of disability + 8 weeks PFL bonding, that gets you to 14 weeks total. The key is coordinating with your HR department about the unpaid portion if you're planning to extend beyond the 8 weeks of paid PFL bonding. But the actual PFL application itself is straightforward - just make sure you're clear on how many of those weeks will be paid vs unpaid when you're planning your leave. Hope this helps with your planning! You're smart to research all this ahead of time. The more prepared you are, the smoother everything goes when you're juggling a newborn and paperwork!
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Aria Park
•This is such valuable information about the 8-week PFL limit vs 12-week total leave planning! I had mistakenly thought PFL covered the full 12 weeks, so thank you for that clarification. It makes total sense that you'd need to coordinate with HR for any unpaid FMLA time beyond the 8 weeks of paid bonding leave. Your breakdown of disability + PFL bonding + unpaid FMLA is really helpful for planning purposes. I'm definitely going to have a conversation with my HR department early to understand what unpaid leave options they offer beyond the state benefits. It's so smart that you researched this ahead of time too - I'm realizing there are so many details about coordinating state benefits with employer policies that I never would have thought to ask about. Did you find your employer was pretty accommodating about the transition from paid PFL back to unpaid leave, or were there any complications with that handoff? Thanks for sharing your recent experience with the full process! It's incredibly helpful to hear from someone who just completed the entire journey from disability through bonding leave.
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Lukas Fitzgerald
I'm currently 6 months pregnant and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Reading through everyone's real experiences has given me such a clear roadmap for what to expect with the SDI to PFL transition. I'm taking notes on all the key points: apply for PFL 5-9 days before disability ends, keep screenshots of everything, have birth certificate/hospital papers ready to upload, and write down that new PFL claim number immediately. The specific timeline suggestions (like May 5th for a May 12th disability end date) are so helpful for actual planning. One thing I'm curious about - for those who had extensions due to C-section complications, did you need to provide any additional documentation beyond what your doctor submitted? I'm planning for a C-section and want to be prepared in case recovery doesn't go as smoothly as hoped. Also, has anyone dealt with the situation where you're not sure exactly when your baby will arrive? I'm due in early June but babies obviously don't follow schedules! I'm wondering how that uncertainty affects the disability start date and subsequent PFL planning. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly - this community is amazing for first-time moms trying to navigate this complex benefits system!
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