Can both parents claim EDD PFL for baby bonding without reducing mom's benefits?

yes both parents get their own 8 weeks completely seperate! my wife and i did this last yr. your HR is probably confusing it with FMLA which is different. PFL is california state thing and FMLA is federal. call EDD to double check but i'm 99% sure

Your HR department is confusing a few different leave types. Here's the breakdown: 1. California Paid Family Leave (PFL): EACH parent gets their own 8 weeks of paid baby bonding time. These are completely separate entitlements. One parent taking leave does not reduce the other parent's available time. 2. FMLA/CFRA: These job protection laws may have shared family entitlements that your HR is referring to, but they're separate from PFL benefits. Both you and your husband can absolutely take the full 8 weeks of PFL benefits for baby bonding. You can even take them at the same time or different times within the first year after birth. I just went through this with my wife last year - we both received our full PFL benefits without any reduction.

Congrats on the baby!! We just had our second in January and yes both parents get their own 8 weeks! Your HR is definitely confusing something. My husband and I both took our full PFL benefits at the same time for 6 weeks and then he went back while I took my last 2 weeks. Best time ever even though we were exhausted lol

Here's the definitive answer: In California, each parent is entitled to their own 8 weeks of Paid Family Leave for baby bonding, completely independent of each other. This is clearly stated on the EDD website. What your HR department might be referring to is FMLA/CFRA, which provides job protection but works differently. Under FMLA, married couples who work for the same employer might have to share 12 weeks between them - but this doesn't apply to you since you work for different companies. Also, this has nothing to do with the PFL benefit amount or duration. Those 8 weeks are yours, period, regardless of what your spouse does. If you're trying to contact EDD to confirm this and having trouble getting through, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an EDD representative within 15 minutes after I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Totally worth it to get clear answers directly from EDD.

my friend told me her and her husband both got 8 weeks each but then her company made her use vacation time for part of it?? something about FMLA and PFl being different things. its all so confusing. good luck figuring it out lol

I just went through this exact situation!!! Your HR is WRONG and mine was too! They kept telling me that my husband taking PFL would reduce my time, but after fighting with them and finally getting through to EDD, I confirmed that we BOTH get our full 8 weeks, PERIOD. It's literally the law in California. What tripped everyone up was that I first had pregnancy disability leave (which is separate) and THEN my 8 weeks of baby bonding PFL. My husband just had his 8 weeks of bonding. We timed it so we had 4 weeks together and then he took his last 4 weeks when I went back to work. DON'T let HR confuse you! They're thinking of FMLA which is totally different!!!!!

This is such a common misunderstanding! Let me clear it up: CALIFORNIA PFL: Both parents get separate 8-week entitlements, period. One doesn't affect the other. FMLA/CFRA: Job protection laws that CAN have shared limits if you work for the same employer (which you don't). Your HR is mixing these up because many employers don't properly train their staff on California-specific benefits. I deal with this constantly at my HR consulting job. The best part is you can structure your leaves however works best for your family - overlapping, consecutive, or split periods within the first year after birth. Just make sure both claims are filed properly with EDD!

Welcome to parenthood! Everyone here is absolutely right - you and your husband each get your own separate 8 weeks of PFL for baby bonding. I'm a new parent too (had my little one 6 months ago) and went through this exact same confusion with my company's HR. What helped me was going directly to the EDD website and downloading their PFL fact sheet. It clearly states that each parent has an individual entitlement to 8 weeks of baby bonding leave that cannot be reduced by the other parent's claim. I ended up taking my 8 weeks first while my partner stayed working, then when I went back to work, my partner took their 8 weeks. It worked out perfectly for extending our baby's time at home before daycare. Don't let your HR department's confusion stress you out during this precious time - the law is very clear on this! Both of you are entitled to your full benefits.

Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact situation 8 months ago! Both parents absolutely get their own separate 8 weeks of PFL for baby bonding - there's no family cap or reduction. Your HR department is definitely confusing PFL with FMLA rules. What I found helpful was calling EDD directly (though it took forever to get through) and having them email me written confirmation of the policy. I then forwarded that to my HR department when they tried to tell me the same incorrect information. My husband and I both took our full 8 weeks - I took mine right after my disability leave ended, and he took his starting 2 weeks before I went back to work so we had some overlap time together. It was amazing having that family time! One tip: make sure you both file your PFL claims as soon as you're eligible. The process can take a few weeks to get approved and start receiving payments, so don't wait until the last minute. Good luck with your new little one!

Congratulations on your new baby! Your coworker is absolutely right - both you and your husband are entitled to your own separate 8 weeks of California PFL for baby bonding. There's no family cap that reduces one parent's benefits because the other parent takes leave. Your HR department is definitely mixing up PFL with FMLA. This is super common unfortunately! PFL is a California state benefit where each parent gets their own individual entitlement. FMLA is the federal job protection law that can have shared limits for married couples who work for the same employer (but you work for different companies anyway). I went through this same situation last year with my twins. My wife and I both took our full 8 weeks - we overlapped for about 5 weeks which was incredible for those early newborn days, then I went back while she finished her remaining time. Zero issues with our claims or benefits. Don't let your HR's confusion stress you out during this special time! The law is crystal clear on this. You might want to print out the official EDD PFL fact sheet to show them if they keep giving you incorrect information.

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm actually going through this exact same situation right now - just had my daughter 5 weeks ago and was getting conflicting info from my HR too. After reading all these responses and doing my own research, I can confirm everyone is right - both parents get their own separate 8 weeks of PFL for baby bonding! I just got off the phone with EDD yesterday (finally got through after trying for days) and they confirmed it directly. The representative was super clear that there's no family cap or shared limit on PFL benefits. Each parent has their own individual entitlement that can't be reduced by the other parent's claim. What really helped me was going to the EDD website and looking up Publication DE 2511 (the PFL fact sheet). It spells everything out clearly. I printed it and took it to my HR department, and they finally admitted they were confusing PFL with FMLA rules. My husband and I are planning to overlap our leaves for about 6 weeks, then he'll finish his remaining 2 weeks after I go back to work. So excited to have that extended family time together! Don't let your HR's confusion discourage you - you're entitled to those benefits!

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm a new parent myself (my son is 4 months old now) and I went through this exact same confusion with my employer's HR department. Everyone here is absolutely correct - both you and your husband are entitled to your own separate 8 weeks of California PFL for baby bonding, with no reduction or family cap whatsoever. Your HR department is definitely mixing up PFL (which provides wage replacement) with FMLA/CFRA (which provides job protection). This seems to be an incredibly common mistake that HR departments make, unfortunately. I ended up having to educate my own HR team by printing out the official EDD documentation. The key document is Publication DE 2511 - the PFL fact sheet available on the EDD website. It clearly states that each parent has an individual 8-week entitlement for baby bonding that cannot be affected by their spouse's claim. My wife and I both took our full 8 weeks - we overlapped for the first 4 weeks which was amazing for those early adjustment days, then she went back while I took my final 4 weeks. The transition worked perfectly and we had zero issues with our claims or payments. Don't let your HR's confusion add stress during this precious time with your new little one! The law is crystal clear on this. You both deserve and are legally entitled to your full benefits.

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm also a new parent (my little girl is 7 weeks old) and I literally just went through this exact same situation with my HR department last month. Everyone here is absolutely right - both you and your husband get your own separate 8 weeks of PFL for baby bonding! Your HR is definitely confusing PFL with FMLA rules, which is super frustrating but apparently very common. What finally resolved it for me was calling EDD directly and having them email me written confirmation of the policy. Then I forwarded that email to my HR team along with a printout of Publication DE 2511 from the EDD website (the official PFL fact sheet). Once they saw the official documentation, they had to admit they were wrong. My partner and I are currently doing overlapping leave - we've been home together for 3 weeks now and it's been incredible for bonding and adjusting to life with baby. He'll go back to work in a couple weeks while I finish out my remaining PFL time. Don't let your HR's confusion discourage you from taking the benefits you're legally entitled to! The peace of mind of having that extended family time together is so worth fighting for. You've got this mama! 💪

Congratulations on your new baby! As someone who just navigated this exact situation 6 months ago, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - you and your husband each get your own separate 8 weeks of California PFL for baby bonding, with absolutely no family cap or reduction! Your HR department is definitely mixing up PFL (the California wage replacement benefit) with FMLA (the federal job protection law). This confusion seems to happen at almost every company unfortunately. What worked for me was going directly to the EDD website and downloading Publication DE 2511 - it's the official PFL fact sheet that clearly explains each parent gets their own individual 8-week entitlement. I printed it out and brought it to my HR meeting, which finally got them to stop giving me incorrect information. My husband and I structured our leaves so we had about 3 weeks overlapping (which was amazing for those early newborn days!) and then he took his remaining 5 weeks after I returned to work. The whole process went smoothly once we got past the initial HR confusion. Don't let anyone discourage you from taking the benefits you're legally entitled to! Those extra weeks of family bonding time are so precious and worth advocating for. Wishing you all the best with your new little one! 🍼