Confused about husband's PFL & SDI benefits for newborn - which to file first?

congratz on the baby! dads dont get disability for baies, only moms who give birth do. your husband just applies for PFL directly for baby bonding since hes not the one who went thru the birth. he gets 8 weeks.

To clarify what the previous commenter said - Disability Insurance (DI) is only for the person who physically gave birth, as it's for the medical recovery from childbirth. Your husband would only apply for Paid Family Leave (PFL) for baby bonding. The full 8 weeks can be taken anytime within the first 12 months after birth, so he's still well within the timeframe. He'll need to submit form DE2508 and provide the birth certificate. The leave can be taken all at once or split into segments if his employer agrees.

I went through this same confusion with my husband last year!! The EDD website is SO CONFUSING on this topic. Everyone kept telling us different things. My husband's HR dept even told him wrong info and said he could get disability too! Such a mess. Make sure when he files for the PFL that he has the baby's birth certificate handy and YOUR information too (like your full name, DOB etc). They asked for all that when my husband applied.

I went through EXACTLY this with my husband after our daughter was born in 2024. The rules are simple but EDD makes everything confusing: 1. Disability = only for the person who PHYSICALLY gave birth (medical recovery) 2. PFL = for BOTH parents for bonding (8 weeks each) Your husband just needs to apply for PFL. BUT! Important note - he needs to take it within the first 12 months after birth. So he has until next October. He'll need to provide a birth certificate when he applies. Warning: The EDD phone lines are RIDICULOUS if he has any questions. My husband spent 2 whole days trying to get through to someone about his claim and kept getting disconnected.

just adding my two cents - make sure he tells his employer AT LEAST 30 days before he wants to start the leave. some employers require even more notice. my husband's job tried to give him a hard time about "not enough notice" even though he told them 6 weeks ahead of time!

One important detail I haven't seen mentioned yet: When your husband applies for PFL, he needs to provide the exact dates he plans to take the leave. This can be one continuous 8-week period or broken into segments (minimum 2-week segments usually, though some employers allow 1-week increments). If he wants to break it up, he should specify all segments on the initial application. For example, if he wants 4 weeks now and 4 weeks in the summer, he should include both date ranges. Otherwise, he'll need to file a second claim later, which can complicate things. Also, the benefit amount is 60-70% of his wages (depending on income level) up to the state maximum. The EDD has a calculator on their website to estimate the weekly benefit amount.

Another thing!! Make sure he saves some PFL time for when you REALLY need help! My husband took all 8 weeks right after birth and then when I went back to work at 16 weeks and was struggling, he had no protected leave left. Big mistake on our part. Maybe consider having him take 4 weeks now and save 4 for later? Just a thought from someone who's been there!

Just to address your original question about timing: since your baby was born in October 2025, your husband has until October 2026 to use all 8 weeks of his PFL baby bonding benefits. The application process is straightforward - he'll complete the DE2508 form online through SDI Online (the same system used for disability claims, which causes some of the confusion). He'll need: - Baby's birth certificate - His employment information - Your information as the other parent After applying, it typically takes 1-2 weeks for processing if there are no issues with the claim. The first payment usually arrives via debit card or direct deposit within 2-3 weeks after filing. The biggest challenge people face is reaching EDD if there are questions or issues, so having all documentation ready before filing helps minimize potential delays.

Your husband will complete most of the DE2508 form himself, but his employer does need to provide some information. Typically, the process works like this: 1. Your husband files the initial claim online through SDI Online 2. The system automatically notifies his employer 3. The employer then completes their portion, confirming employment details and wages Some employers also require their own internal leave forms in addition to the EDD forms. This varies by company, so he should check with HR about their specific process. The most common delay in PFL claims is when employers don't promptly complete their portion, so it's good practice for him to notify HR when he submits his claim so they're expecting the EDD notification.

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped us - when your husband applies online, make sure he creates an account and saves his login info! The SDI Online portal can be glitchy sometimes and if he gets logged out during the application, he'll need to sign back in to finish it. Also, after he submits, he can track the status of his claim through the same portal. My husband checked it obsessively the first few days lol but it was nice to see the progress updates instead of wondering what was happening with his claim.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that your husband should also check if his employer offers any additional paternal leave benefits beyond what the state provides. Some companies supplement PFL with additional paid time or allow employees to use accrued vacation/sick time alongside PFL to get closer to their full salary (since PFL only covers 60-70% of wages). My brother's company let him combine PFL with vacation days so he didn't take such a big pay cut during his leave. Worth asking HR about!

Hey guys, what if my work does not contribute into SDI, can I still, as a husband, apply for PFL once my baby is born?