Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
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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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I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Been trying to reach EDD for over a week about my PFL transition and it's absolutely maddening. What's really frustrating is that they make this process so complicated when you're already exhausted from having a newborn. One thing I discovered is that the SDI Online messaging system sometimes works better if you categorize your message as "Urgent - Benefit Payment Issue" rather than just general inquiry. I got a response in 5 days instead of the usual 10+ days when I resubmitted with that category. Also, try sending your message on Monday mornings - seems like they process weekend backlog first. Really hoping you get through soon! The financial stress on top of everything else is just too much. Keep us posted on what works for you - we're all learning from each other's experiences with this broken system.
That's a great tip about the "Urgent - Benefit Payment Issue" category! I've been using the general inquiry option and waiting forever for responses. I'm definitely going to try resubmitting my message with that urgent category on Monday morning. It's so helpful when people share these little tricks that actually work. The financial stress is really getting to me too - it's like they don't understand that new parents can't afford to wait weeks for their benefits to get sorted out. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I'm so sorry you're going through this - the EDD phone system is absolutely brutal when you're already dealing with a newborn! I went through something similar with my PFL claim last year. One strategy that worked for me was using a combination of approaches: I'd call the direct PFL number (1-877-238-4373) right at 8:00 AM sharp while also having the Claimyr service call on my behalf as backup. The overlapping dates issue you described is super common - they need to adjust your PFL start date to be the day after your pregnancy disability officially ends, not your baby's birth date. Also, since you mentioned rent is due next week, you might want to contact your local 211 service (dial 2-1-1) for emergency financial assistance resources while you're waiting for EDD to get their act together. Some counties have emergency funds specifically for situations like this where government benefits are delayed. Keep documenting every call attempt with dates and times - if this drags on much longer, your assembly member's office can really help cut through the red tape. Hang in there, mama! The benefits are retroactive so you'll get everything you're owed once they fix the dates.
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I'm going through the same thing right now! From what I've gathered reading through these comments, it sounds like calling early in the morning is key. @Fatima Al-Mansour your step-by-step breakdown is super helpful - I'm definitely going to try the 8:01 AM call strategy. It's frustrating that the online system seems so unreliable, but at least there are workarounds. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!
@Yuki Yamamoto Yes, the 8:01 AM thing seems to be the magic trick! I m'in the same boat as you and @Giovanni Rossi - just starting this whole reestablishment process. It s really'helpful to see what s worked'for others. I m planning'to try calling tomorrow morning with all my paperwork ready. Fingers crossed we both get through quickly! 🤞
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I'm going through this exact same thing right now! My PFL was approved 6 days ago and I'm still anxiously waiting for the payment to show up in my account. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was starting to worry that something was specifically wrong with my claim, but it sounds like these delays are just the unfortunate reality right now. I've been obsessively checking my bank account multiple times a day (anyone else doing this? 😅) and the waiting is driving me crazy, especially when you're really counting on that money. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like 5-10 business days is pretty typical, with some cases taking up to 14 days due to backlogs. I'm going to try the early morning calling strategy that several people mentioned, and I'll also double-check my banking information online just to be safe. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it really helps to know we're all dealing with the same frustrating wait together! Hopefully we'll all see our payments come through soon. 🤞
Yes, I'm totally doing the obsessive bank account checking too! 😅 It's like a compulsive habit at this point - I probably check 15+ times a day hoping to see that magical deposit finally appear. You're definitely not alone in this! I'm on day 7 since my approval and the waiting is absolutely brutal when you're depending on that money for bills and expenses. This thread has been such a lifesaver though - before reading everyone's experiences I was convinced something was wrong with my specific case. Now I know it's just the unfortunate reality of how slow the system is right now. Going to try calling first thing tomorrow morning and crossing my fingers we all get some good news soon! 🤞
I'm dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! My PFL was approved 9 days ago and I'm still waiting for the payment to hit my account. It's such a relief to read through everyone's experiences here - I was starting to panic that there was something wrong with my specific claim, but it sounds like these delays are just par for the course unfortunately. The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking when you're depending on that money for rent and bills. I've definitely joined the "obsessive bank account checking" club that others mentioned - probably refreshing my banking app 20+ times a day at this point! 😅 Based on what Yara shared about actually getting through to someone, it sounds like 7-14 business days after approval is the realistic timeline we should expect due to their current backlog. That's longer than I was hoping for, but at least now I know what to expect. I'm going to try the early morning calling strategy tomorrow that Caesar and others recommended. Also going to double-check all my banking info online just to make sure there's nothing holding things up on my end. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and timelines - this community support makes the waiting so much more bearable! Fingers crossed we all see our payments come through soon. Hang in there everyone! 💪
I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm on day 5 since my PFL approval and was getting really anxious about the delay, but reading everyone's experiences is making me feel so much better. The obsessive bank account checking is SO real - I thought I was the only one doing that! 😅 It's honestly become like a nervous tic at this point. I'm definitely going to try calling early tomorrow morning based on everyone's advice, and I'll make sure to verify my banking details too. Thanks for sharing your timeline Ava - knowing that even 9 days is still within the "normal" range (as frustrating as that is) helps set my expectations. This waiting game is brutal when you really need the funds, but at least we're all going through it together! 🤞
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I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! EDD denied my PFL claim last week claiming I received "full wages" when I was actually only getting 60% pay through my employer's temporary disability insurance. It's so frustrating because their automated system seems to flag ANY payment from an employer as "wages" without distinguishing between actual wages and benefits like sick pay or disability. One thing I learned from my HR department is that EDD often misinterprets how employers report these payments on their quarterly forms. When companies submit their DE-9 and DE-9C forms, sometimes the disability payments get coded incorrectly, which triggers these false denials. I'm filing my appeal this week and planning to include a letter from our benefits administrator explaining exactly what type of payments I received and referencing the specific insurance policy. I'm also going to request that my employer re-submit their quarterly reporting with corrected codes if needed. Have you checked with your wife's HR to see how they reported her sick leave payments to EDD? Sometimes the issue starts there and getting the employer to correct their reporting can actually resolve things faster than waiting for an appeal. Sending you strength during this incredibly stressful time - new parent life is hard enough without EDD making it worse!
This is such valuable insight about the employer reporting issue! I hadn't even thought about checking how my wife's company reported her sick leave payments on their quarterly forms. That could definitely be the root cause of this whole mess. I'm going to contact her HR department tomorrow to ask specifically about how they coded her sick leave payments on the DE-9 forms. If they reported it incorrectly, getting them to re-submit with the right codes could save us weeks of waiting for the appeal process. It's so frustrating that we're all dealing with the same systemic issue - EDD's automated system clearly can't distinguish between actual wages and legitimate benefit payments. You'd think they would have fixed this by now given how common these wrongful denials seem to be. Thank you for sharing this tip and I hope your appeal gets resolved quickly too! This whole situation is exhausting when you're already sleep-deprived with a newborn.
I'm so sorry you're going through this nightmare with a newborn! Unfortunately, this is an incredibly common issue with EDD's automated system flagging any employer payments as "wages" even when they're clearly sick leave or disability benefits. A few things that might help speed up your case: 1. **Contact your Assembly member's office** - They have EDD liaisons who can sometimes get responses in 1-2 weeks instead of months. Find yours at findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov 2. **Check your wife's employer reporting** - Ask HR how they coded her sick leave payments on their DE-9 quarterly forms to EDD. Sometimes the issue starts with incorrect employer reporting codes. 3. **Submit an expedited hardship request** with your appeal - Include documentation of overdue bills, low bank balances, and rent/utility notices to potentially cut wait time in half. 4. **Try the 1-800-300-5616 appeals line** - Sometimes has better connection rates than the main number. The good news is that these wrongful denials almost always get overturned once a human reviews the documentation. Make sure your appeal includes pay stubs, employer letter stating it was SICK PAY (not wages), and cite California Code of Regulations Title 22 Section 3302(s)-1. You've got this - don't let EDD's broken system defeat you!
Giovanni Moretti
This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation but with overlapping dates between my two jobs. I work part-time at a daycare and full-time at a law firm, and I was planning to take PFL from both employers starting the same week in December. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like I need to stagger the dates so there's no overlap? My daycare job pays less but I've been there longer, so I'm wondering if I should start with that claim first and then transition to the law firm claim, or if it matters which order I file them in. Has anyone dealt with overlapping employer situations specifically?
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Liam McConnell
•Yes, you absolutely cannot have overlapping dates between the two employers - that would be considered fraudulent double-dipping! You need to stagger them completely. From what I've learned reading this thread, I'd suggest starting with whichever employer gives you higher benefits (probably the law firm since it's full-time), then transition to the second employer claim after the first one ends. That way you get maximum financial benefit early on when expenses are highest with a new baby. Just make sure there's no gap between the end date of one claim and start date of the next, and file the second claim at least 10 days before you want it to begin. The order doesn't really matter legally, but financially it makes sense to front-load the higher-paying claim.
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Marina Hendrix
•@Giovanni Moretti Just be really careful about the timing! I had a friend who tried to do overlapping claims thinking she could split weeks between employers and EDD flagged her account for investigation. It took months to resolve and they made her pay back benefits. The safest approach is definitely to do them consecutively with no overlap whatsoever. Also consider that your law firm probably has better HR support to help you navigate the paperwork correctly compared to a daycare, so starting with that claim might be smoother overall.
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Gabrielle Dubois
I went through this exact scenario last year with my nursing job and weekend catering gig! The key thing that helped me was creating a timeline document before filing anything. I listed out exactly which dates I wanted benefits from each employer, made sure there were zero overlapping days, and then submitted both claims about 2 weeks apart (not at the same time). One thing I learned the hard way - when you're working two jobs and taking PFL, your employers might have questions about why you're taking leave at different times. I had to explain to both HR departments that I was staggering the claims to maximize my benefits while staying compliant with EDD rules. Most employers are understanding once you explain it properly. Also, keep detailed records of which employer you're claiming benefits from on which specific dates. I made a simple spreadsheet that I could reference if EDD ever had questions. It saved me so much stress knowing I had everything documented clearly!
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