What it is
Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) is California's job protection for the time you cannot work because of pregnancy or birth. It covers up to four months per pregnancy at any employer with five or more employees, from your first day on the job. The Civil Rights Department (CRD) enforces it. State Disability Insurance (SDI) is the money, run by the Employment Development Department (EDD). Your provider certifies the dates, and EDD pays a share of your wages for them.
What's typical
The standard period is four weeks before the due date and six weeks after a vaginal birth, or eight after a cesarean. Providers can certify more time for complications. The weekly benefit since 2025 is 70 to 90 percent of wages up to a cap, after a short unpaid waiting period; check the current EDD figures.
What's known
PDL and SDI are separate. PDL is the right to the time; SDI is the pay. You can get SDI at a tiny employer with no PDL duty. Your health insurance continues on PDL. CFRA bonding starts after PDL ends and is counted separately.
What helps
- Open your EDD online account early.
- Ask your provider's office who handles disability forms and how long they take.
When to call someone
- Nowyour employer says you cannot have time off for the birth or threatens your job. Document it and call the CRD.
- Todayyour SDI claim is denied or stalled past three weeks; call EDD and your provider's forms desk.
- At your next visitask when your provider will start the disability period.
Who helps
Tools: Due Date Calculator · Postpartum Prep Checklist
Related
- Pregnancy and parental leave in California: the mapCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
- Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bondingCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
- CFRA and FMLA: keeping your jobCalifornia: Leave, Money, and Paperwork
- Cesarean recovery, week by weekPostpartum: Your Body
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Sources
- California Employment Development Department — Disability Insurance: pregnancy FAQ
- California Civil Rights Department — Pregnancy Disability Leave fact sheet
- Legal Aid at Work — Pregnancy Disability Leave fact sheet
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