When exactly should I file for EDD pregnancy disability leave at 36 weeks? Confused about payment timeline

This is such great advice! I hadn't even thought about setting up the account early. I've been so focused on getting the doctor's form that I forgot there's probably a whole registration process too. I'm definitely going to do this today - thanks for thinking of that detail! Did you run into any issues during the account setup, or was it pretty straightforward?

@Edison Estevez This is brilliant advice! I wish I had known this earlier. I m'actually going to set up my account this week while I m'still at 34 weeks. Did you have any trouble with the identity verification part? I ve'heard some people say EDD s'ID verification can be finicky, so I want to make sure I have all my documents ready. Also, once you have the account set up, can you save your application as a draft or do you have to complete it all at once when you re'ready to submit?

@Edison Estevez YES! Setting up the EDD account early is such a lifesaver. I made the mistake of trying to do everything at once when I was already stressed at 36 weeks and it was a nightmare. The identity verification took about 24 hours for me, and you ll'need your Social Security card, driver s'license, and recent pay stubs handy. Once your account is active, you can actually start filling out parts of the application and save it as a draft - you just can t'submit until you have the completed medical form from your doctor. This way you can take your time with all the employment history questions and wage information when you re'not rushing!

@Edison Estevez This is amazing advice! I m'actually going to do this right now while I have some free time. Quick question - when you set up your account early, did you need to provide any pregnancy-specific information during the initial setup, or is it just the standard account creation? I want to make sure I m'not accidentally triggering any claim processes before I m'ready. Also, did you find the online tutorials or help section useful for understanding the different forms and requirements? I m'trying to educate myself as much as possible before my 36-week appointment!

@Edison Estevez This is such helpful advice! I m'32 weeks and was planning to wait until closer to 36 weeks to deal with any of this, but you re'absolutely right about getting the account set up early. I just checked the EDD website and it looks like the basic account setup is just standard info - no pregnancy details needed until you actually file a claim. I m'going to create my account this weekend so I have plenty of time for any verification delays. Did you find that having the account ready made the actual claim submission much faster when the time came?

@Edison Estevez This is fantastic advice that I wish someone had shared with me earlier! I m'currently 33 weeks and was planning to handle everything at the last minute, but you ve'convinced me to get organized now. Quick question - when you set up your EDD account early, were you able to explore the claim forms and see what information you d'need without actually starting a claim? I m'hoping to gather all my employment documents and wage information ahead of time so I m'not scrambling later. Also, did the account setup require any specific documentation beyond the usual ID verification stuff?

@Edison Estevez Thank you so much for this tip! I m'31 weeks and hadn t'even considered setting up the account early. This makes total sense - why add more stress when I m'already going to be anxious about filing at 36 weeks? I m'going to create my account this week. Did you find that the EDD website works better at certain times of day? I ve'heard some people say mornings are less glitchy than afternoons when more people are online. Also, once you have the account set up, can you access any helpful resources or FAQs that might not be available to non-account holders?

@Edison Estevez This is such a game-changer! I m'only 29 weeks but I m'going to set up my account this weekend. I have a tendency to procrastinate on paperwork, so doing this early will definitely reduce my stress later. Quick question - when you set up your account, did you need to have any specific employer information ready, or is it pretty basic personal info at first? I want to make sure I have everything I need before I start the process. Also, did you notice if there are any video tutorials or step-by-step guides within the account portal that help explain the pregnancy disability process? I learn better with visual aids!

@Edison Estevez This is incredibly helpful advice! I m'35 weeks now and was literally planning to wait until my doctor s'appointment next week to think about any of this. You ve'saved me so much potential stress! I m'going to set up my EDD account tonight. One thing I m'wondering - when you eventually filed your actual claim, did having the account already established mean you got faster processing times? I ve'heard some horror stories about claims taking weeks to process, and I m'hoping early preparation might help avoid some of those delays. Also, did you find it helpful to screenshot or print out the account setup confirmation for your records?

@Edison Estevez This is absolutely brilliant advice! I m'28 weeks and honestly hadn t'even thought about the EDD side of things yet - I ve'been so focused on just getting to my appointments and preparing the nursery. Your tip about setting up the account early is going to save me so much anxiety later! I m'definitely going to do this this week while I still have energy and brain power. Quick question - did you run into any issues with the two-factor authentication setup? I ve'heard some government sites can be tricky with that. Also, when you were exploring the interface early, were you able to get a sense of how long the actual application takes to complete once you have all your documents ready? I m'trying to plan out my timing for when I hit 36 weeks!

@Edison Estevez This is such smart advice! I m'30 weeks and was definitely planning to handle everything last minute, but you re'so right about getting organized early. I just went to the EDD website to check it out and wow, there are SO many different sections and forms - I can already tell it would be overwhelming to navigate for the first time when I m'stressed at 36 weeks. Quick question - when you set up your account early, did you get any email confirmations or notifications that you needed to respond to right away? I want to make sure I don t'miss anything important during the setup process. Also, once you had your account ready, did you feel more confident about the whole disability claim process, or were there still surprises when you actually filed?

@Edison Estevez This is such incredibly helpful advice! I m'33 weeks and was totally planning to figure everything out at the last minute, but you re'absolutely right - why add that stress when I m'already going to be anxious about the whole process? I m'definitely setting up my EDD account this week. Quick question - during the account setup process, did you need to verify your identity with documents right away, or could you complete the basic registration first and then do the ID verification later? I want to make sure I have all my paperwork organized before I start. Also, once you had your account established, were you able to see examples of completed forms or get a preview of what information you d'need to gather for the actual claim? I m'hoping to use this early setup time to really prepare and have everything ready to go when I hit 36 weeks!

@Edison Estevez This is absolutely fantastic advice! I m'currently 32 weeks and honestly felt so overwhelmed thinking about all the paperwork I d'need to handle at 36 weeks on top of everything else. Setting up the EDD account early is such a smart move - I hadn t'even considered that there would be a setup and verification process that could take time. I m'definitely going to create my account this weekend while I m'feeling good and have mental bandwidth. Quick question - when you were setting up your account, did you need to have your most recent pay stubs handy, or is that something you only need when filing the actual claim? I want to make sure I gather all the right documents ahead of time so I m'not hunting for paperwork when I m'ready to submit. Also, did you find that exploring the system early helped you understand the difference between all the different types of benefits available? I keep getting confused between SDI, PFL, and regular unemployment!

@Edison Estevez This is such a lifesaver tip! I m'31 weeks and was literally going to wait until the last minute to deal with all the EDD stuff. You re'so right about getting the account set up early - I can already imagine how stressful it would be trying to figure out a new website while I m'anxious about filing at 36 weeks. I m'going to create my account this week for sure. Quick question - when you set up your account early, were you able to bookmark or save important pages within the system? I m'thinking it might be helpful to identify all the key sections and forms ahead of time so I know exactly where to go when I m'ready to file. Also, did the early account setup give you access to any helpful resources like checklists or preparation guides that aren t'available to the general public? I want to make sure I m'taking full advantage of getting organized early like you did!

@Edison Estevez This is such excellent advice! I m'34 weeks and was definitely in the I "ll'deal with it later camp," but you ve'convinced me to get my act together now. I m'going to set up my EDD account this evening. One question - when you created your account early, did you encounter any technical issues or glitches? I ve'been reading some of the comments about the EDD website being down for maintenance at crucial moments, so I m'wondering if it s'better to try during off-peak hours like early morning or late evening? Also, once you had your account ready and were familiar with the interface, did it make the actual claim submission feel less overwhelming? I m'hoping that being prepared will help reduce some of the anxiety around the whole process!

@Edison Estevez This is such brilliant advice! I m'33 weeks and was totally going to procrastinate on this until the last minute. You ve'convinced me to get organized early! I m'going to set up my EDD account this weekend. Quick question - during the account setup, did you need to have your employment history ready like (previous employers, dates, etc. or) is that only required when you actually file the disability claim? I want to make sure I gather all the right information ahead of time. Also, once you had your account established, were you able to see what the weekly benefit amount calculator looked like? I m'trying to budget for the reduced income and it would be helpful to get an estimate early rather than being surprised later. Thanks for sharing this tip - it s'going to make the whole process so much less stressful!

@Edison Estevez This is amazing advice! I m'30 weeks and hadn t'even thought about the account setup being a separate step that could take time. You re'absolutely right about doing this early - I can already picture myself at 36 weeks, stressed and trying to navigate a new website for the first time while dealing with everything else. I m'definitely setting up my account this week! Quick question - when you went through the account setup, did you need to upload any documents during the initial registration, or is the document upload part only when you actually file the claim? I want to make sure I have everything ready if needed. Also, did creating the account early give you access to any helpful planning tools or benefit calculators? It would be great to get a sense of what my payments might look like so I can budget accordingly. Thanks for thinking of this detail - it s'going to save me so much stress later!

@Edison Estevez This is such a helpful tip! I m'29 weeks and was definitely planning to handle everything at the last minute, but you re'so right about reducing stress by getting organized early. I m'going to create my EDD account this week for sure. Quick question - when you set up your account ahead of time, did you run into any issues with the identity verification process? I ve'heard mixed things about how long that can take with government websites. Also, once your account was active, were you able to practice navigating to the disability claim section and get familiar with what information they d'be asking for? I m'hoping that exploring the system early will help me feel more confident when it s'actually time to file at 36 weeks. Thanks for sharing this - it s'exactly the kind of practical advice I needed!

@Edison Estevez This is such smart advice! I m'32 weeks and was totally going to wait until the last minute to deal with all this stuff. You re'absolutely right about getting the account set up early - I hadn t'even considered that there might be delays with verification or technical issues. I m'definitely creating my EDD account this week while I still have energy and brain space to deal with it properly. Quick question - when you set up your account early, did you get any confirmation emails or notifications that you needed to respond to quickly? I want to make sure I don t'miss anything important during the setup process. Also, once you had everything ready, did you feel like you had a better understanding of the whole timeline and what to expect? I m'hoping that being prepared ahead of time will help me feel more in control of the whole process instead of scrambling at 36 weeks!

@Edison Estevez This is such valuable advice! I m'28 weeks and honestly hadn t'even thought about the EDD account setup being a separate process that could take time. You re'so right about doing this early while I m'not stressed and rushed. I m'definitely going to create my account this week! Quick question - when you set up your account ahead of time, did you need to have your Social Security number memorized or could you reference the card during setup? I always get nervous about entering that info online and want to make sure I do it right the first time. Also, once your account was established, were you able to see what kinds of documents you d'eventually need to upload? I m'hoping to use this early setup time to organize all my paperwork so everything s'ready to go when I hit 36 weeks. Thanks for this tip - it s'going to make such a difference in my stress levels!

@Edison Estevez This is such brilliant advice! I m'35 weeks and was literally planning to wait until my doctor s'appointment next week to even think about the EDD website. You ve'just saved me from what would have been a major panic moment! I m'going to set up my account tonight. Quick question - when you created your account early, did you notice if there s'a mobile app or is it better to do everything through the website? I m'wondering about accessibility since I might need to check on things while I m'at doctor appointments. Also, did setting up the account early help you feel more confident about the benefit amounts and timeline? I ve'been stressing about the financial planning aspect and it would be great to have a clearer picture before I m'actually filing. Thanks for thinking ahead and sharing this - it s'exactly the kind of practical tip that makes all the difference!