Maternity Leave in California: How Long You Can Take Off and Whether You Get Paid

September 10, 2026

Table of Contents

1. Is this your situation?
2. Understanding Leave and Pay
3. How long can you take off? (Job protection)
   1. Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL): Up to Four Months
   2. California Family Rights Act (CFRA) bonding leave: up to 12 weeks
4. Will you get paid? (Wage replacement)
   1. For pregnancy disability: State Disability Insurance (SDI)
   2. For bonding: Paid Family Leave (PFL)
5. How Leave and Pay Can Work Together
6. Steps to Take When Planning Your Leave
7. When to talk to a lawyer

If you’re pregnant or preparing to welcome a new child, you may be wondering how much time you can take off from work and whether you’ll be paid while you’re away. In California, maternity leave can involve several different leave protections and wage-replacement programs. Understanding how these benefits work together can help you know what time off and pay may be available to you.

Is this your situation?

This article can help you understand your rights if:

• You’re pregnant and want to know how much time you may be able to take off from work.
• You want to know whether you can receive pay or wage-replacement benefits while you’re on leave.
• You’re concerned about whether your job will be protected while you’re away.
• You’re preparing to take time off to bond with a new child through birth, adoption, or foster care.
• You want to understand your leave options before discussing them with your employer.

Understanding Leave and Pay

One of the most important distinctions is the difference between job-protected leave and wage replacement.

• Job protection determines whether you are entitled to take time off and return to your job or a comparable position.
• Wage replacement provides partial income while you are unable to work or are taking time off to bond with a new child.

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for both at the same time.

How long can you take off? (Job protection)

California provides different forms of job-protected leave for pregnancy disability and bonding with a new child. If you qualify, these protections may allow you to take pregnancy disability leave followed by additional time for bonding.

Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL): Up to Four Months

If you are unable to work because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition, Pregnancy Disability Leave may provide up to four months of job-protected leave per pregnancy. PDL generally applies if your employer has five or more employees, and unlike CFRA, there is no minimum requirement for how long you must have worked for your employer or how many hours you must have worked.

The amount of leave you need is determined by your pregnancy-related disability and your health care provider’s recommendation. PDL can be taken all at once or intermittently when medically necessary.

California Family Rights Act (CFRA) bonding leave: up to 12 weeks

Eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of job-protected CFRA leave to bond with a new child within one year of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement. To qualify, you generally must have worked for your employer for at least 12 months, completed at least 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12 months, and work for an employer with five or more employees.

If you qualify for both PDL and CFRA bonding leave, CFRA bonding leave can generally begin after your pregnancy disability leave ends. This means an eligible employee may receive up to four months of PDL when medically necessary, followed by up to 12 weeks of CFRA leave to bond with the new child.

Both parents get bonding leave. CFRA applies to fathers, adoptive parents, foster parents, and same-sex parents, even if both parents work for the same employer. PDL, by contrast, only applies to an employee who has a pregnancy-related disability.

A note on federal FMLA: The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may also provide job-protected leave to eligible employees. Depending on the reason for your leave and which laws apply, FMLA may overlap with California leave protections such as PDL or CFRA.

Understanding how much time you can take off is only part of the picture. The next question is whether you’ll be paid while you’re away.

Will you get paid? (Wage replacement)

Job-protected leave does not necessarily mean paid leave. While laws such as PDL, CFRA, and FMLA may protect your time away from work, separate California programs may provide partial wage replacement while you’re on leave.

For pregnancy disability: State Disability Insurance (SDI)

If you are unable to work because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition, you may qualify for State Disability Insurance (SDI) through California’s Employment Development Department (EDD). SDI provides partial wage replacement while you are unable to work.

According to EDD, SDI replaces roughly 70 to 90 percent of your wages, up to a maximum weekly benefit amount. To qualify, you generally must have earned at least $300 during your base period from which State Disability Insurance contributions were withheld. These contributions typically appear as “CASDI” on your pay stub.

SDI benefits may be available for up to 52 weeks, although the length of benefits for a pregnancy-related disability depends on the period your health care provider certifies that you are unable to work.

For bonding: Paid Family Leave (PFL)

Paid Family Leave (PFL) may provide partial wage replacement while you take time off to bond with a new child through birth, adoption, or foster care placement.

Eligible employees may receive PFL benefits for up to eight weeks within a 12-month period. Like SDI, the amount you receive generally depends on your earnings and is subject to a maximum weekly benefit amount. To qualify, you generally must have earned at least $300 during your base period from which State Disability Insurance contributions were withheld.

The Important Difference Between Pay and Job Protection: SDI and PFL provide wage-replacement benefits, but they do not themselves provide job protection. Your right to take leave and return to work may instead be protected by laws such as PDL, CFRA, or FMLA, depending on your eligibility and circumstances.

This means that job-protected leave and wage-replacement benefits often work together: one may protect your time away from work, while the other may provide partial income during that time.

How Leave and Pay Can Work Together

For an employee who gives birth and qualifies for these leave protections and benefits, the timeline may look something like this:

• During pregnancy and recovery: PDL may provide job-protected leave while you are unable to work because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. During this time, SDI may provide partial wage replacement.
• After your pregnancy disability ends: If eligible, you may take up to 12 weeks of CFRA leave to bond with your new child. PFL may provide partial wage replacement for up to eight weeks of that bonding period.

Your exact leave and benefits will depend on factors such as your medical needs, your eligibility for each program, the size of your employer, and how long you have worked there.

Steps to Take When Planning Your Leave

1. Give your employer advance notice when possible. If your need for leave is foreseeable, you generally should provide at least 30 days’ notice. If advance notice is not possible, notify your employer as soon as reasonably possible.
2. Provide medical certification if required. Your employer may request certification from your health care provider to support your need for pregnancy disability leave.
3. Apply separately for wage-replacement benefits. SDI and PFL benefits are administered through California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) and are separate from the leave you request from your employer.
4. Understand the difference between leave and pay. Job-protected leave and wage-replacement benefits are separate. Depending on your circumstances, PDL, CFRA, or FMLA may protect your time away from work, while SDI or PFL may provide partial income.
5. Keep track of important deadlines. Notice requirements and benefit application deadlines may apply, so it is important to understand the timing requirements for the leave and benefits you are seeking.

When to talk to a lawyer

Consider speaking with an employment lawyer if you experience problems when requesting, taking, or returning from pregnancy or parental leave. This may include situations where:

• Your employer denies leave that you believe you are entitled to take.
• You are demoted, terminated, given less favorable duties, or otherwise treated differently after requesting or taking protected leave.
• Your employer refuses to reinstate you after your leave or returns you to a position that may not comply with your reinstatement rights.
• You experience discrimination or other negative treatment because of your pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.

California law provides protections against pregnancy discrimination and retaliation for exercising certain protected leave rights. If you believe your employer has interfered with your leave, retaliated against you, or discriminated against you because of your pregnancy, speaking with an employment attorney can help you understand which protections may apply.

At Abramson Labor Group, we represent California employees in pregnancy discrimination, retaliation, and leave-related matters. We offer free, confidential case evaluations and can help you understand your rights and options.

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This article is general information about California law, not legal advice. Every situation is different. For advice about your specific case, talk to a licensed California employment attorney.