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!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- 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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Ugh, I feel your pain. I was locked out of my account for WEEKS. Had to send in physical mail to verify my identity. It was a nightmare. Hope you have better luck!
Physical mail? What is this, 1995? 🙄 EDD needs to get with the times fr
I went through this exact same issue last month! What worked for me was going to the EDD office in person with my ID and Social Security card. I know it's a pain, but the staff there were actually really helpful and got me back into my account within about 30 minutes. They can override the security question thing if you have proper ID. Might be worth checking if there's an office near you that's open for walk-ins.
That's really helpful to know! I didn't even think about going in person. Do you remember if you needed to make an appointment or could you just walk in? And was there much of a wait once you got there?
@c2d29e938200 This is super helpful! I'm definitely going to look into visiting an office in person. Did they require any other documents besides ID and Social Security card? And do you know if they can help with paid family leave claims specifically, or just general EDD account issues?
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btw make sure u certified for your weeks! my friend thought filing the claim was all u had to do but u still gotta do those bi-weekly certifications just like unemployment or they won't pay u
That's actually incorrect information. PFL (Paid Family Leave) for baby bonding does NOT require bi-weekly certifications like unemployment. Once your claim is approved, payments are automatically issued for your approved claim period. You only need to certify for unemployment benefits, not for PFL.
oh my bad!! i think i got confused with when i was on disability last year. sry for the wrong info!!
I'm going through something similar right now! Filed my PFL claim for baby bonding on January 14th and still showing "pending" status. It's so stressful when you're counting on that income, especially with all the new baby expenses. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually making me feel a bit better - sounds like the delays are unfortunately normal right now but most people do eventually get their payments with full backpay. @Natasha Petrova thanks for the insider info about the system updates causing bottlenecks. Really helps to understand what's actually happening behind the scenes instead of just wondering if I did something wrong with my application! I think I'm going to try calling them next week if I don't see any movement. The Claimyr suggestion sounds promising too if I can't get through the regular way.
Welcome to the waiting game club! I filed mine on January 20th so I'm a few days behind you but in the same boat. It's definitely reassuring to see that most people here eventually got their payments, even if it took longer than expected. The system update explanation from @Natasha Petrova really helps explain why we re'all experiencing these delays right now. Fingers crossed we both see some movement in our accounts soon!
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I just completed this exact transition in January 2025 and can confirm everything everyone is saying about the 5-7 day window! I applied for PFL on January 15th for my SDI ending January 22nd, with PFL starting January 23rd - zero gaps, perfect timing. One thing I want to add that really helped me: I actually called EDD the day BEFORE I planned to submit my online application just to confirm my SDI end date was exactly what I thought it was. Sometimes there can be slight discrepancies and it's better to know for sure. The rep I spoke with also walked me through the online application process which gave me confidence. Also, when you upload your birth certificate, make sure the entire document is clearly visible and readable. I've heard stories of people having to resubmit because their upload was blurry or cut off. Take a few extra seconds to check it looks good before hitting submit. You're asking all the right questions at the right time - this shows you'll navigate this successfully! The stress of coordinating all this EDD stuff while caring for a newborn is real, but having that uninterrupted bonding time is absolutely worth it. Congratulations on your baby and good luck with your application! 🍼💕
This is such great advice about calling EDD beforehand to confirm the exact SDI end date! I hadn't thought about potential discrepancies but that makes total sense - better to be absolutely sure before submitting the application. The tip about checking the birth certificate upload quality is really smart too. I've been so focused on the timing that I hadn't considered the technical details like making sure the document is crystal clear. It's reassuring to hear from someone who just went through this successfully in January with the exact same timeline I'm planning. Thank you for sharing such thoughtful, practical tips - this whole community has been incredible for helping navigate what felt like an impossible process. I'm feeling so much more prepared now! 🙏
I'm a new mom who just went through this transition last week and wanted to share my experience! I applied for PFL exactly 6 days before my SDI ended (so similar timing to what you'll need) and it worked perfectly - no payment gaps at all. The key things that made it smooth for me: - Applied through SDI Online using "New Claim" > "Paid Family Leave" > "Bonding with new child" - Set my PFL start date for the day immediately after SDI ended - Had my baby's birth certificate ready as a clear PDF to upload right away - Took screenshots of every page including the final confirmation One thing that really helped was writing out the timeline on paper first: your SDI ends 2/22/25, so apply around 2/15-2/17 and set your PFL start date for 2/23/25. Having it visually mapped out made me feel so much more confident about getting the timing right. The whole online application took about 10-15 minutes once I had everything prepared. Don't let the EDD horror stories scare you too much - when you follow this timing advice from everyone here, it really can go smoothly! Enjoy that precious bonding time ahead - it's absolutely worth navigating all this paperwork stress. Congratulations on your little one! 💕
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This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a new parent who just started my PFL application and was completely paralyzed by that "maximum benefit weeks" question too. Like so many others here, I was convinced I was about to accidentally trigger some kind of lump sum payment that would cause problems. Reading through everyone's real-world experiences has been such a relief - especially the professional clarification from @Nia Davis and all the confirmation that payments still come bi-weekly after certifications regardless of which option you choose. Now I understand it's simply asking whether I want to take all 8 weeks consecutively or split them up. It's honestly absurd how EDD manages to make such a straightforward concept sound so intimidating! This community is amazing for translating government-speak into actually useful information that new parents can understand. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - it makes navigating these confusing systems so much less stressful! 🙏
@Lucas Schmidt I totally relate to that paralyzed feeling! I just went through this exact same experience a couple weeks ago and was absolutely convinced I was going to mess something up with that terribly worded question. This thread has been such a blessing for all of us newcomers trying to navigate EDD s'confusing forms! It s'really reassuring to see so many people confirm that selecting yes "is" straightforward when you want all 8 weeks consecutively, and that the bi-weekly payment schedule stays the same no matter what. The professional insight from @Nia Davis really sealed the deal for me in understanding it s'just about establishing your claim period, nothing scary about payment timing. EDD seriously needs to hire better form writers - it shouldn t'take a whole community thread to decode one simple question! But I m'so grateful for everyone here who shares their real experiences to help the rest of us. Hope your application goes smoothly! 🤞
This thread has been absolutely amazing! I'm a new parent just starting my PFL application and was completely stuck on that "maximum benefit weeks" question. Like everyone else here, I was terrified I was about to accidentally request some kind of advance payment or get locked into something I didn't understand. Reading through all these real experiences has been such a huge relief - especially knowing from @Nia Davis's professional perspective and everyone else's confirmations that selecting "yes" just means taking all 8 weeks consecutively, and you still get paid every 2 weeks after certifications like normal. It's honestly ridiculous how EDD manages to make such a simple question sound so scary! I was literally googling "EDD maximum benefit weeks lump sum" trying to figure out what I was getting myself into. This community is incredible for breaking down these confusing government forms into actually understandable information. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's made what seemed like a terrifying decision into a straightforward one. About to confidently select "yes" and submit this application! 🙏
Liam Mendez
This thread has been such a lifesaver for me! I'm 35 weeks pregnant and just started realizing how much I don't know about the whole SDI/PFL system. Reading through everyone's experiences has taught me more in one evening than weeks of trying to navigate the official EDD website. Samantha, I'm so proud of you for advocating for yourself - it takes real courage to push back when you're not feeling ready, especially when dealing with government systems that can be so intimidating. The specific advice about getting detailed medical documentation on the DE2501 form and submitting through multiple channels is gold. I've already started building a relationship with my OB's office staff based on the tips here! It's incredible how supportive this community is - knowing that extensions are normal and that there are people who've successfully navigated this process makes me feel so much more prepared. Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences and practical workarounds!
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Zainab Ibrahim
•I'm so glad you found this thread helpful too! As someone who's also expecting my first baby (due in about 2 months), I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to figure out all these benefits and processes. This community has been absolutely amazing - the level of detail and practical advice everyone has shared is incredible. It really does take courage to advocate for yourself when you're dealing with recovery complications, and Samantha's story is so inspiring in that regard. I love the tip about building relationships with your OB's office staff early - that's something I never would have thought of but makes so much sense. It's reassuring to know that so many people have successfully navigated extensions and that there are concrete strategies for dealing with EDD's challenges. The fact that everyone here is so willing to share their real experiences and help each other out gives me so much more confidence about the whole process. Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
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Omar Farouk
This entire thread has been incredibly helpful! As a new mom who just started my maternity leave 2 weeks ago, I had no idea that SDI extensions were even possible until I found this discussion. Samantha, I'm so glad you advocated for yourself and got your doctor to approve the extension - that takes real courage when you're dealing with both recovery complications and the stress of navigating EDD. The detailed advice everyone has shared about getting specific medical documentation, submitting forms through multiple channels, and services like Claimyr is exactly what I needed to know. I've been having some unexpected issues with my own recovery and was starting to panic about the timeline, but reading all these experiences has shown me that needing more time than the "standard" period is completely normal. Thank you to everyone for being so open about your experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for those of us trying to figure out these complex systems!
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