Applying for PFL right before baby turns 1 - will EDD pay for all 8 weeks?

You need to finish using all your PFL benefits before your child turns 1. The EDD won't pay for any days after your baby's first birthday. So if you start on September 6th, they'll only pay you through October 9th (about 4-5 weeks), not the full 8 weeks you're entitled to. I'd recommend starting your claim by mid-August at the latest to get your full 8 weeks of paid benefits.

The claim ENDS when baby is 1. Period. I tried to do something similar and they straight up cut me off on my daughters bday. Don't wait!!!

To clarify the exact rule: According to the EDD PFL guidelines, all baby bonding benefits must be used within the first 12 months after the child's birth. Any unused portion that would extend beyond the child's first birthday is forfeited - you don't get to claim those weeks later. If you start on September 6, 2025, and your child turns 1 on October 10, 2025, you'll receive approximately 4.5 weeks of benefits instead of the full 8 weeks you're entitled to. The remaining 3.5 weeks would be forfeited. To receive your full 8 weeks of PFL benefits, you should start your claim no later than August 15, 2025 (8 weeks before October 10).

This happened to my sister last year!!! The EDD completely STOPPED her payments on her son's birthday even though she still had like 3 weeks left of her claim. And when she called they basically said too bad so sad those weeks are GONE forever. The system is so unfair to parents!!!! They should at least give you a grace period or something. Those are YOUR BENEFITS that YOU earned!!!!!

I had this exact same issue last year! I wanted to use my PFL time strategically so I could be with my baby during a specific period, but I didn't realize how strict the cutoff was. If you want to talk to someone at EDD to confirm this (which I'd recommend), good luck getting through on their phone lines. It took me over 20 calls and being on hold for ages. I eventually used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD agent in about 10 minutes instead of spending hours calling and getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 The agent confirmed that PFL benefits cannot be paid for any days after the child's first birthday, even if you haven't used all 8 weeks. So definitely adjust your plans accordingly!

i think u can do intermitent leave instead of all 8 weeks at once? maybe do 4 weeks now and try to use the other 4 weeks before bday? not 100% sure but worth looking into

this whole system is so confusing lol. when i had my twins i thought i would get double the time because... you know... TWO babies? but nope same 8 weeks whether you have one kid or triplets makes no sense

Just to add one other option - if your employer offers additional baby bonding leave beyond what the state provides, that leave might have different rules about when it has to be used by. Worth checking your employee handbook or talking to HR!

I went through this exact same situation with my daughter last year and learned the hard way! The EDD is very strict about that 1-year cutoff. I started my PFL claim about 6 weeks before her first birthday thinking I'd get the full 8 weeks, but they literally stopped my payments on her birthday even though I still had 2 weeks left on my claim. What made it worse is that I didn't get any advance warning - my payments just stopped coming and when I called to ask why, they told me those weeks were forfeited. No exceptions, no appeals, nothing. My advice would be to start your claim by August 15th at the latest to get your full 8 weeks before October 10th. I know it's frustrating when you're trying to coordinate with your partner's schedule, but losing those weeks of benefits is just not worth it. Maybe you could look into taking the leave in smaller chunks (like 4 weeks now and 4 weeks later) as long as you finish before the birthday? The whole system definitely needs to be more parent-friendly, but unfortunately we have to work within the rules as they are now.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in HR and deals with PFL questions all the time - you definitely need to plan around that hard cutoff at baby's first birthday. I've seen so many employees get caught off guard by this rule and lose weeks of benefits they were counting on. One thing that might help your planning: you can actually combine your PFL baby bonding leave with any vacation time or employer-provided parental leave to extend your time off without losing the PFL benefits. So if you start your 8 weeks of PFL on August 15th (to finish by October 10th), you could potentially add vacation days or company leave after that to get closer to your originally planned timeline. Also, make sure when you file your claim that you're very clear about your intended start and end dates. The EDD system can be glitchy and sometimes defaults to starting claims immediately rather than on your requested future date. Double-check everything before submitting!

I'm in a similar boat as a new parent trying to navigate this system! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so eye-opening - I had no idea the cutoff was so strict. It's honestly pretty frustrating that the state gives you 8 weeks of benefits but then has such an inflexible deadline that can cause you to forfeit unused time. For anyone else dealing with this, it sounds like the key takeaway is to work backwards from your baby's first birthday and start your claim early enough to use all 8 weeks before that date. I'm definitely going to be more strategic about timing now rather than trying to coordinate perfectly with other family schedules. Has anyone had success appealing this rule or getting any kind of exception from EDD? Or are they pretty firm on the no-benefits-after-first-birthday policy across the board?

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here! As someone who's also trying to navigate this system for the first time, this thread has been incredibly helpful in understanding how strict EDD is with that first birthday cutoff. It's disappointing that there's no flexibility, but at least now I know to plan accordingly and start my claim early enough to use all 8 weeks before my baby turns 1. The suggestion about combining PFL with vacation time or employer leave is really smart too - that way you can still get close to your ideal timing while not losing any benefits. This community has been such a lifesaver for getting real-world advice that you just can't find in the official EDD documentation!

I'm dealing with this exact timing issue right now too! My baby is due in February and I was hoping to save my PFL for when my partner goes back to work in the fall, but it sounds like I'll be cutting it way too close to that first birthday deadline. It's so frustrating that they give you this benefit but then have such an inflexible cutoff that can make you lose weeks of it. I wish there was at least a grace period or some way to use those benefits later if you don't need them immediately after birth. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this has definitely changed my planning. Better to know now than find out the hard way like some of you did! I think I'll look into that intermittent leave option to spread out my 8 weeks strategically while still finishing before the birthday.