EDD PFL payments - do I need to certify weekly or are they automatic?

Good news! PFL payments are automatic - you don't need to certify every week like with unemployment. Once approved, your payments should come every two weeks until your claim period ends (up to 8 weeks total for baby bonding). The only time you'd need to submit anything additional is if something changes - like if you return to work earlier than planned or need to extend your leave due to complications.

congrats on the baby!! i remember being confused about this too. u dont have to do anything else, they just send the money on their own every 2 weeks. way easier than unemployment!!

WRONG INFO ABOVE!!! I lost 2 weeks of payments because I didn't know I had to file another DE2501F form mid-claim!!! EDD is DELIBERATELY confusing to save money by not paying benefits!!! You need to call and verify your specific claim requirements!!!

For anyone trying to call EDD to check on this or any other claim issue, I highly recommend using Claimyr. I wasted 3 hours on hold before discovering their service, and they got me connected to an EDD agent in under 25 minutes. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92Wm?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Their website is claimyr.com - it saved me so much frustration during my maternity leave when I needed to ask questions about my benefit payments.

To clarify the process: PFL baby bonding payments are indeed automatic once your claim is approved. However, it's important to note: 1. PFL payments typically come every 2 weeks 2. Your claim is active for the specific date range you requested on your application 3. If you need to return to work earlier than planned, you must notify EDD 4. If you need to extend your leave beyond what you initially requested, you may need to file additional paperwork 5. Some employers require periodic check-ins even though EDD doesn't If you have a complex situation (like transitioning from PDL/SDI to PFL, or splitting your leave into non-consecutive periods), there may be additional steps required. But for a standard, continuous PFL baby bonding claim, once approved, you should receive payments automatically.

Congrats on your baby! When I had my son last year I remember thinking the exact same thing. The whole process from pregnancy disability through paid family leave was so confusing. For PFL you just get the money deposited every two weeks which is nice... but I'm now dealing with a whole other mess because I got a letter saying I was overpaid for some reason. So keep all your paperwork just in case!

anyone know how long the total benefit period is now? i heard they increased it recently but not sure if thats true

One more tip from my experience - take a screenshot or photo of your EDD account page showing your claim was approved and the payment information. Sometimes their system has glitches, and having documentation of what you were approved for can save you headaches later if there are any issues with your payments.

Just wanted to add my recent experience - I'm currently on PFL for baby bonding and can confirm the payments are automatic! Got my first payment last week and didn't have to do anything extra. The relief of not having to deal with weekly certifications while juggling a newborn is amazing. One thing I noticed though is that the payment amount was slightly different than what I calculated based on my wages - apparently they use a specific formula based on your highest earning quarter. Just make sure to check your first payment amount matches what you were expecting, and if not, that might be worth a call to EDD to clarify.

As someone who just went through this process a few months ago, I can confirm that PFL payments are automatic once approved! No weekly certifications needed like with unemployment. I got my payments every two weeks like clockwork for the full 8 weeks. The only thing I'd add is to make sure your bank account info is correct in your EDD profile - I had a friend whose payments got delayed because she had an old account number on file. Also, if you're planning to take any unpaid time off beyond your 8 weeks of PFL, just be aware that you'll need to coordinate with your employer separately since EDD benefits will stop automatically at the end of your approved claim period. Enjoy this time with your baby - it goes by so fast!

Congratulations on your new baby! I went through this exact same confusion when I was on PFL last year. Yes, the payments are automatic - no weekly certifications needed! Once you're approved, you'll get payments every two weeks for up to 8 weeks without having to do anything else. It's such a relief compared to the unemployment system. Just make sure to keep all your documentation and notify EDD if you return to work earlier than planned. The automatic payments made such a difference during those early weeks when I could barely remember what day it was, let alone worry about certifying for benefits. Enjoy this special time with your little one!

Just adding my recent experience to hopefully help ease your worries! I'm currently on week 6 of PFL for baby bonding and can confirm everything others have said - payments are completely automatic once approved. I was so paranoid about missing something that I kept checking my EDD account obsessively the first few weeks, but the payments just showed up every two weeks like clockwork. The only "action" I had to take was depositing the checks! 😊 One small tip: if you have direct deposit set up, the payments usually hit your account on the same day of the week, so you can kind of anticipate when to expect them. It's one less thing to stress about during those precious (but exhausting) early weeks with your little one. Enjoy every moment!

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm currently navigating this same process and was so confused too. From what I've learned and experienced so far, the PFL payments are indeed automatic once approved - no weekly certifications needed like with unemployment benefits. It's such a relief because the last thing you want to worry about with a newborn is missing a certification deadline! I just got my second payment this week and didn't have to do anything except wait for it to show up. The key things seem to be: make sure your bank info is current in your EDD profile, keep all your paperwork just in case, and only contact them if something changes (like returning to work early). The EDD website really is terrible at explaining this clearly - you'd think they'd make it more obvious since so many new parents go through this process! Hope this helps ease your worries so you can focus on enjoying those precious early weeks with your little one.

Congrats on your baby! I just went through this exact same process a few months ago and had the same confusion. The good news is that PFL payments are completely automatic once you're approved - no weekly certifications required! You'll receive payments every two weeks for the duration of your approved claim period (up to 8 weeks for baby bonding). The only times you'd need to contact EDD is if you return to work earlier than planned or if there are any changes to your situation. It's such a blessing compared to unemployment benefits where you have to certify constantly. Just make sure your direct deposit info is correct in your EDD account and keep all your paperwork for your records. Enjoy this special time with your little one - the payments will take care of themselves!

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm also a new parent and just went through this same confusion a couple months ago. Everyone here is absolutely right - PFL payments are automatic once approved! No weekly certifications needed. I was so paranoid about missing something that I called EDD three times in my first month just to confirm, but sure enough, the payments just kept coming every two weeks without me having to do anything. The contrast with unemployment benefits is night and day - it's such a relief when you're already overwhelmed with a newborn. Just make sure your banking info is up to date in your EDD account and save all your approval paperwork. One small thing I noticed is that my payments came on Wednesdays consistently, so you might start to see a pattern too. Enjoy this precious time with your little one and try not to stress about the EDD logistics - they actually got this part right! 😊

Congratulations on your new baby! I'm currently on week 4 of PFL for baby bonding and can confirm what everyone else has said - the payments are completely automatic! Once your claim is approved, you'll get payments every two weeks without having to certify or do anything else. It's honestly one of the few things EDD does that actually works smoothly. I was so stressed about this too because the website makes everything sound so complicated, but it really is set-and-forget once you're approved. Just keep your documentation and make sure your bank info is current. The peace of mind of not having to worry about certifications while adjusting to life with a newborn is such a gift. Enjoy those snuggles! 💕

Congratulations on your baby! I just want to echo what everyone else has said - PFL payments are indeed automatic once approved! I went through this same process about 6 months ago and was equally confused by the EDD website (seriously, why can't they make it clearer?). Once my claim was approved, I received payments every two weeks for the full 8 weeks without having to do anything. No certifications, no forms, nothing! It was such a relief during those early sleep-deprived weeks. The only thing I'd suggest is taking a screenshot of your approval notice and keeping track of when your payments arrive - mine came on the same day every two weeks, so it became predictable. Enjoy this special bonding time with your little one and don't stress about the EDD logistics anymore! 💕

Congratulations on your new baby and your first PFL payment! I'm a new parent too and went through this exact same confusion just a couple of months ago. Everyone here is absolutely right - PFL payments are completely automatic once you're approved! No weekly certifications needed like with unemployment. You'll receive payments every two weeks for up to 8 weeks without having to do anything else. It was such a huge relief for me because the last thing you want to worry about when you're sleep-deprived with a newborn is missing some kind of certification deadline. Just make sure your direct deposit information is current in your EDD account and keep all your paperwork for your records. The EDD website really is confusing about this - they could definitely make it clearer that once you're approved, it's truly set-and-forget. Enjoy this precious bonding time with your little one! 💕

Congratulations on your baby and first payment! As someone who just finished my 8 weeks of PFL baby bonding last month, I can definitely confirm that payments are automatic - no certifications needed! It was such a relief compared to when I was on unemployment years ago. The payments came like clockwork every two weeks, and I didn't have to think about it at all while adjusting to life with my newborn. One tip that helped me: I set up text alerts from my bank so I'd get notified when each payment hit my account, which gave me peace of mind without having to constantly check. The EDD website really should make this clearer - I remember being just as confused as you are now! Enjoy these precious early weeks with your little one! 💕