California Paid Family Leave

Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.

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  • Redial until on hold
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  • 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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lmao welcome to bureaucracy hell. grab a ticket and enjoy your stay 🎟️👹

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I had the exact same issue a few months back! The wrong employment date messed up my whole claim timeline. What finally worked for me was faxing a correction request along with my final paystub and a signed letter from HR confirming my actual last day. It took about 2 weeks to process, but way faster than trying to get through on the phone. The fax number should be on your claim paperwork - if you can't find it, it's usually listed on the EDD website under PFL contact info. Just make sure to include your claim number on every page!

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I'm dealing with something similar right now - got my PFL claim denied last week because I mixed up some dates on the form. It's incredibly frustrating, especially when you're already stressed about the family situation that required the leave in the first place. Reading through these responses is really helpful though. I'm going to try the appeal process that @Victoria Brown outlined and maybe look into contacting my state rep's office like @GalaxyGazer suggested. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it helps to know we're not alone in this mess!

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I'm so sorry you're going through this too @Zadie Patel! It really is awful having to deal with bureaucratic mess when you're already handling family stress. I'm actually new here but reading through everyone's experiences has been eye-opening - it sounds like this date error issue is way more common than it should be. The combination approach of appeals + state rep involvement seems like the way to go based on what others have shared. Wishing you luck with your appeal process! 🤞

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Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been lurking here for a while but never posted - this thread is exactly why I joined this community! The date error issue seems to be such a widespread problem with PFL claims. I'm actually preparing to file my own claim soon and reading all your experiences has me double and triple checking every single date on my paperwork. @Victoria Brown your step-by-step guide is incredibly helpful - I'm screenshotting that for reference! And @GalaxyGazer the state representative tip is genius, I never would have thought of that. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories, both the frustrating parts and the solutions. It's so valuable to have real people sharing what actually works vs just reading generic government websites that don't help when things go wrong.

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Welcome to posting @Nia Wilson! You're so smart to be checking everything carefully before submitting. I wish I had found this community before I filed - would have saved me so much headache! The collective knowledge here is amazing. One thing I'd add to all the great advice already shared - take photos/screenshots of everything before you submit, and keep copies of all your documents. That way if there are any "system errors" or things get "lost" you have backup proof of what you originally submitted. Learning that the hard way right now! 😅

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This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm currently on maternity leave through SDI and planning to transition to PFL for bonding time in a few weeks. Reading about the certification requirements has been eye-opening - I had no idea PFL worked differently than regular disability payments. I'm definitely going to set up those calendar reminders that Aisha mentioned. It's frustrating that EDD doesn't make this clearer, but at least now I know what to expect. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's going to save me (and probably my husband when he takes his PFL later) from the same payment delays and stress you all went through!

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Welcome to the PFL journey! You're so smart to research this ahead of time. I wish I had known about the certification differences before my husband started his leave. One thing I'd also suggest is taking screenshots of your online account once you submit each certification - it helps you keep track of what you've done and when, especially if there are any disputes later. The transition from SDI to PFL can be a bit confusing administratively, but knowing about the biweekly certifications puts you way ahead of where we were! Good luck with your bonding time when it starts.

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@Grant Vikers hi hopefully I can get a response. I’m in the same boat. I switched to family paid bonding and only received 2 days worth of pay when I submitted my application. It’s been 14 days today and there’s nothing in my account. My claim is active and the only forms I have are reestablishing bonding and claimant change. I see there is a certification process mentioned. Which form would that be?

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I'm going through a very similar situation right now! My wife just started her baby bonding PFL two weeks ago and we're already confused about the certification process. After reading this thread, I immediately went to check her SDI Online account and sure enough, there's a certification form that's been sitting there for 3 days that we had no idea about. It's absolutely ridiculous that EDD doesn't send any kind of email notification or text alert when these certifications are due. How are people supposed to know? We got so used to the automatic payments during her pregnancy disability that we just assumed PFL would work the same way. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this thread literally just saved us from weeks of payment delays and frustration. Going to set up those biweekly calendar reminders right now!

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@Yara Sayegh what does the certification form look like?

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Quick clarification that might save others some confusion: in California, there are two separate programs: 1. State Disability Insurance (SDI) - this covers your pregnancy disability before birth (if needed) and your recovery period after birth (typically 6 weeks for vaginal delivery or 8 weeks for c-section). This requires doctor certification. 2. Paid Family Leave (PFL) - this covers baby bonding time and gives you up to 8 weeks of paid leave. No doctor certification needed, just proof of relationship to the child. The transition between these two programs is where most people get confused. They are separate claims but both managed through the same EDD system and SDI Online account.

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One important note about the PFL portion - if both parents want to take the 8 weeks of baby bonding, they can! My husband and I both got our full 8 weeks each. Just wanted to make sure people know it's not a shared pool of time.

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As someone who just went through this transition last month, I can confirm you absolutely DO NOT need new doctor paperwork for PFL baby bonding! The medical certification is only required for the SDI disability portion (your recovery period). Here's what you'll need to do: 1. File a new PFL claim using form DE2508 through your existing SDI Online account 2. You'll need your baby's birth certificate information (not the actual certificate, just the details) 3. Set your PFL start date for the day AFTER your disability ends 4. File about 1-2 weeks before your disability period ends to avoid payment gaps The whole process took me maybe 15 minutes online. No doctor visits, no medical forms, no hassle! Just make sure you don't overlap the dates between your disability and PFL claims. Congratulations on your new baby! 🎉

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idk if this helps but i found this calculator on the PFL website that estimates your weekly benefit amount. saved me a bunch of math headaches lol

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Oh that's perfect! Do you have a link?

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sure thing! here ya go: [insert fake link here] hope it helps!

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Just went through this process a few months ago! One thing I wish I'd known earlier - make sure you calculate your benefit based on your highest quarter earnings in the base period (the 12 months before you became disabled/took leave). Also, if you're planning to take the full 8 weeks consecutively, you might want to coordinate with any disability insurance you might have from pregnancy/childbirth since they can sometimes overlap. The EDD website has a benefit calculator but it's kinda buried - search for "PFL benefit estimator" and it should pop up. Good luck with everything! 🍼

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