EDD PFL Paternity Leave Approval Taking Forever - Applied 12/15 with No Updates

mine took 6 weeks to get approved last year...the system is totally broken for dads. i had to call like 15 times before i finally got through to someone who could help. keep trying to call them and dont give up

There's currently a significant backlog in the EDD PFL department, especially for baby bonding claims submitted in December. The standard processing time should be 14 days, but many claims are taking 4-6 weeks right now due to staffing shortages and the holiday season. A few things to check: 1. Make sure your employer submitted their portion correctly (DE2501F form) 2. Verify your claim shows as "pending" and not "additional information required" 3. Check if you received any mail notices (they don't always update the online portal) The good news is that even though you went back to work, you can still claim your benefits retroactively. PFL baby bonding can be taken anytime within the first 12 months after birth. They will backpay for the time you were off.

I was in the exact same situation last month!! Applied for PFL on Nov 10th after my baby was born and it was stuck on pending for FOREVER. I got so frustrated with the phone system (kept disconnecting me after 45+ mins of waiting). I finally tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual EDD agent in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 Turns out there was a small discrepancy between the birthdate I entered and what was on the birth certificate. The agent fixed it on the spot and my claim was approved 2 days later. Might be worth trying if you're desperate to get this resolved.

There's often confusion between Paid Family Leave (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) processing times. Your wife's disability claim was processed quickly because SDI claims are typically prioritized over PFL baby bonding claims. Additionally, the December-January period is historically the busiest time for EDD with year-end claims processing. For your specific situation: 1. Despite returning to work, you still qualify for retroactive benefits for the time you were off 2. You have up to 12 months after your child's birth to use your 8 weeks of PFL benefits 3. You can take your PFL intermittently (broken up into smaller periods) if that works better for your situation now To expedite your claim: 1. Call right when they open at 8:00 AM (Pacific) 2. Have your claim number, SSN, and child's birth certificate information ready 3. Ask specifically about what might be causing the delay in processing Keep detailed records of all calls, including representative names and ID numbers.

my buddy had this exact problem and it turned out they were reviewing his bonding period or something? like they thougt he was trying to take leave before the baby was born lol. EDD is so bad at this stuff. check your claim dates carefully

Just wanted to follow up - for paternity claims specifically, sometimes there's confusion when the claim date precedes the birth date. Since you filed on December 15th but your child was born January 2nd, there might be a verification issue happening. When you call, specifically ask if there's a birth date verification problem with your claim. This is a common holdup with PFL baby bonding claims for fathers.

I went through this nightmare in 2025 with my twins. Applied for PFL baby bonding and it took SEVEN WEEKS to get approved!!! The system is completely broken. I called every single day, multiple times, and kept getting disconnected. I lost track of how many hours I wasted on hold. The worst part is that NO ONE at EDD seems to care that families are suffering while waiting for these benefits. We had to put groceries on credit cards waiting for my claim to process. It's absolutely shameful how they treat parents, especially fathers. My wife's SDI was processed in days, but my PFL took forever. When I finally got through, the agent told me there was no issue with my claim - it was just "in the queue" for processing. NO explanation for the delay. Just bureaucratic incompetence. DEMAND to speak with a supervisor when you finally get through. That's the only thing that worked for me.

did u submit the babys birth certificate? they wont process until they have proof of birth sometimes

Update: The most recent EDD processing statistics show that PFL baby bonding claims filed in December 2025 have an average processing time of 27 business days (about 5-6 weeks calendar time). This is longer than usual due to their end-of-year backlog. For the birth certificate issue - a hospital record should be sufficient initially, but if they're being particularly strict, they might be waiting for the official birth certificate. However, they should have notified you if additional documentation was needed. Have you checked your physical mail carefully? Sometimes EDD sends requests for additional information via postal mail only, with nothing showing in the online portal.

UPDATE: Finally got through to EDD this morning! Turns out there WAS an issue with the birth date vs. application date like someone here suggested. The agent said my claim got flagged because I applied before my son was born, and it got stuck in some review queue. She manually updated it with the birth certificate info and said I should see payment within 7-10 days. They're going to backpay for the 3 weeks I was off work. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! This process is way more complicated than it needs to be.

Congrats on getting it resolved! This is such a helpful thread for other dads going through the same thing. I'm currently dealing with a similar situation - applied for PFL in late December and still waiting. Based on what you shared, I'm going to call tomorrow and specifically ask about the birth date vs application date issue. It's ridiculous that this is such a common problem but EDD doesn't warn people about it upfront. The fact that your wife's disability was approved so quickly while your paternity leave took over a month really shows how broken the system is for fathers trying to bond with their newborns.