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!
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One more thing to consider - you can split up your 8 weeks of PFL baby bonding. You don't have to take it all at once. Some dads take 4 weeks right after birth, then save the other 4 weeks for later in the year. Just make sure you use it all within 12 months of the birth. For each separate period, you'll need to file a new claim form.
That's really helpful to know! Maybe I could take 2 weeks initially and save the rest for when my wife goes back to work. I'll definitely look into the DE2508 form and see how the application process works. Thanks everyone for all the advice.
Just want to add - make sure you understand the waiting period! There's a 7-day waiting period for PFL claims, meaning your first week is unpaid. So if you're planning to take time off, factor that into your budget. Also, if you're planning to split your leave like @Keisha Jackson mentioned, each separate claim period will have its own 7-day waiting period. I learned this the hard way when I took my PFL in two chunks and didn't realize I'd have two unpaid weeks total.
Wow, I had no idea about the waiting period! That's really important to know since I'm already worried about the financial impact. So if I split my 8 weeks into two separate periods, I'd have two unpaid weeks total? That definitely changes how I need to plan this. Thanks for the heads up @Aisha Abdullah - this is exactly the kind of detail I needed to know before making decisions about when to take leave.
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lol good luck getting anyone at EDD to pick up the phone. I've been trying for weeks 🤡
Try calling right when they open. I got through after only 30 mins on hold that way!
30 mins? You must be some kind of EDD whisperer 😂
@Yuki Ito, I was in a very similar situation when my daughter was born. Here's what worked for me: Document EVERYTHING - get a letter from your pediatrician stating that you need to be the primary caregiver, keep records of childcare searches you've done (showing lack of availability/affordability), and any family circumstances that prevent others from helping. When I called EDD, I emphasized that this was a "compelling family obligation" (thanks to whoever mentioned that term!) and that I was actively seeking work-from-home opportunities. It took about 3 weeks to get approved, but I did get benefits. The key is being persistent and having your documentation ready. Also, consider looking into local childcare assistance programs while you're navigating this - sometimes there are subsidies available that can help you get back to work sooner. Hang in there! 💙
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This gives me a lot of hope. I hadn't thought about getting a letter from the pediatrician - that's brilliant! Can I ask what specific wording you used when explaining it was a "compelling family obligation"? Also, did you apply for unemployment right away or wait? I'm worried about timing since I quit about 2 weeks ago. Really appreciate you taking the time to share all these details! 🙏
@Zara Ahmed This is such valuable advice, thank you for sharing your success story! The pediatrician letter is a great idea I hadn t'considered. Quick question - did you mention any specific medical needs for why you needed to be the primary caregiver, or was it more about general newborn care? I m'trying to figure out how to frame this properly since my baby is healthy but obviously needs constant care. Also really interested in hearing about those childcare assistance programs you mentioned - are those through the county or state? Thanks again for giving me hope that this is possible! 🙏
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This might sound weird, but have you tried reaching out to EDD on social media? Sometimes companies are more responsive there because it's public. Worth a shot if nothing else is working.
Hey Nina! I actually went through something similar a few months ago. One thing that helped me was trying to reset my password using the "Forgot Password" link with my original email address - sometimes that can unlock the account automatically. Also, if you can find any old paperwork from when you first filed for unemployment or disability, it might have your original login info on it. The EDD keeps better records than we think they do sometimes! Hope this helps and you get it sorted soon! 🙏
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I went through this exact same situation 3 months ago! Switched from debit card to direct deposit for my bonding leave and it took 7 business days for the first payment to hit my account. I was freaking out just like you are now. The key thing I learned is that "business days" doesn't include weekends, so if you made the switch on a Friday, that whole weekend doesn't count toward the timeline. Also, I found that calling EDD around 8:02 AM right when they open gives you the best chance of getting through quickly. Hang in there - it's so stressful with a new baby but the money will come!
This is really reassuring to hear! I'm in a similar situation right now - just switched to direct deposit for my PFL bonding leave and it's only been 3 business days but I'm already getting anxious. Good tip about the business days not including weekends - I hadn't thought about that! Did you have to provide any additional verification when you called, or were they able to confirm everything was processing normally just with your basic info?
When I called EDD they just needed my SSN and claim number to pull up my account. They were able to see immediately that my direct deposit info was verified and the payment was in the queue - really put my mind at ease! The agent told me that if there were any issues with bank verification, it would show a specific code on their end. Since you're only at 3 business days, you're probably right on track for a normal timeline. The waiting is definitely the hardest part when you're counting on that money!
I'm currently dealing with this exact same situation! Just switched from debit card to direct deposit for my PFL bonding benefits 5 days ago and still waiting. Reading through all these experiences is both reassuring and nerve-wracking - sounds like anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks is possible! 😅 At least now I know 6-7 business days seems to be the most common timeline for the first direct deposit. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in this stressful waiting game with EDD!
Hang in there! I'm a new member here but going through the same thing - just made the switch 4 days ago and getting antsy waiting for my first direct deposit. Reading everyone's experiences really helps calm the nerves! It sounds like 5-7 business days is pretty normal for the first one. The uncertainty is the worst part when you're budgeting around that money. Hopefully both of us see our deposits hit soon! 🤞
Andre Rousseau
Just to follow up - did your payment arrive yet? The holiday backlog should be processed by now. If it's been approved for more than 7 business days without payment, you might want to call.
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Yuki Yamamoto
•YES! It finally showed up this morning! What a relief. You were right about the Friday timeline. Thanks everyone for the help and keeping me sane through the wait!
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Malik Thomas
So glad to hear your payment came through! The waiting game with EDD is absolutely nerve-wracking, especially when you have bills due. For anyone else reading this - it seems like the MLK Day holiday really did push everything back about a week from normal processing times. Good to know for future reference that holiday Mondays can mess with their whole system like that.
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Hunter Brighton
•Thanks for sharing this update! As someone new to navigating EDD, this thread has been super helpful. I'm currently waiting on my first PFL payment and was starting to panic after reading horror stories online. It's reassuring to see that even with holiday delays, things do eventually work out. I'll definitely keep the holiday processing delays in mind for future claims!
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