EDD payment gap between pregnancy disability end and PFL baby bonding start?

There shouldn't be a gap if you file correctly! I just went thru this in January. File your PFL claim about 5-7 days BEFORE your disability ends (don't wait until it actually ends). Make sure you get the DE2501F form from your doctor showing the end date of your pregnancy disability. Then immediately submit the DE2508 form for baby bonding. If you do it right, payments continue with maybe a few days delay at most.

Thank you!! I didn't realize I could file before my disability actually ends. My doctor appointment is next week so I'll make sure to get that form then. Do I submit the DE2508 online or mail it in? My disability claim was all online but I'm not sure if PFL works the same way.

in my case there was a 3 week gap when i switched from disability to bonding. EDD said it was normal. prepare for it just in case!!

Oh no! That's exactly what I'm worried about. Did they tell you why there was a gap? Did you file before your disability ended or did you wait?

i waited til my disability ended like an idiot lol. thats probably why. they have to process the new claim from scratch apparently

The transition from SDI (pregnancy disability) to PFL (baby bonding) requires filing separate claims, but you can minimize gaps if you time it correctly. Here's what to do:\n\n1. File your PFL claim 5-9 days before your SDI claim ends\n2. Use the online portal (faster) rather than paper forms\n3. Make sure your doctor completes your release from disability promptly\n4. Double-check that your SDI claim shows the correct end date\n\nMost people who file early experience minimal gaps (3-5 days). Those who wait until after disability ends might see 2-3 weeks without payment. The system isn't perfect, but planning ahead helps tremendously.

This is super helpful, thank you! I'll definitely file online before my SDI ends. Do you know if I need to wait for my disability claim to be fully processed/closed before the PFL payments start? Or do they overlap a bit during processing?

They won't overlap in payments, but they can overlap in processing time. That's why filing 5-9 days before your SDI ends works well - it gives EDD time to setup your PFL claim while your SDI is finishing up. The goal is to have your PFL claim ready to start paying as soon as possible after your last SDI payment.

MY HR TOLD ME SOMETHING COMPLETELY WRONG about this whole process and I ended up with a SIX WEEK gap between payments!!! I couldn't pay my electric bill and had to borrow money from my parents. EDD is the WORST with these transitions!!! Everyone I know has had problems with this!!

Six weeks?! That's terrifying. I'm sorry you went through that. What specifically went wrong with your transition? I want to make sure I avoid the same pitfalls.

If you're having trouble reaching EDD to ask about this or having problems with your claim, try Claimyr. I was stuck on hold for hours trying to ask about my SDI to PFL transition, then found this service that got me through to a real person in under 25 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 that shows how it works. Saved me a huge headache when I was worried about a gap in my payments.

is this legit? seems sketchy to use a third party service to reach edd

It's definitely legit. They just help you bypass the hold times. You still talk directly to EDD representatives, not to middlemen. I was skeptical too but it was worth it to actually get answers about my claim status instead of listening to hold music for 3 hours.

Back when I had my first baby in 2023, I had a 10-day gap between disability and PFL payments. With my second baby last month, I only had a 3-day gap! The difference was definitely filing early for PFL before my disability ended. Also making sure all your info matches exactly on both claims - even small discrepancies can cause delays while they verify everything.

That's reassuring! I can handle a few days gap but was worried about weeks. Did you file your second claim online? And did you need to call EDD at any point during the transition?

Yes, did everything online the second time which was way faster. I only called EDD when I saw my disability claim had the wrong end date - got that fixed and everything went smoothly after. Make sure you check your claim status regularly!

I'm confused about something similar... does pregnancy disability automatically transition to baby bonding or are they completely separate claims? My doctor said something about automatic transition but I'm not sure if that's right.

They are completely separate claims. Nothing about the process is automatic - you MUST file a new claim for PFL baby bonding. Your doctor might be thinking of the medical transition, not the EDD paperwork transition.

Omg thank you!!! I would have been waiting for an automatic transition that never happened!

Update: I called EDD today (after spending 2 hours on hold) and they confirmed what many of you said - file the PFL claim about a week before disability ends. The rep also mentioned that they're processing PFL claims pretty quickly right now (5-7 business days) so hopefully the gap will be minimal. Thanks everyone for your help!

Great to hear! One more tip: after you file your PFL claim, check your online account daily to make sure it shows up as

That's great advice, I wouldn't have known the difference between those statuses. I'll definitely keep an eye on it!