Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bonding

Paid Family Leave pays eight weeks of partial wages to bond with a new baby in the first year. It comes from the EDD and does not protect your job.

What it is

Paid Family Leave (PFL) is California's wage replacement for time off to bond with a new child. It pays up to eight weeks within the baby's first year through the Employment Development Department (EDD). Both parents can claim it, and there is no waiting period. PFL is money, not job protection; that comes from CFRA or FMLA. At a small employer you can still get PFL pay, but your job is not protected.

What's typical

For a birthing mother, PFL usually starts the day SDI ends; EDD sends the form near the end of the SDI claim. The weekly amount matches SDI, since 2025 70 to 90 percent of wages up to a cap; check the current EDD figures.

What's known

Since January 2025, employers may not require you to use vacation before PFL begins. San Francisco requires larger employers to top up PFL to full pay. PFL can be taken a day or two a week to stretch the return to work.

What helps

Decide as a couple when each parent's eight weeks will land. Staggering can cover four months with one parent home.
File within 41 days of the day you want benefits to start.

When to call someone

Nowyour employer fires or disciplines you for filing a PFL claim. Call the CRD or Legal Aid at Work.
Todayyour claim is denied, or EDD has not paid within three weeks of filing.
At your next visitno provider step is needed. Ask your doula how other families timed it.

Who helps

Family and community resources Postpartum doula

Tools: Postpartum Prep Checklist · My Birth Team

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Sources

California Employment Development Department — Paid Family Leave: bonding claim FAQ
Legal Aid at Work — Paid Family Leave fact sheet
City and County of San Francisco, Office of Labor Standards Enforcement — Paid Parental Leave Ordinance

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