California’s voluntary plan requirements are somewhat onerous, making voluntary plans less common in California than in some other states. Some of these requirements include:

• CA PFL benefits must be equal to and have at least one benefit that is greater/better than the benefits afforded to state plan covered employees.
• A majority of eligible employees must consent to the plan in writing.
• Employees who are eligible for coverage must be given the right to reject the voluntary plan and be covered by the state plan (so the employer has to manage both the voluntary plan and the state plan for those who opt out of voluntary plan).
• The opt-out option is available at the time of the new application or when there is a legislative change to benefits in the voluntary plan document.
• A security deposit is required for all voluntary plans.
• Note that CA SDI and CA PFL must be written on the same basis.

Family member means the following:

• The covered individual’s spouse, registered domestic partner, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, or sibling; or
• The parent of the covered individual’s spouse or domestic partner.
• “Child” and “parent,” including “grandchild” and “grandparent,” includes step, in-laws, legal guardians and in loco parentis.

Yes. An employee continues to be covered under the state plan if the employee is working or actively looking for work and otherwise meets the financial eligibility requirements.

The covered individual’s own serious health condition caused by an off-the-job sickness or injury which results in lost wages, including pregnancy, elective surgery, inability to work due to a communicable disease, and treatment for acute alcoholism or acute substance abuse.

The taxable wage base was eliminated in 2024. Contributions are based on full wages.

Yes. Leave is allowed on a partial disability basis if the covered individual has a wage loss due to being unable to perform regular or customary work. Benefits are determined by looking at what the covered individual earned on a weekly basis before the claim began, then subtracting what the individual is currently earning working part-time or intermittently. The difference between the two is the wage loss, meaning the amount the covered individual is losing by working part-time or intermittently. If the wage loss is more than their CA SDI weekly benefit amount, they would receive full CA SDI benefits. If the wage loss is less than their CA SDI weekly benefit amount, they will only receive the amount of their wage loss.

The benefit year is defined as the period of 52 consecutive weeks from the start of the leave. It is calculated on a 12-month rolling forward basis.

Yes. Successive periods of disability caused by the same or related sickness or injury within 60 days of initial leave will be considered a continuation and no new waiting period is required.

The Employment Development Department pays benefits based on daily eligibility within a seven-day calendar week. Benefits payable for less than one week will be paid in increments of one-seventh of the weekly benefit.

• No. However, the covered individual’s job may be protected under other federal or state laws (such as FMLA, CFRA, or California Pregnancy Disability Leave).
• No information on employee benefit protections under CA SDI laws.

California's voluntary plan requirements are somewhat onerous, making voluntary plans less common in California than in some other states. Some of these requirements include:

• CA PFL benefits must be equal to and have at least one benefit that is greater/better than the benefits afforded to state plan covered employees.
• A majority of eligible employees must consent to the plan in writing.
• Employees who are eligible for coverage must be given the right to reject the voluntary plan and be covered by the state plan (so the employer has to manage both the voluntary plan and the state plan for those who opt out of voluntary plan).
• The opt-out option is available at the time of the new application or when there is a legislative change to benefits in the voluntary plan document.
• A security deposit is required for all voluntary plans.
• Note that CA SDI and CA PFL must be written on the same basis.

Family member means the following:

• The covered individual’s spouse, registered domestic partner, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, or sibling; or
• The parent of the covered individual’s spouse or domestic partner.
• “Child” and “parent,” including “grandchild” and “grandparent,” includes step, in-laws, legal guardians and in loco parentis.

Yes. An employee continues to be covered under the state plan if the employee is working or actively looking for work and otherwise meets the financial eligibility requirements.

The qualifying reasons for CA PFL include all of the following reasons:

• To bond with a child during the first 12 months after the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement;
• To care for a family member’s serious health condition; or
• A qualifying exigency arising out of a family member’s active duty or impending call to active duty in the armed forces.

The taxable wage base was eliminated in 2024. Contributions are based on full wages.

Yes. Leave is allowed on an intermittent or reduced leave basis. Benefits are determined by looking at what the covered individual earned on a weekly basis before the claim began, then subtracting what the individual is currently earning working part-time or intermittently. The difference between the two is the wage loss, meaning the amount the covered individual is losing by working part-time or intermittently. If the wage loss is more than their CA PFL weekly benefit amount, they would receive full CA PFL benefits. If the wage loss is less than their CA PFL weekly benefit amount, they will only receive the amount of their wage loss.

The benefit year is defined as the period of 52 consecutive weeks from the start of the leave. It is calculated on a 12-month, rolling-forward basis.

No.

See above for how CA PFL benefits are calculated for intermittent or reduced leave. The EDD pays benefits based on daily eligibility within a seven-day calendar week. Benefits payable for less than one week will be pro-rated and paid in increments of one-seventh of the weekly benefit per day of leave.

• No. However, the covered individual’s job may be protected under other federal or state laws, such as FMLA, CFRA, or California Pregnancy Disability Leave.
• No information on employee benefit protections under CA PFL laws.

The San Francisco PPLO requires San Francisco covered employers to provide paid parental leave benefits for eligible employees. Runs concurrently with CA PFL bonding leave. Eligibility includes employees who have been working for a covered employer in San Francisco for at least 180 days, with at least 40% of their total weekly hours for the covered employer (and not less than 8 hours/week), who are eligible for CA PFL for bonding leave. No waiting period and no contributions required from employees for the PPLO benefit. Covered employers are required to supplement the CA PFL benefit for bonding to equal 100% of the employee’s gross weekly wage, not to exceed a PPLO maximum weekly benefit of $2,700. The employee must agree to allow the employer to substitute up to two weeks of PPLO supplemental leave with the employee’s accrued but unused vacation leave.