PFL baby bonding return-to-work date calculation vs. pregnancy disability?

you gotta calculate it yourself for pfl. its stupid but thats how it works lol. just count 8 weeks from when u started

For PFL baby bonding, you do need to calculate your return date yourself, unlike pregnancy disability where it's clearly displayed. Take your start date (March 15, 2025) and add 8 weeks, which would make your return date approximately May 10, 2025. If you're taking all 8 weeks consecutively, that is. Keep in mind that if you're planning to use any vacation days or other time off directly after your PFL ends, you'll need to communicate that to your HR separately. The EDD doesn't coordinate that with your employer.

I just went through this last month! So annoying that they don't show it clearly like they do with disability. For me, I started PFL on February 1 after SDI, took my full 8 weeks, and returned on March 29. Just count calendar days, not workdays. Also make sure you're submitting your certifications on time! They don't always send reminders for PFL like they do for disability.

The EDD system is SO FRUSTRATING with this! When I took baby bonding last year, I calculated my return date wrong and ended up having a gap in my benefits because I thought weekends didn't count. THEY DO COUNT. It's 56 consecutive calendar days (8 weeks) from your start date. I wish they would just show the return date in the portal like they do for pregnancy disability instead of making us figure it out ourselves!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but you should double check with your employer too. Some companies have different return-to-work policies than what EDD requires. My company needed me to confirm my return date 2 weeks before coming back so they could prepare.

To add some clarity here: for Paid Family Leave baby bonding, you are correct that the EDD portal does not display your return-to-work date like it does for pregnancy disability. This is because PFL can be split up (unlike pregnancy disability), so the system doesn't automatically calculate a singular end date. Your 8-week entitlement equals 56 calendar days (including weekends and holidays). Starting from March 15, 2025, your 56th day would be May 9, 2025, making May 10, 2025, your return-to-work date if you take all 8 weeks consecutively. One important thing to note: if your normal workweek doesn't include weekends, your actual first day back at work would be the next business day (likely Monday, May 12, 2025, if May 10-11 falls on a weekend).

When I was on leave last year I spent HOURS trying to call EDD to confirm my return date calculation because my HR department gave me conflicting information from what I calculated. I got disconnected 6 times and wasted an entire day. I eventually used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual EDD rep who confirmed my date calculation. They have this video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5. Saved me so much time and stress, and I was able to get written confirmation from EDD to share with my HR department.

wait dont u get 12 weeks now? I thought they changed it in 2024??

Thanks everyone for all your helpful responses! I'm going to calculate my return date as May 12, 2025 (since May 10 is a Saturday). I'll confirm this with my HR department and make sure I keep track of my certification dates too. This community is amazing!

Just wanted to add my experience - I made the mistake of not keeping documentation of my exact start date and had to scramble to find it when my employer asked. Make sure you save that email or letter from EDD confirming when your PFL started! Also, if you're planning to extend your leave with any accrued vacation time, give your HR plenty of notice. Some companies need several weeks to plan for extended absences. Good luck with your bonding time!

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago! You're absolutely right that the PFL portal doesn't show your return date like the pregnancy disability does - it's so confusing. I ended up calling my HR department three times because I kept second-guessing my math. One thing I'd suggest is also checking if your company observes any holidays during your leave period that might affect your actual return day. In my case, Memorial Day fell during my leave, but since I was already off, it didn't change my calculation. Just something to keep in mind when you're coordinating with your manager about your first day back! Also, don't forget to keep submitting those bi-weekly certifications - I almost missed one because I wasn't getting text reminders like I did during my disability leave.

I'm currently navigating this same situation and found this thread super helpful! One thing I wanted to add - if you're planning to breastfeed/pump when you return to work, make sure to also coordinate with HR about your pumping schedule and space accommodations before your return date. I learned this the hard way when I came back and hadn't set up those logistics in advance. Also, for anyone else reading this - if you end up needing to extend your leave for any medical reasons (like postpartum depression or complications), that would fall under pregnancy disability again, not PFL, so the process and portal display would be different. Just thought that might be useful info for future reference!

I'm dealing with this exact same confusion right now! Just started my PFL baby bonding last week and was so confused why there wasn't a clear end date like there was during my pregnancy disability. It's really frustrating that they make us do the math ourselves when the system clearly has the capability to calculate it (as evidenced by the pregnancy disability feature). One question for those who've been through this - do you recommend reaching out to HR early to confirm the return date, or is it better to wait until closer to the end of leave? My manager mentioned wanting "plenty of notice" but I'm worried about committing to a specific date too early in case something comes up. Also, has anyone had issues with their employer not understanding the difference between the EDD calculation and actual work return dates? I'm worried my HR department might get confused about weekends/holidays affecting the actual first day back at work.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm actually in the exact same situation - just started my PFL baby bonding on March 10th after finishing pregnancy disability, and I was completely confused about why there wasn't a clear return date shown like there was during my disability leave. Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like May 5th would be my return date (56 calendar days from March 10), or May 5th if that falls on a weekday. The fact that we have to calculate this ourselves while the system clearly has the ability to show dates (like it does for pregnancy disability) is honestly pretty frustrating from a user experience standpoint. I'm definitely going to take everyone's advice about reaching out to HR early with my calculated date and keeping good documentation of everything. And thank you to whoever mentioned the Claimyr service - I'm bookmarking that just in case I need to get through to EDD for any reason during my leave. This community is such a lifesaver for navigating all these confusing EDD processes! 🙏

I'm going through this exact same thing right now! Started my PFL bonding leave on March 20th and was so confused when I couldn't find my return date anywhere in the portal like I could during pregnancy disability. Based on everyone's helpful responses, it sounds like my return date would be May 15th (56 calendar days from March 20th). Really wish EDD would just show this calculation in the portal instead of making us figure it out ourselves! One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my benefits coordinator - make sure to also check if your company has any specific policies about return-to-work medical clearances after PFL. Some employers require a doctor's note even for bonding leave, which is different from pregnancy disability requirements. Mine doesn't, but apparently some do, so worth checking to avoid any last-minute surprises. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread has been so much more helpful than trying to navigate the EDD website!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually starting my PFL baby bonding next week and was already stressing about not seeing a clear return date in the portal like I had during my pregnancy disability. It's honestly ridiculous that EDD makes us calculate this ourselves when they clearly have the technology to show it automatically. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key things to remember are: 1) Count 56 calendar days from your start date, 2) Keep all documentation from EDD, 3) Give HR plenty of notice with your calculated return date, 4) Don't forget about weekend adjustments for your actual first work day, and 5) Stay on top of those bi-weekly certifications since they don't send as many reminders. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - this is way more useful than anything I could find on the official EDD website! Saving this thread for reference. 🙌

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually planning to start my PFL baby bonding in a few weeks and was already wondering about this exact issue. It's so frustrating that EDD doesn't show the return date for PFL when they clearly can do it for pregnancy disability. One question for everyone who's been through this - when you calculated your 56 calendar days, did you include the start date itself or start counting from the day after? For example, if someone starts PFL on a Monday, would day 1 be that Monday or the Tuesday? I want to make sure I'm doing the math correctly when I calculate my own return date! Also, has anyone had experience with splitting their PFL leave (like taking some weeks now and saving some for later)? I'm wondering if that makes the return date calculation even more complicated since you mentioned PFL can be split unlike pregnancy disability.