One more important thing - if you worked enough quarters to qualify for SDI (which it sounds like you did with 2 years at your job), your benefit amount is based on your highest quarter of earnings in your base period. So your weekly SDI benefit might actually be higher than what you'd get from UI. And then when you transition to PFL, you'll get the same weekly amount as your SDI payment. Make sure when your SDI claim is ending, you file the PFL claim about 1-2 weeks before your SDI runs out to avoid gaps in payment.

You can use the EDD benefit calculator to estimate your weekly benefit amount: https://edd.ca.gov/en/Disability/Calculating_DI_Benefit_Payment_Amounts/ With earnings of $4,200/month, your quarterly earnings would be approximately $12,600. Based on 2025 rates, your weekly benefit would likely be around $550-600, but the calculator will give you a more precise estimate. Just remember that SDI and PFL benefits are approximately 60-70% of your regular wages, up to the maximum benefit amount.

Congrats on your baby and glad to hear your claim finally went through! I'm a new parent myself and just submitted my PFL baby bonding claim last week. Reading through all these experiences is both reassuring and nerve-wracking - it sounds like the 3-4 week wait is pretty standard right now despite what their website says. One question for anyone who's been through this recently - did you get any kind of confirmation or notification when your status changed from pending to approved, or do you just have to keep checking the portal daily? I'm trying to figure out if I should set up some kind of daily reminder to check or if they'll actually let me know when something changes. Also @Malik Jackson thanks for mentioning the Claimyr service - I hadn't heard of that before but might be worth trying if mine gets stuck too long. The regular EDD phone line seems impossible to get through on.

I'm currently in week 2 of waiting for my PFL baby bonding claim to process after my little one was born last month. Reading through everyone's experiences here is honestly such a relief - I was starting to panic that I'd done something wrong with my application! It's so frustrating that the EDD website still claims 14 days when clearly everyone is experiencing 3-4+ weeks. I've been checking the portal obsessively every morning hoping to see a status change. My SDI pregnancy benefits ended right before I submitted the PFL claim, so like many others here, I'm in that stressful income gap period. One thing I noticed that might help others - when I submitted my claim, I made sure to keep screenshots of everything showing my documents were "received" in the portal. After reading about some people having issues with document uploads, I'm glad I have that backup proof just in case. Thanks to everyone sharing their timelines and tips! It helps knowing this is just how slow the system is right now and not a problem with individual claims. Will definitely keep the Claimyr service in mind if I hit the 3-week mark with no movement.

this happened to me too!! dont stress about it, the system actually works ok once your doctor reports the birth. my baby came 2 weeks early and i just stayed on disability for the full 8 weeks after csection, then did baby bonding pfl after that. the only thing that was annoying was making sure my work knew my return date was different than originally planned.

Congratulations on your baby boy! 🎉 I went through almost the exact same situation last year - emergency C-section 2.5 weeks early. Here's what I learned: Your disability will automatically continue for the full 8 weeks from your actual delivery date (7/15), so it should end around 9/9-9/10, which lines up perfectly with your existing return-to-work date. You don't need to "switch" early or cancel anything. The key steps are: 1. Get your doctor to submit the delivery date update to EDD ASAP (sounds like you're already on this!) 2. About 1-2 weeks before your disability ends, apply for PFL baby bonding through your same SDI online account 3. Make sure your employer knows your actual delivery date in case it affects any internal paperwork The transition from disability to PFL is pretty seamless once EDD has the correct delivery date on file. Don't stress too much - the system is designed to handle early births! Just focus on recovering and bonding with your little one. The paperwork will sort itself out as long as you get that medical update submitted soon. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions - this community was a lifesaver for me during my own maternity leave!

btw dont forget u get 8 weeks of bonding time! alot of ppl think its just 6 weeks but its 8 weeks for 2025 claims. my sister thought she only got 6 and missed out on 2 extra weeks of paid time!

Just wanted to add my experience from last month - I applied exactly 5 days before my disability ended (online through SDI) and it worked perfectly! No payment gap at all. One tip that really helped me: when filling out the PFL application, make sure you upload a clear photo of your baby's birth certificate right away. I've seen people get delayed because they waited for EDD to request it later. Also, keep checking your claim status daily after applying - if there are any issues, you'll see them there first before getting any mail notifications. The peace of mind of having continuous payments with a newborn is so worth getting the timing right!

ugh im in the same boat. filed 3 weeks ago and crickets. this whole system needs an overhaul fr

Same thing happened to me last year! The waiting is the worst part. Here's what worked for me: I called right at 8am when they opened (be ready to dial exactly at 8:00), had my SSN and confirmation number ready, and was super polite to whoever answered. Also check your online portal daily - sometimes the status updates there before they send any notifications. Don't give up! The money will come through eventually, just takes way longer than it should 😤