Why high earners feel the pay cut most on California maternity leave.
In 2026, California's SDI and Paid Family Leave benefits max out at $1,765 a week, no matter how much you earn. This free workshop shows you the benefits that can help close the gap, and how to stack them, so a longer leave may still be within reach.
A longer leave at home with your baby, without draining your savings to pay for it, and without dreading every smaller paycheck.
Hosted by Diane Gatza, P.E., CLMSOwner + Founder, California Maternity Leave Consulting 6,000+families served since 2022
5 Critical Steps to Maximize Your Maternity Leave
Free ยท Under an hour ยท No prep needed. Leave with your next steps the same day.
Who this workshop is for:
- You live in California
- You work full- or part-time for an employer (W-2, not self-employed)
- You're an expecting mom, dad, partner, adoptive or intended parent
- Any employer: private, State of California, public education, city, county, healthcare and more*
*Not for federal employees. Federal jobs have a different leave and benefit structure, so this workshop doesn't apply.
A few of the companies where the women I have worked with work:
Moms who planned their leave around real numbers
Almost double the time off, and more pay.
โโฆreceived almost double the time off as I was previously approved for and more pay!โ
Mahreen D.Part-time work for full-time pay.
โI was able to get 4.5 months paid with another month @ part time work with full pay!โ
Angela L.Results vary based on your employer, eligibility, income and timing.
โI make good money. Why does maternity leave feel like such a pay cut?โ
The six-figure pay cutThe State caps your benefit. Your bills don't.
California's SDI and Paid Family Leave benefits max out at $1,765 a week in 2026. That's the ceiling, whatever your salary.
On a $150K salary, that's about 61% of your gross weekly pay. At $250K, it's closer to 37%. That's why high earners feel the pay cut most, and why employer benefits, timing and planning matter more at your income.
The good news: many high-earning moms have more options than they think, once they see the full picture.
Your paycheck vs. the State cap
Gross weekly pay vs. the 2026 State maximum weekly benefit
Source: California EDD, 2026 maximum weekly benefit for SDI and Paid Family Leave ($1,765). Illustrative, before taxes. Employer benefits may cover part of the gap.
Close the gap the State cap leaves
Here's what the free workshop gives you to do it. No prep, no paperwork today, no need to know the acronyms. Just pick a session and show up.
- 1
HR secrets and negotiation tactics
What HR doesn't usually volunteer, and how to ask for the time and pay you're eligible for with confidence.
- 2
How to use every right you have
The State, federal and employer benefits you may qualify for, and how PDL, CFRA, SDI and PFL stack together for more paid time at home.
- 3
When and how to share your plan
The recommended timing for telling your employer, how to frame the conversation, and what to have figured out first.
- 4
How to protect yourself during the process
The common mistakes that cost moms time and pay, and how to protect your leave, your pay and your position along the way.
- BONUS
Your paperwork filing checklist
Every key filing date in one place, so you don't miss a claim deadline while you're home with a newborn.
Walk away knowing where the gap comes from, which benefits can help fill it, and the dates that protect your pay.
Home for the first smile, the first roll, the first foods. Rocking your baby to sleep for naps yourself. Your savings still there for the house or the first-birthday trip. And going back to work when you're ready, knowing you got every week and every dollar you were eligible for.
I'm Diane Gatza, P.E.
I'm an engineer who turned my own experience with California's maternity leave system into a company that has helped 6,000+ women and families. Maternity leave is the only thing we do.
At your income, the difference between a good plan and no plan can be thousands of dollars.
