EDD PFL baby bonding payments - weekly disbursements or one lump sum?

EDD pays PFL benefits bi-weekly, not in a lump sum or weekly. After your claim is approved, you'll need to complete certification forms every two weeks, and then they'll process the payment for that period. First payment usually takes about 7-10 days after your initial certification is processed. They'll either direct deposit or send a debit card depending on what you selected.

they sent me my money every 2 weeks when i was on baby bonding last year. had to do those stupid forms each time tho. make sure u have notifications turned on so u dont miss them

I filed for PFL in January for baby bonding and I got paid every 2 weeks. BUT they didn't tell me I was supposed to fill out the certification forms!! I was just checking my account randomly and saw they were waiting for me to complete them. Almost missed out on a payment period! So make sure you check your account regularly and don't just wait for them to notify you.

ATTENTION: If you enrolled in direct deposit with SDI/pregnancy disability before your baby was born, you STILL need to enroll again for PFL baby bonding! I learned this the hard way and my first PFL payment went to a debit card instead of my bank account. Had to wait an extra week to get my money because of this stupid technicality!

Just to add some additional details: your PFL baby bonding benefits are paid every two weeks after you complete your continued claim certification. The first payment might take a bit longer (10-14 days) but subsequent payments are usually faster (3-5 business days) if using direct deposit. One thing to note - your payment amount will be the same each time (approximately 60-70% of your wages up to the maximum benefit amount), but your first and last payments might be partial depending on when your claim period starts/ends in relation to the EDD's standard certification periods.

I was trying to reach EDD for days to ask this exact question! If you need to speak with an agent about payment timing or certification issues, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a rep in about 12 minutes instead of waiting hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Made it so much easier to sort out my payment schedule confusion.

I'm curious - has anyone had their baby bonding payments stopped suddenly? My wife has been getting her payments fine every 2 weeks, but I just got a notice saying I need to submit additional documentation for my claim to continue. We're both bonding with our twins but on different schedules. So confusing!

Update: Just got my first payment today! It came exactly 9 days after my claim was approved, and it looks like I'll be getting the rest every two weeks. Thanks everyone for your help. The timing works out pretty well for my bills. Setting calendar reminders now for those certification forms!

That's awesome that you got your first payment so quickly! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this - make sure to keep track of your certification deadlines because if you miss one, it can really mess up your payment schedule. I almost missed my third certification and had to wait an extra week for that payment. Also, if you're planning to return to work before your full 8 weeks are up, you'll need to let EDD know or they might overpay you and then want it back later. Learned that one from a coworker who had to deal with that headache!

Just want to chime in as someone who's been through this process twice! The bi-weekly payments are definitely the norm, and I actually found it helpful for budgeting since it spreads out the income over the leave period. One tip I wish someone had told me - if you have any issues with your certification forms not showing up in UI Online (which happened to me once), you can actually call the automated phone line to complete your certification over the phone. The number is 1-866-333-4606. It saved me when the website was down during my certification window. Also, keep screenshots or records of when you complete each certification just in case there are any disputes later. EDD's system isn't perfect and having your own documentation can be a lifesaver!

For anyone still following this thread - I just wanted to add that if you're getting the EDD debit card for your PFL payments, be aware that there are ATM fees if you use machines outside of Bank of America's network. I didn't realize this and got hit with $3-4 fees a couple times before I figured out where the fee-free ATMs were located. You can find participating ATMs on the Bank of America website or use their mobile app. Also, you can transfer money from the debit card to your personal bank account online for free, which is what I ended up doing to avoid the ATM fees altogether. Just thought I'd share since every dollar counts when you're on leave!