Can my husband take just 1 week of baby bonding PFL in December, or is 2 weeks the minimum?

Your husband CAN take just 1 week of PFL for baby bonding! California law allows for intermittent leave in increments as small as 1 day. The 2-week minimum is a common misconception that some HR departments have. As for the timing - he's fine as long as he starts the bonding leave within 12 months of your daughter's birth date. So if she was born February 2025, he has until February 2026 to complete his bonding leave. Just make sure he files his claim with enough time for processing before starting his leave in December.

My HR told me the EXACT same thing about 2 week minimums for my husbands leave too!!!! But when he actually applied for PFL last summer, he was able to take just 1 week and it was totally fine. EDD processed it normally and everything. Your husband just needs to have his doctor fill out the right paperwork. Only annoying thing was all the time spent on hold trying to confirm this with EDD directly.

I've taken PFL twice for my kids and can confirm that the minimum increment is definitely NOT 2 weeks. Your husband can take as little as 1 day at a time if needed, though there's some paperwork headache with doing super short increments. Here's what he needs to know: 1. He needs to file his claim DE2508F at least a week before his leave starts (longer is better) 2. December is still within the 12-month eligibility window from February birth 3. His employer can't legally deny the time off if he's eligible for PFL 4. He'll get about 60-70% of his wages up to the maximum benefit amount 5. Make sure he keeps a copy of EVERYTHING he submits The only complication might be that December processing is slower due to holidays and year-end stuff at EDD. I'd recommend filing by mid-November at the latest.

@confusedParent208 - Yes, it's 100% the same rules for fathers and mothers for baby bonding. The law doesn't distinguish between parents at all for bonding leave. Your buddy definitely got incorrect information. The California PFL program allows ANY eligible parent to take bonding time in increments as small as hourly if needed (though daily increments are more typical due to paperwork). Tell your friend to call EDD directly if he's still having issues.

Just wanted to share that I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at EDD to confirm exactly this for my husband's leave last month. Your situation sounds almost exactly like ours! The EDD phone system is absolute nightmare - kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for 1+ hours multiple times. Finally used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an EDD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92Ay5?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Saved my sanity and the agent confirmed that yes, 1 week is totally fine for bonding PFL. The EDD rep also told me that employers often confuse FMLA/CFRA requirements (which have some rules about minimum increments) with PFL rules. For PFL benefits specifically, there's no 2-week minimum.

@BusyMom2025 Not complicated at all - you just go to their website (claimyr.com), enter your info, and they basically hold your place in line and call you when they have an agent. WAY better than being stuck listening to that hold music for hours. My husband is definitely NOT tech savvy and he managed it fine!

i took pfl for my daughter last year and theres definately NO minimum time requirement!! i split mine up into 3 separate weeks throughout the year and edd paid no problem. only thing that sucked was having to file a separate claim each time but whatever it worked fine

One thing to keep in mind - while EDD doesn't have a minimum time requirement for PFL benefits, some EMPLOYERS have their own policies about minimum leave increments. California law protects his right to take the leave, but his employer might have specific notice requirements or scheduling protocols. Also, there's a waiting period for PFL benefits (I believe it's 7 days), but this is only applied once during the benefit year. So if your husband hasn't taken any PFL yet, he would effectively need to take 8 days off to get paid for 7 days (1 week). Just something to be aware of when planning his time off and expectations for payment.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful information!! I'm going to have my husband file his claim in early November to make sure there's plenty of processing time. It's such a relief to know he can take just the 1 week that works with his schedule and still get some bonding time with our daughter during the holidays. I really appreciate everyone confirming this and sharing your experiences!

I went through this exact situation with my partner last year! Just want to add that when filing in November for December leave, make sure your husband has all his documentation ready to go - birth certificate, Social Security numbers for both parents and baby, and his employer's info. EDD gets backlogged during the holidays so having everything submitted correctly the first time will save headaches later. Also, if his employer is still giving him trouble about the 1-week thing, he can show them the official EDD PFL handbook which clearly states there's no minimum time requirement. Some smaller companies just don't know the rules and appreciate having the official documentation to reference.

I just went through this with my wife's PFL claim a few months ago and can confirm everything everyone is saying - there's absolutely no 2-week minimum for bonding leave! Your husband can definitely take just 1 week. We had the same confusion with our HR department initially. One tip I'd add: when he files the claim, make sure he selects "bonding with a new child" as the reason (not disability or care for family member). The form will ask for the baby's birth date and birth certificate, and processing is usually pretty straightforward for bonding claims. Also, December timing should be fine as long as he applies by mid-November like others suggested. We applied about 3 weeks before our planned leave and had approval within 10 days. The key is just making sure all the paperwork is complete when submitted - any missing info will delay processing significantly during busy periods.