EDD PFL baby bonding claim approved but only paid for ONE day - what's going on??
Finally got my baby bonding PFL claim approved yesterday (after submitting on Feb 18 for the period from Feb 18-March 31, 2025), but I'm completely confused about the payment. I just checked my account and they only deposited payment for ONE DAY?!? Has anyone else experienced this? I was expecting 6 weeks of payment all at once but instead got barely enough to buy diapers! Is this normal for the first payment? Do they pay the rest later? I tried calling EDD but of course got the 'call volume too high' message after waiting 45 minutes. I'm seriously stressing because I budgeted based on receiving the full amount. My rent is due next week and I have a 3-month-old to care for!
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Ava Williams
congrats on at least getting approved! my PFL claim still pending after 3 weeks... from what i heard they sometimes pay just the first week then the rest comes in a separate payment. check ur EDD acct online to see if it shows more payments scheduled
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Dmitry Petrov
•Thanks for the quick reply! I just checked my EDD account again and it doesn't show any future payments scheduled... just the one day that was paid. I'm starting to panic!
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Miguel Castro
This happened to me too! EDD only paid for the first day, then nothing for almost a week. Turns out they need to verify your info before releasing the full amount. Did you have any wage verification notice or identity questions to answer? Also check if your employer responded to their verification request - that can hold things up.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Hmm, I don't THINK I had any wage verification notices, but now I'm wondering if I missed something. Where would those appear in the online portal? Under the Messages section?
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Zainab Ibrahim
Have u certified for all those weeks? PFL isn't like regular disability where u get paid all at once - u have to certify every 2 weeks just like unemployment. I missed that completely my first time and was freaking out about missing $$$. Log into ur account and look for certification forms for the weeks after that first day.
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Dmitry Petrov
•OMG wait, I think you're right! I thought PFL worked differently than UI. I didn't realize I needed to certify every 2 weeks. Will check my account right now for those forms.
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Connor O'Neill
•That's actually incorrect. Baby bonding PFL in California doesn't require bi-weekly certifications like unemployment. Once your claim is approved, you should receive payment for the entire period specified in your claim, unless there's a specific issue. The one-day payment is almost certainly an error or processing quirk. The most common reasons are: 1) Your employer provided incorrect last day worked 2) The system is processing in batches (first day now, rest later) 3) There's a wage verification or identity issue I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an EDD representative quickly. They can connect you directly to an agent instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 - I used them last month when my maternity leave payment had issues and the rep fixed it on the spot.
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LunarEclipse
This is CLASSIC EDD incompetence!!! I had to fight for EVERY PENNY of my baby bonding pay. First they 'lost' my claim, then paid me for 2 days instead of 8 weeks, then randomly closed my claim saying I returned to work WHICH I HADN'T!!! The whole system is designed to make us give up. DO NOT ACCEPT THIS. Call them everyday until it's fixed. Ask for a supervisor immediately when you get through - regular agents will just read scripts and tell you to wait.
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Ava Williams
•omg that sounds awful! did u eventually get all ur money??
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LunarEclipse
•YES but only after I filed a formal complaint and contacted my state assembly member's office!!! Suddenly EDD discovered they made an 'error' and fixed everything in 48 hours. FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS!!!
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Yara Khalil
This is actually a common issue with baby bonding PFL claims. When you file for a period that spans part of a week (like if Feb 18th was mid-week), sometimes the system processes that first partial week separately before processing the full weeks. You should see the remainder of your payment within 2-3 business days. However, if you don't see the rest by Friday, there could be a wage verification issue or your employer may have provided conflicting information. In that case, you'll need to speak with a representative. Also, make sure your claim dates actually match what was approved - sometimes the approved period differs from what you requested.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Thank you! Feb 18 was indeed a Tuesday, so that would make sense if they're processing the partial week first. I'll wait until Friday before completely panicking. Just to confirm - I shouldn't need to certify for each week of baby bonding like you do with unemployment, right?
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Yara Khalil
•Correct - for California PFL baby bonding, you don't need to certify every two weeks like unemployment. It's a one-time application with payment for the entire approved period. Some people confuse it with unemployment insurance, which does require bi-weekly certification.
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Keisha Brown
Just experienced this last month with my baby bonding claim! Called EDD after trying for 3 days straight (so frustrating!!). Finally got through and they explained they had a system issue that was affecting batch payments. The rep manually triggered the rest of my payment while I was on the phone and it showed up 2 days later. Definitely keep calling until you reach someone - the online messaging system takes forever to get a response.
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Dmitry Petrov
•Thanks for sharing your experience! I've been trying to call but it's impossible to get through. Were you just constantly redialing or is there a better time of day to call?
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Keisha Brown
•I tried for days using the redial method and wasted so much time. Then I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that connects you directly to an EDD agent. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 showing how it works. Got connected to a real person in about 20 minutes instead of spending days trying. The rep could see exactly what was happening with my claim and fixed it while I was on the phone.
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Zainab Ibrahim
Any updates?? Did u get ur money yet??
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Dmitry Petrov
•Not yet! I took everyone's advice and kept trying to call EDD with no luck. Then I tried that Claimyr service someone recommended and actually got through to an agent today! She said there was a system flag on my claim because my employer reported my last day as Feb 17 but I put Feb 18 on my application. They only processed the one overlapping day while waiting for verification. She removed the flag and said I should see the full payment in 24-48 hours. I'm cautiously optimistic but will believe it when I see the money in my account!
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Dmitry Petrov
UPDATE: The rest of my payment just hit my account this morning!! Thank you all for your help and suggestions. For anyone else who encounters this issue - definitely try to speak directly with an EDD rep as they can see exactly what's causing the delay and often fix it immediately. The date discrepancy between what I reported and what my employer reported was causing the system to only pay for the one day they were certain about. So relieved this is resolved and I can focus on my baby instead of stressing about finances!
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Ava Williams
•yay!! so happy for u! thx for updating us - gives me hope my claim will get approved soon
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Jayden Reed
This is such a relief to see resolved! I'm currently dealing with a similar situation where my PFL claim was approved but I'm only seeing partial payment. Your experience with the date discrepancy between what you reported vs what your employer reported is really helpful - I'm going to double-check those dates on my claim. It's frustrating how these small details can cause such big delays, especially when you're already stressed about finances with a new baby. Thanks for sharing the update and congrats on getting it sorted out!
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Grant Vikers
•Totally agree about those small details causing huge headaches! I'm actually going through something similar right now with my own PFL claim - it's been "processing" for weeks and I'm starting to worry there might be a date issue too. Did you end up using that Claimyr service that others mentioned, or were you able to get through to EDD directly? I've been trying to call for days with no luck. Really appreciate you sharing your experience - it helps to know these issues can actually get resolved!
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