Hey Brooklyn! Congratulations on your upcoming baby! 🎉 As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to jump in and add my support to all the fantastic advice you've already received. I just went through this exact situation last month - I was working part-time at a medical clinic and also providing IHSS care for my disabled brother (about 12 hours/month, around $190). I was absolutely terrified about how to handle the IHSS income reporting, but after reading through this entire thread, I can confirm what everyone is saying - you MUST report it, but it's not going to cause any problems for you! Your $170/month is such a small amount and EDD sees this combination constantly. One thing I learned that might help ease your mind - when I spoke with my EDD case worker during the process, she mentioned that California has so many IHSS providers that their system is specifically designed to handle these mixed income scenarios smoothly. She said the problems usually come from people NOT reporting income, never from people who are transparent about everything upfront. Your timing filing on Feb 1st is absolutely perfect! I did the exact same thing - filed the day after my last shift - and had zero issues. Just make sure you have your IHSS pay stubs ready when you're filling out the application because they'll ask for specific dates and amounts. The task-specific disability concept that others mentioned is so important to understand. You can absolutely continue caring for your son during your pregnancy disability since that work has completely different physical requirements than retail. You're being so smart by planning ahead and asking these questions now. That preparation is going to make everything go much smoother than you probably expect. This community has been incredible - everyone's advice is spot on! You've totally got this, mama! 💪✨

Hey Brooklyn! Congratulations on your upcoming little one! 🎉 As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to chime in with my recent experience since I was in almost the exact same boat just a few months ago. I was working part-time at a retail chain and also providing IHSS care for my elderly neighbor (about 11 hours/month, around $180). I was SO stressed about the IHSS income reporting - I literally lost sleep over whether it would mess up my SDI benefits! But after going through the whole process, I can absolutely confirm what everyone else is saying: REPORT EVERYTHING and don't worry about that small amount affecting your benefits negatively. When I finally got through to an EDD representative (pro tip: call right at 8am for shorter wait times!), she told me that part-time work + IHSS is probably the most common combination they see for pregnancy claims. She said my thoroughness in reporting all income sources actually made processing my claim faster because there were no surprises or missing information. Your timing is spot-on filing Feb 1st! I did the same thing - filed the day after my last retail shift - and everything went smoothly. Just have those IHSS pay stubs organized and ready because the application will ask for specific details. The best part? I was able to continue my IHSS work during my entire pregnancy disability period since it was way less physically demanding than standing/lifting all day in retail. Different tasks = different disability considerations! You're asking all the right questions and planning ahead like a pro. That preparation is going to make this process so much easier than you're probably expecting. This community has given you incredible advice - you're in great hands! You've absolutely got this, mama! 💪✨

This thread has been incredibly educational! I'm 18 weeks pregnant with my first baby and had been really anxious about the financial impact of maternity leave. Like so many others here, I just assumed I'd have to make do with the 60-70% from EDD and that was that. Reading through all these detailed experiences has given me so much confidence to approach my employer about supplemental pay. I work for a medium-sized marketing agency (about 90 employees) that prides itself on having great company culture, but I don't think maternity leave supplementation has ever been discussed. The business case arguments about employee retention and competitive recruitment are so compelling - our industry has really high turnover and we're constantly competing with larger agencies for talent. I think this could be exactly the kind of benefit that would set us apart. I'm planning to use the timeline approach and concrete dollar amounts that several of you have mentioned, plus I'm going to contact our payroll provider (we use Paycom) beforehand to understand their process. The tip about getting everything in writing and asking about coverage for the 7-day waiting period is also going on my checklist. One question for the group - has anyone had success presenting this as a pilot program that could eventually become company policy for all employees? I think that framing might appeal to my company's focus on innovation and employee experience. Thank you all for sharing such practical, actionable advice. This community has turned what felt like an impossible financial situation into something that actually seems achievable! 🌟

I'm so grateful I found this thread! I'm 19 weeks pregnant and was honestly losing sleep over the financial stress of maternity leave. Like many of you, I had just accepted that living on 60% of my income for months was inevitable. I work for a healthcare organization (about 200 employees) and while they're supportive of employees, I never thought to ask about supplemental pay. The irony isn't lost on me that I work in healthcare but didn't know about this option for my own maternity care! After reading all your experiences, I'm realizing I need to advocate for myself here. The timeline document idea is brilliant, and I love the suggestion about contacting our payroll provider (Ceridian) beforehand to understand their process. Having that technical information ready should help address any implementation concerns. What really resonates with me is how many of you framed this as enhancing competitive benefits rather than asking for special treatment. In healthcare, we're constantly competing with hospitals and health systems for qualified staff, and offering 100% salary during maternity leave could be a huge recruitment and retention advantage. I'm going to prepare a business case using the approaches you've all shared - concrete numbers, timeline, technical feasibility, and the competitive advantage angle. The idea of proposing it as a pilot program that could benefit future employees also feels like the right approach for our organization's culture. Thank you all for turning what felt like an insurmountable financial challenge into something that actually seems possible with the right preparation and approach! This community is incredible. 💙

guys, i heard theres a new bill being proposed to overhaul the whole UI system. anyone know more about this? maybe itll fix some of these issues

I'm going through something similar right now! My 2504RE has been pending for about 3 weeks with zero movement. What's really frustrating is that there's no way to check the status or get any kind of timeline. I've been considering trying that claimyr service that @Ravi Kapoor mentioned - seems like actually talking to a human might be the only way to get answers. Has anyone had luck with the EDD chat feature, or is calling really the only option?

I just want to add my voice to everyone else here - definitely put February 16th! I went through this same situation last year with my daughter's first birthday and was so confused about which date to use. I ended up calling my company's benefits department and they told me the same thing everyone here is saying - the EDD certification is completely separate from your employer's leave tracking. They don't see your certifications and they already have your LOA paperwork on file. I put the day after my baby's birthday even though I didn't actually return for another month, and everything went smoothly. No overpayment issues, no confusion with HR. The key is understanding that you're telling EDD when to stop benefits, not reporting your work schedule. After reading all the horror stories about overpayments in this thread, I'm so glad I didn't put my actual return date! Those repayment notices sound like a nightmare to deal with. You're making the right choice by asking this question and getting clarity before submitting your certification.

I'm a new mom currently on PFL and my baby's first birthday is coming up in a few months. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea about the potential overpayment issues that could happen if you put your actual return date instead of when benefits end. The consensus here is crystal clear - put the day after your baby's birthday (February 16th in your case) because that's when PFL eligibility legally ends, regardless of any additional leave arrangements. The horror stories about thousands in overpayments plus interest are terrifying! It really helps to understand that the certification is asking "when should EDD stop paying you?" not "when are you physically back at your desk?" These are completely separate questions even though the form makes them sound the same. Thank you so much for asking this question - it's exactly what I needed to see before I get to my own final certification. This community has been so helpful with real experiences and advice. Definitely going with the benefit end date approach when my time comes!

I'm also new to this community and currently struggling with my first PFL claim! I submitted my bonding claim for my newborn about 3 weeks ago and have been completely unable to get through to EDD despite calling multiple times daily. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both incredibly helpful and deeply frustrating - it's clear this broken phone system is failing so many of us when we need support most. The timing strategies shared here are really valuable - I'm definitely going to try the 8am sharp approach that several people have mentioned, and @Alexander Zeus's Friday afternoon tip is something I hadn't considered. The Claimyr service that worked for @Ethan Clark also sounds promising as a backup option if direct calling continues to fail. It's absolutely infuriating that we have to become strategic experts and potentially pay third parties just to access benefits we've already paid into through our paychecks, especially when we're already exhausted from caring for newborns. But I'm grateful for this supportive community - knowing we're not alone in this struggle and having concrete strategies to try gives me some hope. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and advice!

I'm also new to this community and dealing with my first PFL claim nightmare! I submitted my bonding claim for my newborn about 2 weeks ago and have been completely stuck trying to reach EDD. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both incredibly validating and deeply frustrating - it's clear this phone system is systematically failing new parents when we're most vulnerable. I'm definitely going to try the 8am sharp strategy that multiple people have had success with, and @Alexander Zeus's Friday afternoon approach is brilliant - sometimes the counterintuitive times work best! The Claimyr service that helped @Ethan Clark also sounds like a solid backup plan if direct calling continues to fail. What really gets me is that we're all having to become experts in gaming a broken system just to access benefits we've literally paid into through our own paychecks, while we're already exhausted from caring for newborns. But I'm so grateful for this supportive community - knowing we're not alone and having concrete strategies to try gives me hope. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and keeping each other sane through this process!