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 :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Friendly reminder to everyone: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Keep copies of all forms, note down every call (date, time, who you spoke to), and save all emails. It'll save your butt if theres ever a dispute.
THIS. Cannot stress this enough. EDD 'lost' my forms twice. Thank god I had copies.
If the care recipient has a legal guardian or power of attorney, they might be able to sign on their behalf. You'll need to include documentation proving the legal relationship (like court papers or POA documents) along with your claim. I had to do this for my elderly parent and it worked, though it did add a few extra weeks to the processing time. Make sure to include a cover letter explaining the situation too!
This is really helpful! I didn't know about the POA option. Do you happen to know if a medical power of attorney would work, or does it need to be a general POA? My situation involves caring for someone with dementia and we only have medical POA set up right now.
Join the conversation
I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! After getting my Notice of Computation, I was able to start certifying within a few days. My first payment hit my account about 10 days after my first certification. The key things that helped me: 1) Set up direct deposit immediately (saved me almost a week vs waiting for the debit card), 2) Certified as soon as the option became available in my account, and 3) Made sure all my info was accurate to avoid any holds. Don't stress too much - once the process gets rolling, it's pretty reliable. Just keep checking your account daily for certification opportunities!
This is really helpful, thanks for sharing your timeline! I'm curious - did you have to do anything special to verify your identity, or did everything go smoothly once you started certifying? I keep hearing horror stories about people getting stuck in identity verification limbo for weeks.
I'm in a similar boat right now! Just got my Notice of Computation yesterday and feeling anxious about when things will actually start moving. Your timeline gives me hope - 10 days total doesn't sound too bad. Did you have any issues with the website when you were trying to certify? I've been reading about people having trouble accessing their accounts during peak hours.
Just wanted to share my recent experience to give you some hope! I got my Notice of Computation about 3 weeks ago and was in the same anxious boat as you. Here's my timeline: Got the notice on a Tuesday, was able to certify for my first week that Friday, and my payment hit my account the following Wednesday (so about 8 days total). The key was setting up direct deposit right away - I almost made the mistake of waiting for the debit card but changed my mind after reading posts here. Also, I found that logging into the EDD site around 6 AM worked way better than trying during the day when everyone else is on there. Hang in there, the waiting is brutal but once it starts flowing it's pretty consistent!
Join the conversation
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my PFL claim 6 weeks ago for bonding leave and it's like it disappeared into thin air. The online portal just says "pending" with no updates whatsoever. I've been calling the 1-877-238-4373 number religiously but either get disconnected or told the wait time is over 2 hours. It's absolutely maddening when you're already dealing with a new baby and need that income! Has anyone had success with the callback feature, or is that just as broken as everything else?
Same exact situation here! 😤 The callback feature is completely useless - I've requested callbacks multiple times and never got a single one. It's like they just throw your request into the void. The "pending" status is so frustrating when you need answers. Have you tried the early morning calling strategy some people mentioned? I'm thinking of trying that 8am sharp approach tomorrow.
I'm dealing with this nightmare too! 😫 Filed my PFL claim 8 weeks ago after my son was born and it's been complete radio silence. What's really frustrating is that my SDI payments just stopped without any explanation - I went from getting regular disability payments to absolutely nothing. The EDD portal shows my claim as "under review" but there's been zero movement for over a month. I've tried calling at different times of day, used the callback feature (which never calls back), and even tried the chat function that's supposedly available. Nothing works! This is such a stressful time already with a newborn, and not having any income coming in is making everything so much worse. Really considering trying that assembly member route that someone mentioned - at this point I'm willing to try anything!
@Nia Harris I m'so sorry you re'going through this too! 😔 The fact that your SDI just stopped with no explanation is infuriating - that s'exactly what happened to me and it feels like they just cut you off and expect you to figure it out on your own. I definitely think the assembly member route is worth trying at this point. From what @CosmicCaptain shared earlier, they have dedicated staff for EDD issues and can sometimes get things moving when nothing else works. Also keeping my fingers crossed that the system glitch @Luca Esposito mentioned gets fixed soon, though I m not'holding my breath with how slow EDD moves on everything else! Hang in there mama ❤️
Join the conversation
As someone who just went through this process with my self-employed partner, I wanted to add a few practical tips that really helped us: **Start the SDI Elective Coverage verification early**: Even though your husband has been paying for 2 years, EDD sometimes takes time to verify self-employed coverage status. You can check his coverage online at EDD.ca.gov or call to confirm before the baby arrives. **Consider a "trial run" with clients**: My partner did a practice week off about a month before our due date - set up the auto-responder, handed off urgent projects, etc. It helped identify any gaps in his handoff process and made clients more comfortable with the real leave. **Weekly benefit estimate**: The calculation can be tricky with fluctuating income. Generally it's about 60-70% of his average weekly wage from his highest quarter, maxing out at around $1,540/week (2024 rates). If his income varies a lot, it's worth calculating a few scenarios. **Documentation backup**: Keep digital copies of EVERYTHING in a dedicated folder - bank statements, 1099s, invoices, client contracts. EDD sometimes requests additional proof weeks after the initial application. The intermittent leave option is great for maintaining client relationships, but just remember each "chunk" needs to be at least a full week and properly certified. My partner ended up doing 2 weeks right after birth, then 3 weeks at 2 months, then the final 3 weeks at 6 months - worked perfectly for his business cycle. You've got this! The fact that you're planning ahead puts you way ahead of the game.
This is such comprehensive advice - thank you! The idea of doing a "trial run" with clients is genius. I never would have thought of that, but it makes so much sense to work out any kinks before the actual leave period starts. The weekly benefit estimate is really helpful too. My husband's income definitely fluctuates, so knowing it's based on his highest quarter gives us a better sense of what to expect. And I love the specific example of how your partner split up his 8 weeks - that intermittent approach seems like it could work really well for maintaining client relationships while still getting the bonding time. We'll definitely start that SDI coverage verification process now rather than waiting. Better to find out about any issues sooner rather than later! And creating that dedicated documentation folder is going on my to-do list right now. Thank you for all the practical, real-world advice. It's so reassuring to hear from someone who actually made it through this process successfully!
Just wanted to chime in as another self-employed parent who successfully navigated this! Your husband should definitely qualify for the 8 weeks of PFL for baby bonding since he's been paying into SDI. One thing I didn't see mentioned much is the importance of timing your claim filing strategically. Since benefits are calculated based on the highest quarter in the past 18 months, if your husband had a particularly good earnings quarter recently, make sure to file while that's still in the calculation window. Also, regarding the intermittent leave - we found it helpful to block out specific weeks well in advance and communicate those exact dates to clients. Instead of saying "I'll be taking some time off," we gave them concrete dates like "I'll be unavailable March 15-22, April 12-19, and May 10-24." This helped clients plan around his schedule and made the whole process feel more professional. One last tip: consider having your husband set up a separate business bank account if he doesn't already have one. It makes the income documentation process much cleaner when EDD requests proof of earnings vs. personal expenses. Congratulations on the upcoming arrival! The benefits are definitely worth navigating the paperwork for.
Thank you for all this great advice! The strategic timing point about filing while his best quarter is still in the calculation window is something I hadn't considered - that's really smart. His best quarter was actually Q4 2024, so we'll want to make sure we file before that falls out of the 18-month window. I love the idea of giving clients specific blocked-out dates rather than vague timeframes. That does sound much more professional and would probably help them feel more confident about planning their own projects around his absence. The separate business bank account suggestion is also excellent - he's been meaning to do that anyway for tax purposes, so this gives us another good reason to get that set up before the baby arrives. It would definitely make the income documentation much cleaner and more straightforward for EDD. All of these real-world tips from parents who've actually been through this process are so incredibly helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience!
Danielle Campbell
Congratulations on your baby girl! 🎉 I'm so glad I found this thread because I'm actually due in about 6 weeks and have been wondering about this exact same process. Reading everyone's experiences is incredibly helpful! Just to make sure I understand correctly - so when my baby is born, I should log into my existing SDI Online account and file a completely NEW claim for Paid Family Leave, right? And I can do this even while I'm still receiving my pregnancy disability payments? I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and come back to it when the time comes. It sounds like the key is not waiting and filing the PFL claim as soon as possible after birth to avoid any payment gaps. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's making me feel so much more prepared! The EDD system really should make this clearer for new parents, but at least we have this community to help each other figure it out. 💕
0 coins
Mei Chen
•Yes, that's exactly right @Danielle Campbell! You'll log into your existing SDI Online account and file a completely NEW claim for Paid Family Leave - it's a separate application from your pregnancy disability. And you can (and should!) file it right after your baby is born, even while still receiving SDI payments. This prevents any gap in benefits when your pregnancy disability ends. The biggest thing I learned from this thread is not to overthink it - there's no special "birth notification" step or form to fill out. Just the new PFL application with your baby's birth date and info. You're being so smart to plan ahead! I wish I had found a thread like this before my delivery. Bookmark it for sure - you'll reference it when you're sleep-deprived and can't think straight with a newborn! 😅 Good luck with your delivery in 6 weeks! 💕
0 coins
Keisha Williams
Congratulations on your baby girl! 🎉 I'm actually a new dad who just went through this exact same confusion 2 weeks ago when our daughter was born. The whole EDD transition process is so unnecessarily complicated! Just to echo what everyone else has said - there's no special delivery notification form. You simply file a brand NEW Paid Family Leave claim through your existing SDI Online account. Select "File New Claim" and then "Paid Family Leave" for baby bonding. One thing I wish someone had told me: when you're filling out the PFL application, you can actually backdate the start of your bonding leave to your baby's birth date even if you're filing a few days later. I filed 5 days after our daughter was born and was worried I'd lose those days, but the system let me select her birth date as my leave start date. Also, keep that hospital discharge summary handy - while they don't require birth documentation upfront, having it ready saved me stress when they did request verification a week later. The whole process really should be more streamlined for sleep-deprived new parents, but once you know it's two separate claims, it makes sense. File that PFL claim soon and enjoy every moment with your little one! Those bonding weeks go by so fast. 💕
0 coins
Caden Nguyen
•Thank you @Keisha Williams! That's such a relief to know about being able to backdate the PFL start date to the actual birth date even if you file a few days later. I was worried I'd have to rush to file immediately on the day she was born while still recovering in the hospital! It's also really helpful to hear from a dad's perspective - nice to know this confusion affects all new parents, not just moms. I'll definitely keep those hospital discharge papers organized and ready. Everyone in this thread has been incredibly helpful. I'm going to file my PFL claim today with so much more confidence now. Thank you all for turning what felt like an impossible maze into a clear, manageable process! 💕
0 coins