EDD PFL elective coverage for small business owner - planning baby bonding 6 months ahead

Yes! Elective coverage is specifically designed for small business owners like you. You pay quarterly premiums based on your income (current rate is about 1.3% of your wages). You need to be enrolled for at least 6 months before claiming benefits though, so sign up ASAP! And yes, you can absolutely take your baby bonding time anytime within the first year after birth - many business owners strategically wait until their baby is a bit older. Just make sure you have your DE2501 forms ready when the time comes!

i did this last yr. u need form DE1378N to apply for elective coverage. big pain tho, they made me submit like 3x before approving. worth it tho bc I got to take 8 wks with my daughter!!

Just wanted to clarify something important - the Elective Coverage for disability/PFL is different from regular State Disability Insurance (SDI) that employees get automatically. You're making the right choice to plan ahead! As a business owner myself, I used EC a few years back and it was LIFESAVING. But be prepared for EDD to request lots of documentation about your business income.

PFL benefit specialist here. For 2025, the elective coverage rate will be approximately 1.3% of your wages (subject to final determination). The maximum benefit amount would be roughly 60-70% of your wages up to the state maximum (currently about $1,620/week). To apply, you need: - DE1378N application form - Business documentation (licenses, tax ID) - Income verification And yes, you can take your 8 weeks of baby bonding time anytime within the first 12 months after birth. Many business owners strategically plan for when they have help or during slower business periods. Just make sure you're enrolled at least 6-7 months before you plan to claim benefits.

Be CAREFUL with elective coverage! I did this last year and had ENDLESS problems with EDD. First they lost my application, then they claimed I hadn't paid enough quarters to qualify even though I HAD. Then when I finally got approved for baby bonding, they took nearly 7 WEEKS to process my claim and I almost missed a mortgage payment waiting for them!!!! The system is BROKEN for small business owners.

Hey there! Just wanted to say that yes, you can definitely take baby bonding later! I did this with my second child (waited until she was 7 months) and it was actually much better timing for me as a business owner. By then I had systems in place and she was sleeping better which made the whole experience more enjoyable. Good luck with your pregnancy!!

To answer your question about splitting the 8 weeks - yes, you can! Under PFL baby bonding, you can break up your 8 weeks however you want, but EDD requires each segment to be at least 1 week long. So you could do 4 weeks in July and 4 weeks in September, or even 2-2-2-2 spread out over different months within the first year after birth. Just know that each time you start a new segment, you'll need to file additional certification paperwork.

btw my quarterly payments were around $250 based on my income and I got about $1300/wk when I took the time off. totally worth it!! and yea I took my time when baby was 5mo and EDD didn't care at all