How Paid Family Leave Works in California
Paid Family Leave replaces most of your paycheck while you bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member. It pays you, but it does not hold your job.
California Paid Family Leave (PFL) pays up to 8 weeks of benefits in a 12-month period when you take time off to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member or help with a family member's military deployment. It replaces 90% of your wages if you're a lower earner and 70% otherwise, up to $1,765 a week. It's funded by the 1.3% SDI deduction on your paycheck, and it doesn't protect your job on its own.
Who qualifies
You qualify if you've earned at least $300 with State Disability Insurance (SDI) withheld during your base period, roughly the 5 to 18 months before your claim starts, and you're taking time off for one of three reasons:
- Bonding with a new child in the first 12 months after birth, adoption or foster placement. Either parent can claim it, and both parents can claim 8 weeks each.
- Caring for a seriously ill family member: a child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or registered domestic partner.
- Military assist: a qualifying event related to a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent being deployed to a foreign country.
Most private-sector workers are covered because SDI comes out of their pay. Many public employees and some others, such as the self-employed who haven't bought elective coverage, aren't. EDD notes that school employees can't collect while getting full wages or during a school break unless they normally work another job then.
How much PFL pays
EDD bases your weekly benefit on your highest-earning quarter in the base period, divided by 13 to get a weekly wage. Since 2025 (SB 951), the rate depends on how that weekly wage compares with 70% of the state average weekly wage, which is $1,789 this year:
- Below $1,252 a week: 90% of your weekly wage.
- At or above $1,252: the greater of 70% of your weekly wage or $1,127, which is 90% of the cutoff. That floor means earning a little more never lowers your benefit.
- Every benefit is capped at $1,765 a week and is at least $50.
| Weekly wage | Weekly benefit | 8 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| $800 | $720 | $5,760 |
| $1,300 | $1,127 | $9,017 |
| $2,000 | $1,400 | $11,200 |
| $3,500 | $1,765 | $14,120 |
These figures use this year's rates. EDD's own benefit table rounds to whole dollars, so your notice can differ by a dollar.
How long it lasts and how to take it
The maximum is 8 weeks in any 12-month period. You don't have to take it in one block. EDD lets you claim intermittent leave, such as one day a week of caregiving or a reduced schedule while you're back at work part-time, and counts only the time you actually take off.
There's no waiting period. PFL pays from the first day of an approved claim, which is different from SDI's 7 unpaid days. Your employer also can't make you use up vacation first, a requirement the state removed in 2018, though you can choose to.
PFL after having a baby
Birth parents usually receive two benefits back to back. SDI covers the pregnancy and recovery: typically up to 4 weeks before the due date and 6 weeks after a vaginal birth or 8 weeks after a C-section, longer if a doctor certifies it. When the disability period ends, EDD moves you to a PFL bonding claim for up to 8 more weeks. The other parent can file their own bonding claim at any time in the child's first year.
Job protection is a separate law
This is the part people miss: PFL pays benefits but doesn't guarantee your job. For that, look to:
- CFRA: up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for bonding or family care at employers with 5 or more employees, after more than 12 months of service and at least 1,250 hours worked in the past year.
- Pregnancy Disability Leave: up to 4 months of protected leave for pregnancy-related disability, at employers with 5 or more employees, with no length-of-service requirement.
- FMLA: the federal version, at employers with 50 or more employees.
PFL and CFRA usually run at the same time. If your employer has fewer than 5 employees, you can still collect PFL, but your job isn't legally held for you.
How to file
File through EDD's SDI Online. For bonding you'll need the child's birth certificate or adoption or foster placement papers; for family care, the care recipient's doctor certifies the condition. You can't file before your leave starts: EDD accepts a claim from the first day of leave until 41 days after it begins. Payments usually start within a couple of weeks of a complete claim, by debit card or direct deposit.
PFL benefits aren't subject to California income tax. They are taxable on your federal return, and EDD sends a Form 1099G in January, so consider setting some aside if a long claim will add to your federal bill.
Run your numbers
Our Paid Family Leave Benefit Calculator estimates your weekly benefit and your total for the weeks you plan to take. If you're pregnant, the maternity leave calculator combines SDI and PFL, and the SDI benefit calculator covers your own illness or injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does California Paid Family Leave pay?
Lower earners get 90% of their average weekly wage and everyone else gets 70%, with a weekly maximum of $1,765 and a minimum of $50. Earners just above the $1,252 cutoff get at least $1,127, so a raise never lowers the benefit.
How long can I get Paid Family Leave?
Up to 8 weeks in any 12-month period. You can take it all at once or in pieces, even a few hours or days at a time, as long as the total stays within 8 weeks.
Does Paid Family Leave protect my job?
No. PFL only pays benefits. Job protection comes from other laws: the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) gives up to 12 weeks of protected leave at employers with 5 or more employees, and federal FMLA can also apply.
Is there a waiting period for Paid Family Leave?
No. Unlike State Disability Insurance, which has a 7-day unpaid waiting period, PFL pays from the first day of an approved claim.
When do I have to file a Paid Family Leave claim?
You can file on or after the first day of your family leave, and no later than 41 days after it begins, or you may lose benefits. Most people file online through SDI Online.
This article is for general information only and is not legal or tax advice. EDD decides every claim; confirm your benefit amount on your EDD notice.