To apply for paternity leave in California, file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim with the Employment Development Department using Form DE 2501F, and give your employer written notice that you’re taking bonding leave under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). PFL pays 70 to 90 percent of your wages for up to eight weeks; CFRA protects your job for up to 12 weeks. They are two separate systems, and you have to deal with both.1Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave
Two Systems: Money and Job Protection
PFL is a wage replacement program run by the state. It sends you money while you’re off work bonding with a new child, but it does not guarantee your job will be there when you come back. Job protection comes from CFRA, which is enforced through your employer, not the EDD. Most fathers and non-birthing parents in California use both at the same time, but each has its own eligibility rules and its own paperwork.
PFL covers most workers who pay into State Disability Insurance (look for “CASDI” on your paystub), including part-time employees, with no employer size requirement.2Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts CFRA is narrower: your employer must have five or more employees, you must have worked there more than 12 months, and you must have logged at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months before your leave.3California Legislative Information. California Government Code 12945.2 – Family Care and Medical Leave Both parents qualify for CFRA leave, even if they work for the same employer.4California Civil Rights Department. PDL Baby Bonding
Step 1: Notify Your Employer
If you know your leave date in advance — a due date, a scheduled placement — give your employer at least 30 days’ written notice. If the timing is unexpected, notify them as soon as reasonably possible.5California Civil Rights Department. Family Care and Medical Leave – Quick Reference Guide
Send the request in writing to HR. Include your planned start date, planned return date, and a clear statement that you’re taking bonding leave. A written record prevents disputes later about whether notice was proper. If you plan to break the leave into blocks rather than take it all at once, say so in the initial request so your employer can plan around it.
Step 2: File Your PFL Claim With EDD
The fastest way to file is through SDI Online, the EDD’s electronic portal. Create a myEDD account and submit the claim there.6Employment Development Department. State Disability Insurance You can also mail a paper Form DE 2501F using the envelope in the form packet.7Employment Development Department. Claim for Paid Family Leave (PFL) Benefit
Timing is strict. File no earlier than the first day of your leave, and no later than 41 days after it begins. Miss that 41-day window and you can lose benefits entirely.8Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Claim Process This is where PFL claims most often fail: people wait until they’re back at work and find that months of benefits have evaporated.
On the form, complete Part B for bonding and mark your relationship to the child. Make sure the leave dates you give the EDD match what you told your employer. Mismatches trigger manual review and delay payment.
What You’ll Need
Have this ready before you start:
- Your Social Security number
- Your employer’s name, address, and phone number
- The date your leave began (the day you stopped working)
- The child’s full name and date of birth, or the date of adoption or foster placement
- Proof of your relationship to the child: a birth certificate, adoption paperwork, or foster placement documentation9Employment Development Department. Claim for Paid Family Leave Benefits – Instructions and Information
You also need to have earned at least $300 in wages during your base period from which SDI deductions were withheld. If your highest quarterly earnings fall below that, you won’t qualify.10Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Benefit Payment Amounts The bonding period must fall within the first 12 months after the child’s birth, adoption, or foster placement.11California Legislative Information. California Code, Unemployment Insurance Code – UIC 3301
What Happens After You File
Expect the eligibility review to take up to 14 days after the EDD receives a complete claim. You’ll get a Notice of Computation (Form DE 429D) in the mail showing your weekly benefit amount based on your base period wages.12Employment Development Department. Disability Insurance Claim Process
When you file, pick how you want to be paid:
- Direct deposit (only available if you file through SDI Online)
- An EDD-issued debit card
- A paper check mailed to your home13Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Benefits and Payments FAQs
Direct deposit is the fastest and avoids mail delays that slow the other two options.
How Much You’ll Get and for How Long
PFL pays up to eight weeks of benefits within any 12-month period for bonding. You can take the eight weeks in one stretch or split them into shorter blocks, as long as you use them within the first year after the child’s birth or placement.13Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Benefits and Payments FAQs
Your weekly amount comes from your highest-earning quarter in your base period, which covers roughly 5 to 18 months before your claim start date. Moderate earners receive about 90 percent of their weekly wages; higher earners receive about 70 percent, up to a maximum of $1,765 per week. The minimum is $50.10Employment Development Department. Paid Family Leave Benefit Payment Amounts
There is no unpaid waiting period for bonding claims. Benefits can start the very first day you’re off work.9Employment Development Department. Claim for Paid Family Leave Benefits – Instructions and Information
Keep the numbers straight: CFRA gives you up to 12 weeks of job protection, but PFL only pays for 8 of them. The other four weeks are unpaid unless your employer offers supplemental pay.
Combining PFL With Vacation or PTO
Since January 1, 2025, your employer can no longer require you to use vacation or PTO before you start receiving PFL benefits. The old rule that let employers force up to two weeks of vacation first is gone. You can still choose to use vacation to supplement your PFL payments, but it’s your choice.
When you combine PFL with employer-paid leave, your total income can’t exceed 100 percent of your normal wages. Some parents use a small amount of PTO to close the gap between the PFL benefit and a full paycheck. If your employer offers its own parental leave benefit on top of the state program, coordinate the timing with HR so you get the most out of both.
Federal Taxes on PFL Benefits
California PFL benefits count as taxable income on your federal return. The IRS confirmed this in Revenue Ruling 2025-4, which treats state paid family leave payments as gross income.14Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2025-4 If you receive $600 or more in a year, the state will send you a Form 1099.
PFL benefits are not subject to Social Security or Medicare taxes, and the EDD does not withhold federal income tax automatically. You’ll owe the full tax bill when you file. To avoid a surprise in April, set aside roughly 15 to 25 percent of each payment based on your bracket, or make an estimated tax payment to the IRS in the quarter you receive the benefits.