Can't reach California Paid Family Leave? Claimyr connects you to a live EDD agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the EDD
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the EDD drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
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One more thing to consider - you can split up your 8 weeks of PFL baby bonding. You don't have to take it all at once. Some dads take 4 weeks right after birth, then save the other 4 weeks for later in the year. Just make sure you use it all within 12 months of the birth. For each separate period, you'll need to file a new claim form.
That's really helpful to know! Maybe I could take 2 weeks initially and save the rest for when my wife goes back to work. I'll definitely look into the DE2508 form and see how the application process works. Thanks everyone for all the advice.
Just want to add - make sure you understand the waiting period! There's a 7-day waiting period for PFL claims, meaning your first week is unpaid. So if you're planning to take time off, factor that into your budget. Also, if you're planning to split your leave like @Keisha Jackson mentioned, each separate claim period will have its own 7-day waiting period. I learned this the hard way when I took my PFL in two chunks and didn't realize I'd have two unpaid weeks total.
Wow, I had no idea about the waiting period! That's really important to know since I'm already worried about the financial impact. So if I split my 8 weeks into two separate periods, I'd have two unpaid weeks total? That definitely changes how I need to plan this. Thanks for the heads up @Aisha Abdullah - this is exactly the kind of detail I needed to know before making decisions about when to take leave.
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Just to follow up - did your payment arrive yet? The holiday backlog should be processed by now. If it's been approved for more than 7 business days without payment, you might want to call.
YES! It finally showed up this morning! What a relief. You were right about the Friday timeline. Thanks everyone for the help and keeping me sane through the wait!
So glad to hear your payment came through! The waiting game with EDD is absolutely nerve-wracking, especially when you have bills due. For anyone else reading this - it seems like the MLK Day holiday really did push everything back about a week from normal processing times. Good to know for future reference that holiday Mondays can mess with their whole system like that.
Thanks for sharing this update! As someone new to navigating EDD, this thread has been super helpful. I'm currently waiting on my first PFL payment and was starting to panic after reading horror stories online. It's reassuring to see that even with holiday delays, things do eventually work out. I'll definitely keep the holiday processing delays in mind for future claims!
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lol good luck getting anyone at EDD to pick up the phone. I've been trying for weeks 🤡
Try calling right when they open. I got through after only 30 mins on hold that way!
30 mins? You must be some kind of EDD whisperer 😂
@Yuki Ito, I was in a very similar situation when my daughter was born. Here's what worked for me: Document EVERYTHING - get a letter from your pediatrician stating that you need to be the primary caregiver, keep records of childcare searches you've done (showing lack of availability/affordability), and any family circumstances that prevent others from helping. When I called EDD, I emphasized that this was a "compelling family obligation" (thanks to whoever mentioned that term!) and that I was actively seeking work-from-home opportunities. It took about 3 weeks to get approved, but I did get benefits. The key is being persistent and having your documentation ready. Also, consider looking into local childcare assistance programs while you're navigating this - sometimes there are subsidies available that can help you get back to work sooner. Hang in there! 💙
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This gives me a lot of hope. I hadn't thought about getting a letter from the pediatrician - that's brilliant! Can I ask what specific wording you used when explaining it was a "compelling family obligation"? Also, did you apply for unemployment right away or wait? I'm worried about timing since I quit about 2 weeks ago. Really appreciate you taking the time to share all these details! 🙏
@Zara Ahmed This is such valuable advice, thank you for sharing your success story! The pediatrician letter is a great idea I hadn t'considered. Quick question - did you mention any specific medical needs for why you needed to be the primary caregiver, or was it more about general newborn care? I m'trying to figure out how to frame this properly since my baby is healthy but obviously needs constant care. Also really interested in hearing about those childcare assistance programs you mentioned - are those through the county or state? Thanks again for giving me hope that this is possible! 🙏
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This might sound weird, but have you tried reaching out to EDD on social media? Sometimes companies are more responsive there because it's public. Worth a shot if nothing else is working.
Hey Nina! I actually went through something similar a few months ago. One thing that helped me was trying to reset my password using the "Forgot Password" link with my original email address - sometimes that can unlock the account automatically. Also, if you can find any old paperwork from when you first filed for unemployment or disability, it might have your original login info on it. The EDD keeps better records than we think they do sometimes! Hope this helps and you get it sorted soon! 🙏
CosmicCowboy
I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare right now! EDD somehow entered my return to work date as February 2025 instead of June 2025 - like how do you even make that big of an error?? It's been 2 months of back and forth and my payments are all messed up. This thread is honestly a lifesaver though - I had no clue about calling the separate DI line or the assembly member route. Definitely trying both of those ASAP. It's so maddening that we all have to become EDD detectives just to get our correct benefits, but I'm grateful everyone is sharing what actually works. @Olivia Garcia hope you get this sorted out soon! The struggle is SO real with this broken system 😤
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Ruby Knight
•@CosmicCowboy Wow, February to June is an even bigger mess-up than mine! These date errors seem way too common to be simple typos - makes me wonder if there's something wrong with their data entry system. I'm definitely going to try the DI line trick tomorrow morning. Reading everyone's stories here has been both validating (we're not crazy, this system IS broken) and helpful (actual solutions that work). It's ridiculous that we need a whole support group just to navigate basic government benefits, but here we are! Thanks for commiserating - misery loves company and all that 😅 Hope we all get our dates fixed soon!
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Summer Green
I'm going through the exact same thing! EDD somehow put my return date as March 2025 when my doctor clearly wrote May 2025 on all the paperwork. It's been 6 weeks of trying to get this fixed and I'm losing my mind. Reading through all these responses is giving me hope though - I had no idea about the separate DI line that @Mateo Warren mentioned! I've been banging my head against the wall calling the main number. Also going to try the assembly member route and maybe even that claimyr.com thing if I get desperate enough. It's absolutely wild that we need a PhD in EDD navigation just to get basic benefits, but I'm so grateful for everyone sharing what actually works. This system is completely broken but at least we're all figuring it out together! 💪
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Daniel Washington
•@Summer Green Ugh, 6 weeks is absolutely ridiculous for what should be a simple date correction! I m'new here but reading through this whole thread has been eye-opening. The fact that so many of us are dealing with the exact same issue really shows how broken EDD s'system is. I m'definitely taking notes on all the strategies people have shared - the separate DI line, assembly member contact, and even that claimyr service. It s'honestly insane that we need a whole game plan just to fix an obvious error, but I m'so glad this community exists to help each other navigate this mess. Hang in there - sounds like persistence really does pay off eventually! 🤞
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