Father filing for PFL baby bonding - does he need doctor forms before my induction?
I'm due to be induced with our first baby on October 27th, 2025, and we're trying to figure out my fiancé's Paid Family Leave process. Does he need a doctor to fill out any paperwork for his PFL claim? Or is that just for my pregnancy disability? Also, I'm confused about the timing - he wants to take his 8 weeks of baby bonding right after birth. Does he have to wait until after I deliver to file his claim (like Monday the 28th)? Or can he file before the baby arrives? His HR department wasn't helpful at all and just gave him a pamphlet with general info. Any help from experienced parents would be amazing!
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Jamal Wilson
Your fiancé doesn't need a doctor to fill out anything for baby bonding PFL - that's only needed for pregnancy disability (which only applies to you, the birth mother). For him, the process is: 1. He should apply AFTER the baby is born, not before 2. He'll need to provide the baby's birth certificate eventually (can submit later) 3. He needs to file using form DE2508 online through EDD website So yes, waiting until Oct 28th after your induction is correct! He can't file before the baby arrives for baby bonding.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Thank you so much! That makes it much clearer. I was worried he needed to get forms signed by my OB too. One more question - does he need to tell his work before filing with EDD, or can he file first?
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Mei Lin
u should check with his work policy also some companies make u use all ur PTO first b4 PFL kicks in thats what my bf had to do last year with our baby
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Omg that's a good point! I'll have him check his employee handbook tonight.
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Liam Fitzgerald
Just to add some helpful info - when your fiancé files his PFL claim for baby bonding, he'll need: 1. Your baby's birth date (so yes, he must wait until after delivery) 2. Information about his employer 3. Last day worked before starting leave No doctor forms needed for PFL baby bonding! The claim form (DE2508) is something he fills out himself. Also important - he doesn't have to take all 8 weeks consecutively. He can split it up as long as he uses it all within the first year after birth. Make sure he notifies his employer according to their policy timeline (usually 30 days notice for planned leave).
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•That's super helpful about being able to split up the weeks! I don't think he realized that was an option. His company has been weird about the whole thing so we're trying to make sure we do everything correctly.
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Amara Nnamani
when i had my baby last year my husband's HR said he had to file within 41 days of birth but I think thats just the deadline not when you have to do it??? anyone know for sure????
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Yes, that's correct! Your fiancé doesn't have to file immediately after birth, but he must file his claim within 41 days of when he starts his leave. So if he plans to start leave the day of or day after birth, he has 41 days from that date to submit his claim.
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Giovanni Mancini
i spent HOURS on hold trying to ask EDD these exact questions when my wife was pregnant last december. the 41 days is your deadline from your first day of leave but trust me you wanna file ASAP because they take FOREVER to process. my claim took 5 weeks to get approved and we were panicking about money the whole time. also make sure his company is cool with him taking it right away - mine made me use 2 weeks vacation first which sucked
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NebulaNinja
•I had a similar experience with the EDD wait times - it was insane! I finally used Claimyr to get through to an agent after trying for days. Their service connected me to an EDD rep in less than 20 minutes when I was trying to sort out my husband's PFL claim. Saved me hours of frustration, especially with a newborn at home. They have a demo on their site (claimyr.com) and a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Totally worth it for avoiding the hold time nightmare.
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Fatima Al-Suwaidi
Your fiancé CANNOT apply before the birth!!! EDD will auto-reject it. I made this mistake with my partner's claim, and we had to reapply, which delayed everything. The system asks for the child's DOB during application, and he needs to have that to proceed. Also, heads up that the approval process can take 2-3 weeks, and he won't get paid until it's approved. Budget accordingly! The good news is they'll backpay to his first day of leave once approved.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Thank you for the warning! That's good to know about the possible delay in getting paid. We're trying to save up a cushion just in case.
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Dylan Mitchell
lol I wish my husband was this organized about PFL when we had our baby he didn't even file until the baby was like 3 weeks old and then he was all shocked pikachu face when it took another month to get approved
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Haha! I'm the planner in our relationship for sure. I'm trying to get everything organized before baby comes because I know we'll be total zombies after!
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Amara Nnamani
Does ne1 know if he can still get the full 8 weeks even if he applies late? like if he waits 2 weeks after baby born to apply does he still get all 8 weeks?
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Liam Fitzgerald
•Yes! He still gets the full 8 weeks of PFL benefits as long as he takes them within the first 12 months after birth. The application timing doesn't reduce his benefit amount - it just affects when he starts receiving payments. But remember, he needs to file within 41 days of starting his leave to avoid claim issues.
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Jamal Wilson
One more important thing I forgot to mention - when your fiancé files, he'll need to provide your information as the birth mother and indicate his relationship to the child. The EDD system will likely cross-reference with your pregnancy disability claim (if you filed one) to verify the birth. Also, he should select "Bonding with new child" as the reason for leave, NOT "Care for a family member" which is a different type of claim. I've seen people make that mistake and have their claims delayed.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
•Thank you for the extra details! I am on SDI for pregnancy now, so hopefully that will make his verification process smoother. I'll make sure he selects baby bonding specifically.
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