CA PFL: How to balance 8-week leave with new promotion and family finances?
Just had a baby and starting my paid family leave claim. Debating whether to take all my time off at once or split it up. It's tough because I just got a promotion and work is really busy, but I'm also the head of household and any interruption with pay will hurt my family. Anyone else been in this situation? How did you handle it? Also, I heard California increased the percentage for PFL benefits this year. Can anyone confirm? I'm trying to figure out how much I'll actually get paid during my leave.
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CosmicCaptain
Congrats on the baby! š I was in a similar boat last year. Here's what I learned: ā¢ CA now offers up to 8 weeks of PFL for bonding ā¢ Benefits are 60-70% of your weekly wage for higher earners ā¢ Lower-income folks get 70-90% (new increase this year) ā¢ You can split your leave, but it might delay payments when you reopen the claim I ended up taking 6 weeks all at once and saved 2 weeks for later. It worked well for me, but everyone's situation is different. Have you talked to your HR about options?
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Amara Oluwaseyi
ā¢Thanks for the detailed info! š I haven't talked to HR yet, but that's a good idea. Did you have any issues with the payments when you took the 6 weeks?
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CosmicCaptain
ā¢No problem! I didn't have any issues with the 6-week stretch. Payments were pretty consistent. Just make sure you certify on time every two weeks.
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Giovanni Rossi
ā¢wait, you can split the leave?? i thought you had to take it all at once š¤
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CosmicCaptain
ā¢Yep, you can split it! But heads up, it might cause some delays when you reopen the claim for the second part.
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Fatima Al-Maktoum
oof, i feel you. i took my leave all at once cuz i couldn't deal with the stress of going back to work right away. but ngl, it was rough financially. make sure you have some savings to fall back on if you can
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Dylan Mitchell
Have you considered asking your work about doing part-time for a bit? That way you could ease back in and still get some bonding time. Might help with the financial stress too.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
ā¢That's actually a really good idea. I hadn't thought about part-time. I'll definitely bring that up when I talk to my boss.
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Sofia Gutierrez
ā¢Part-time is the way to go! I did that and it was a lifesaver. Just make sure you understand how it affects your benefits.
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Dmitry Petrov
Guys, I found a way to actually get someone on the phone at EDD! I used this site's (claimyr.com) calling tool that dials the phone menu, stays on hold, waits for a live agent to pick up, then sends the call to my phone. It does cost $20, but it works. Here's a video about it: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM
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StarSurfer
ā¢Sounds too good to be true. Is this legit?
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Dmitry Petrov
ā¢I was skeptical too, but I tried it and it actually worked. Saved me hours of hold time.
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Ava Martinez
ā¢20 bucks tho? š¬ Idk if its worth it
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Dmitry Petrov
ā¢Trust me, after spending weeks trying to get through, $20 was totally worth it to finally talk to someone and get my issue resolved.
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Miguel Castro
lol welcome to the wonderful world of parental leave in america š¤” where you have to choose between bonding with your baby and paying bills. system's broken af
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Zainab Abdulrahman
ā¢Preach! š We need better policies for new parents. This ain't it.
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Connor Byrne
ā¢fr tho. my friend in canada got like a year off, fully paid. we're living in the stone age here š
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Yara Elias
Quick tip: make sure you file your claim within the first 41 weeks after your child's birth. I almost missed the deadline and it was a whole thing. Don't be like me lol
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QuantumQuasar
Anyone else notice how the EDD website is always "under maintenance" when you need it most? š Trying to file a claim is like playing whack-a-mole with error messages.
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Keisha Jackson
ā¢omg yes! i swear they do it on purpose to make us give up š¤
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Paolo Moretti
ā¢Pro tip: try accessing the site super early in the morning or late at night. Less traffic = fewer issues usually
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Amina Diop
Hey OP, congrats on the new addition! š¶ Just a heads up, make sure you're clear on how your employer's policy interacts with the state benefits. Some companies "top up" your pay to 100%, others don't. It can make a big difference in your planning.
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Amara Oluwaseyi
ā¢Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check with HR about that. Didn't even think about the possibility of a top-up.
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Oliver Weber
unpopular opinion: take all the time you can get. you'll never get these early months back with your kid. work will always be there, but your baby wont be tiny forever šÆ
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Natasha Romanova
ā¢This! š I went back to work early and totally regret it. Cherish the time if you can afford it.
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NebulaNinja
ā¢Easy to say when you're not the one paying the bills... š
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Oliver Weber
ā¢I get it, money's tight. But if theres any way to make it work, its worth considering. Just my 2 cents š¤·āāļø
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