Self-employed & pregnant - Can I qualify for EDD PFL if I start paying now?

Congrats on the pregnancy! Yes, you can still qualify, but you need to act FAST. As a self-employed person, you need to enroll in Elective Coverage and make contributions for at least ONE QUARTER before your disability begins. Since your disability would likely start in November (4 weeks before your December due date), you need to be enrolled and paying by the end of the third quarter at the absolute latest. Here's what to do: 1. Fill out the DE1378N form for Elective Coverage immediately 2. Submit it to EDD asap - processing can take 3-4 weeks 3. Once approved, you'll need to pay contributions based on your expected net profit 4. Make sure you're fully enrolled by September 30th You'll need to report your annual income, and contributions are around 1% of that. The minimum profit threshold is $4,600 per year. Your benefit amount will be based on the income you report.

Be careful with what you report as income! I screwed myself over last year. I reported my GROSS income instead of NET profit and ended up paying wayyy more in contributions than I needed to. My benefits weren't any higher either because they're capped. The EDD website is SO confusing about this for self-employed folks.

congrads on the baby!! i think u only need like 6 months of payments before u can claim but not sure exactly. my cousin did this last year with her etsy business but she had to pay a bunch at once i think?? might be different tho

I went through this exact situation in 2025! Self-employed graphic designer and found out I was pregnant right before I enrolled in Elective Coverage. The MOST IMPORTANT THING is to actually get your application processed before the quarter deadline. I submitted mine with like 2 weeks to spare before the quarter ended and it didn't process in time, so I lost a whole quarter of eligibility. Also make sure you understand that Pregnancy Disability and Baby Bonding are TWO DIFFERENT BENEFITS. First you'll get Disability Insurance for your pregnancy (usually 4 weeks before birth + 6-8 weeks after depending on delivery type), THEN you transition to Paid Family Leave for baby bonding (8 weeks). You have to file separate claims for each!

When I tried calling EDD to ask questions about self-employment contributions, I spent 3 HOURS on hold only to get disconnected. TWICE. Then I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an EDD agent in under 25 minutes. Totally worth it for this specific situation where you need answers quickly. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/DOLxZQb92wM?si=6N1iCQ3a8Cdb2Ay5 The agent I spoke with explained exactly what I needed to do for elective coverage as a freelancer. Saved me from making a huge mistake on my application.

YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. I'm self-employed too and went through this. The minimum BASE PERIOD to qualify for disability/PFL is actually much more complicated than just "one quarter" because of how EDD calculates your base period. They look at a SPECIFIC window of time. The base period is the 12-month period ending just before the last COMPLETED calendar quarter before your claim begins. So for a December 2025 disability claim, they'll look at July 2024-June 2025 earnings. BUT here's the problem - since you're just enrolling now, you won't have enough quarters in that base period. There's a special alternative base period for newer enrollees in Elective Coverage. You MUST talk directly to someone at EDD to make sure you understand exactly how this applies to your specific situation. Also, don't forget you'll need medical documentation from your doctor when you actually file for pregnancy disability.

Has anyone mentioned that you'll need to CONTINUE paying your SDI contributions during your leave? The EDD doesn't automatically stop collecting them while you're receiving benefits. I didn't realize this and ended up with a bill for unpaid contributions after my baby was born. Such a headache to deal with when you're trying to take care of a newborn! Just FYI.

Update: I submitted my DE1378N form last week and just got confirmation that they received it! Now I'm nervously waiting for approval. The agent I spoke with said it should process within 2-3 weeks, which would put me right at the end of this quarter. Cutting it super close but hopefully it works out! Thanks everyone for all your advice - I would have been completely lost without it. Will update again when I hear back about approval!

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through this process recently! I'm a freelance photographer and enrolled in Elective Coverage when I was about 10 weeks pregnant. One thing I wish I had known earlier is that your benefit amount is calculated based on your REPORTED income, not what you actually earned. So if you're conservative with your income estimate (like I was), your benefits will be lower even if your actual business income ends up being higher. Also, keep really good records of all your business expenses and income from the moment you enroll. When you file your actual disability claim, having organized financial records makes the process SO much smoother. I used a simple spreadsheet to track everything monthly and it saved me hours of scrambling later. Good luck with everything - the timeline is tight but definitely doable if you move quickly! And congratulations on your little one on the way! 💕