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'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! 🙏