California Leave Planner

California parental leave calculator

Answer three questions and see how many weeks of leave you can take and roughly what the EDD will pay you each week. Free, and no account needed.

Partners, adoptive parents, and foster parents get bonding leave but not pregnancy disability — so the math is different.
Or your baby's birth date, if they're already here.
Your California wages. The EDD looks at what you earned roughly 5 to 18 months before your claim starts.
C-section recovery adds two more paid weeks. Pick what you expect — you can rerun this anytime.
weeks of leave
Each week
Total, before taxes
8 wks bonding (PFL)

How it lays out

Where this estimate can be off

This is a quick calculator working from one salary figure. A few situations change the real answer, and it can't see them:

  • Your pay isn't what the EDD uses. They look at your highest-earning quarter in a 12-month window that ended roughly 5 to 18 months before your claim starts. If your income changed, you switched jobs, or you took time off, the real figure will differ.
  • Gaps in that window lower it. Unemployment, unpaid leave, school, or work outside California during that period can reduce your benefit or disqualify you.
  • New to California? If you moved here recently, you may not have enough California wages on record yet.
  • Part-time and under a year don't affect your pay, but they do affect your job. SDI and PFL don't care about tenure or hours. Job protection does — CFRA and FMLA need 12 months employed plus 1,250 hours actually worked, about 24 hours a week. Miss that and you still get paid, but time off needs your employer's approval rather than being a right.
  • Self-employed? Nothing here applies unless you're enrolled in EDD Elective Coverage.
  • Medical extensions aren't included. If a doctor certifies you need longer recovery, whether physical or for something like postpartum depression, your paid time can run longer than shown. There's no fixed amount — it's certified case by case.

To see the wages actually on record for you, log in to myEDD at edd.ca.gov.

Want your dates in writing?

We'll email this estimate along with the dates that matter — when to tell your employer, and when your SDI claim can start.

This is the estimate. The plan is the hard part.

Knowing the number is one thing. Knowing which form to file, when your claim can open, and what to say to HR is another. The Leave Planner builds your timeline and gives you an assistant trained on California leave rules that you can ask anything, anytime.

It also asks about every gap listed above — your base period, tenure, hours, employer size, delivery type, and medical extensions — and works them into your dates and pay, so the plan reflects your situation rather than an average one.

See the Leave Planner — $40

Questions people ask

Is Paid Family Leave 8 weeks or 12?

Eight. PFL pays 8 weeks of bonding benefits. The 12-week number comes from CFRA, which is job protection, not pay. You can take 12 protected weeks of bonding leave, but only 8 of them are paid.

What does a non-birthing parent get?

Eight weeks of PFL bonding, paid at the same rate. No SDI — that covers physical recovery from birth, so it only applies to the person who gave birth. The same 8 weeks apply to adoption and foster placement.

Can both parents take leave?

Yes, and each gets their own 8 weeks. You can overlap them or stagger them across the first 12 months. Staggering is how a lot of families keep someone home longer without paying for childcare sooner.

Do I need to have worked somewhere a full year?

Not for the money. SDI and PFL depend on your California wages during the base period, not your tenure. Tenure and hours matter for job protection under CFRA and FMLA, which is a separate question from whether you get paid.

What if I don't take leave before the birth?

Those weeks are gone. Prenatal SDI doesn't roll over to after the birth. If you work up to your due date, you skip that portion rather than banking it.

Can my leave be longer than this?

Sometimes. If your doctor certifies that you need more recovery time, whether physical or for a condition like postpartum depression, your disability period can extend. There's no fixed length — it's certified case by case.

Estimates only, based on 2026 EDD figures. Your actual benefit depends on wages reported to the EDD during your base period.
California Leave Planner offers general information about California leave programs, not legal advice.
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