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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Hey OP, just checking in. Any luck with unlocking your account? Keep us posted!
Not yet, but I'm working through all the suggestions here. I'll definitely update when I get it sorted. Thanks for checking in!
I went through this exact same situation last month! Here's what finally worked for me: I called the EDD technical support line (not the regular claims line) at 1-800-300-5616. They have a separate department that handles account lockouts and password resets. When you get through, ask specifically for the "UI Online technical support team." They were able to reset my security questions after verifying my SSN, date of birth, and some details from my claim. It took about 45 minutes on the phone but they got me back in. Also, make sure you have your EDD customer account number ready - it's on any mail they've sent you. Good luck! 🍀
This is super helpful! I didn't even know there was a separate technical support line. Definitely going to try this number first thing tomorrow. Did they ask for any additional documentation besides what you mentioned, or was the phone verification enough to get you back in?
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Hang in there, OP! I know it's frustrating, but your benefits are protected even if you've returned to work. They'll backpay you for the time you were out. Just keep following up and don't let them forget about you!
Thanks for the encouragement! It's good to know I'm not alone in this. Gonna keep pushing until I get what I'm owed!
I'm dealing with something similar right now! Filed my PFL claim 2 weeks ago for bonding time and still haven't heard anything back. It's so stressful not knowing when the payment will come through, especially when you're already juggling work and a new baby. @Ellie Simpson's checklist looks super helpful - definitely going to try calling first thing in the morning. Has anyone had luck with the secure messaging through the online portal, or is calling still the better option?
Hey Katherine! I'm actually new to this community but have been lurking and reading everyone's experiences. From what I've seen in other threads, calling seems to be more effective than the secure messaging, but it requires patience with those long wait times. The secure messaging can take days or even weeks to get a response. If you do try calling, definitely follow @Charlee Coleman s'advice about calling right when they open - seems like that s'the golden tip everyone swears by! Good luck with your claim, and congrats on the new baby! 🍼
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One last tip - keep track of all your benefit payments throughout the year (screenshots of your EDD account or the paper statements they mail). Sometimes the 1099-G can have errors, and you'll want your own records to verify the amount is correct. If there is a discrepancy, you'll need to contact EDD for a corrected form, which can take time. Better to discover any issues early in tax season!
Just wanted to share my experience from last year - I was in almost the exact same situation (SDI during pregnancy, then PFL for bonding) and was super confused about the tax stuff too! One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: even though you can't withhold taxes from SDI payments, you CAN have taxes withheld from your regular paycheck (if you're planning to return to work) to help cover the tax liability from both SDI and PFL. I talked to my HR department and increased my withholding for the rest of the year, which helped me avoid owing a big chunk at tax time. Also, don't stress too much about the 1099-G timing - mine came in late January and everything worked out fine for filing taxes. Congrats again on your little one! 💕
That's such a smart tip about adjusting withholding when you go back to work! I hadn't even thought about that. I'm planning to return to work in January so I'll definitely talk to HR about increasing my withholding to help cover the tax liability from all these benefits. Thank you for sharing your experience - it's so helpful to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing! 💕
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Quick update on your question about which pays more - to be super clear, both SDI (disability) and PFL (baby bonding) use the exact same calculation: - If you earn less than 1/3 of the state average quarterly wage, you get 70% of your wages - If you earn more than 1/3 of the state average quarterly wage, you get 60% of your wages So there is absolutely no financial benefit to staying on disability versus moving to PFL. The priority should be making sure there's no gap between the two benefits, which unfortunately requires speaking with an EDD representative.
This is so helpful, thank you! At least I know I'm not missing out financially by switching to baby bonding. Now I just need to actually reach a human at EDD...
I went through this exact same nightmare 6 months ago! Here's what finally worked for me: Call EDD at 8am SHARP when they open (1-800-480-3287). Don't hang up even if you get the busy message - keep hitting redial. I literally called 47 times one morning before getting through. When you do reach someone, have both your SDI claim number and your PFL claim number ready. Tell them you need to "coordinate the transition between disability and family leave claims" - use those exact words because it triggers them to look at both claims together. The rep will be able to see that your disability should have ended and your PFL should have started, and they can manually process the transition. Mine was fixed within 24 hours after that call. Also, definitely ask them to backdate your PFL start date so there's no gap in payments. And yes, both pay the exact same amount - I was getting $1,180/week on both disability and baby bonding. Hang in there! The system is broken but once you get a human on the phone, they can actually fix it pretty quickly.
Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I'm definitely going to try the 8am calling strategy tomorrow. The "coordinate the transition between disability and family leave claims" wording is super helpful - I've been struggling to explain the issue when I do get through to the automated system. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it gives me hope that this can actually be resolved quickly once I reach the right person!
Kara Yoshida
Hey, congrats on the new baby! Sorry you're dealing with this stress. If it makes you feel any better, I had a similar issue last year and it all worked out eventually. Sending positive vibes your way! ❤️
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Edward McBride
•Aww, thank you! That actually does make me feel a bit better. Trying to stay positive!
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Elijah O'Reilly
I went through this exact same nightmare when my daughter was born 6 months ago! Same thing - sent everything in, then crickets for weeks. What finally worked for me was faxing a copy of everything again with a cover letter explaining it was my second attempt and including the original date I sent it. Apparently my first submission got "lost in the system" 🙄 Got a call back within 3 days after that. Also, if you have a case number from when you first applied, make sure to reference that in any follow-up communication. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with these agencies unfortunately. Hang in there!
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