Can my husband extend his EDD PFL baby bonding beyond 8 weeks? Confused about max time!

The EDD rep was correct - 8 weeks is the maximum for CA Paid Family Leave baby bonding. That's the benefit amount available to each parent. The 12 weeks you're thinking of might be FMLA/CFRA job protection, which is different from the paid benefit. Since your husband's company has only 30 employees, you're right that CFRA might not apply (it's for employers with 5+ employees but there are some exceptions). Your husband has these options: 1. Use vacation/PTO if available 2. Request unpaid leave from employer 3. Check if his employer offers any supplemental parental leave program Unfortunately, EDD won't provide additional paid benefits beyond the 8 weeks for baby bonding.

my wife and i BOTH took 8 weeks each for our son!! thats the max per parent, so 16 weeks total between both parents. we staggered it so i took mine after she went back to work. cant get more than 8 per person tho, thats the california max

The EDD system is so frustrating!!! When I had my baby in 2023, I was told 8 weeks is the ABSOLUTE maximum for baby bonding PFL. No extensions no exceptions. I actually tried to get more time because my baby was in NICU, and they said sorry, that's it. They told me I could apply for disability if I had medical issues, but not for baby care reasons. The whole system makes me ANGRY because 8 weeks is nothing, especially with twins!!! Your husband should talk to his HR again about taking unpaid leave. They can't make him use PFL as an excuse to deny job-protected leave if he qualifies for any under other laws.

One thing that's not being mentioned here: your husband could potentially qualify for PFL *caregiving* benefits (separate from baby bonding) if you have a serious health condition that prevents you from caring for the babies. This would require medical certification from your doctor stating that you need assistance. It's not an extension of baby bonding, but a different PFL claim reason altogether. I've seen this work for some families when one parent has postpartum complications or other health issues. The other parent can then claim PFL for caregiving to assist both the recovering parent and the children. This requires form DE-2501F from your doctor though.

When I was trying to sort out my PFL claim earlier this year, I also hit brick walls trying to get through to EDD on the phone. Was on hold for 3+ hours multiple days! Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in under 15 minutes. They have this service where they basically wait on hold for you and then call you when an agent is on the line. Saved my sanity! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 The agent confirmed what others have said - 8 weeks max for PFL baby bonding per parent. No extensions.

I gotta say, trying to talk to EDD about this drove me CRAZY in february. Your husband is lucky he even got someone! The 8 week limit is stupid but its true. My coworker timed her baby bonding so the 8 weeks ended right before a company holiday break, giving her 2 extra weeks. Smart planning if you can swing it!

Just to add clarity to some of the comments above: 1. PFL Baby Bonding: 8 weeks max per parent (paid benefit) 2. PFL Caregiving: Separate benefit for caring for ill family members (requires medical certification) 3. Pregnancy Disability Leave: For birthing parents, up to 4 weeks before and possibly more after birth depending on medical need 4. CFRA/FMLA: Job protection laws (up to 12 weeks) - may not apply to smaller employers Some parents get confused because they see birthing parents getting more time off total, but that's because they're using both pregnancy disability AND baby bonding benefits in sequence. Non-birthing parents only qualify for the 8 weeks of baby bonding.

Random thought, but has your husband checked if he accrued SDI credits that might help? I know someone who was able to get partial disability for a back injury that happened during their bonding time (from carrying the baby constantly) and got some additional coverage that way. Not exactly an extension of bonding but helped them financially during additional time off.

I went through this exact same situation last year with my daughter! The 8-week limit is definitely firm - I called EDD three times hoping for a different answer and got the same response each time. What ended up working for us was my husband negotiating with his employer for unpaid FMLA leave after his PFL ran out. Even though your husband's company only has 30 employees, he might still qualify for federal FMLA if he's worked there for 12+ months and 1,250+ hours. Federal FMLA applies to employers with 50+ employees, but it's worth checking if there are any other company policies for parental leave. Also, don't forget that if you're breastfeeding, some employers are required to provide reasonable break time and space for pumping when you return to work, which might help with your childcare transition!

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My partner is at week 6 of his PFL baby bonding and we were also hoping to extend it. After reading all these comments, it sounds like 8 weeks is definitely the hard limit. One thing that might help - I've heard some people mention that if your husband has any unused sick time or personal days, some companies will let you stack those on top of the PFL period. It's not additional paid family leave, but it could give you a few extra days to figure out the childcare situation. Also, with twins, you might want to look into whether there are any emergency childcare resources in your area - some counties have programs that can help with short-term placement while you're searching for permanent care. Good luck!