California Expands Paid Family Leave: What Workers Need to Know About SB 590

California workers rely on Paid Family Leave (PFL) when they need to take time off work to care for loved ones or bond with a new child. In 2025, the state introduced Senate Bill (SB) 590, a significant update to California’s Unemployment Insurance Code. This new bill expands who workers can care for under the PFL program. If you are a California worker, it is crucial that you understand your rights under SB 590. 

What Does SB 590 Change About Paid Family Leave?

Currently, California’s Paid Family Leave program offers up to eight weeks of wage-replacement benefits for employees who take time off to care for certain seriously ill family members or bond with a new child. Before SB 590, eligible family members included parents, children, spouses, domestic partners, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren. SB 590 expands eligibility by adding the category of a “designated person.”

In 2022, California passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1041, which allowed workers to take leave to care for a “designated person,” but the state benefits did not change to cover these types of leave. SB 590 specifically adds the category of a “designated person” under Section 3302 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.

From July 1, 2028, employees can claim PFL benefits to care for a designated person. Under the law, a designated person is defined as:

• Someone related to the worker by blood, or
• Someone whose relationship with the worker is the “equivalent of a family relationship.”

How Employees Choose a Designated Person for Purposes of PFL

When a worker first applies for PFL benefits to care for a designated person, they must:

1.     Identify the designated individual, and
2.     Certify under penalty of perjury either:

• how they are related by blood, or
• how their association is equivalent to a family relationship.

Once a worker completes the above steps, the designated person is treated the same as any other family member for purposes of the PFL program.

Benefit Amounts Under California PFL

SB 590 clarifies the benefit standards that will apply to PFL periods starting January 1, 2025, and beyond. Depending on earnings during a worker’s highest-earning quarter, the weekly benefit amount may vary from:

• $50 minimum,
• Up to 90% of a worker’s weekly wages

However, the weekly benefit amount cannot exceed the maximum temporary disability weekly rate set by the Department of Industrial Relations.

Filing a PFL Claim Under SB 590

The process for filing a PFL claim under SB 590 is largely the same and involves the following steps:

• You must file your claim no later than 41 days after the first day of missed work. If you can show good cause, the time limit for filing a claim may be extended.
• Your claim must include medical certification for serious health conditions or documentation for military exigencies.

SB 590 recognizes that family structures have evolved over the years and shows just how the state is committed to supporting this. If you are a worker who believes you may need to care for a designated person in the future, understanding your rights under this law now can help you prepare.

Contact a California Employment Lawyer

If you have questions about SB 590 or need help with an employment law-related matter, contact a California employment lawyer.