How do I know if I’ve been paid correctly?
Cocoon estimates your benefits using our benefit calculator. While our estimates are typically accurate, it’s still a good idea to verify your payments once you receive benefit payments from a state agency or private insurance carrier – especially if your leave plan, claim approval, or payment amount changed along the way.
You can see your estimated pay during leave Your Pay tab in Cocoon.
Verifying your payments helps Cocoon compare the actual benefits you received against Cocoon’s estimates. If anything needs to be adjusted, our team will review the information and update your Cocoon experience where applicable.
How to verify your payments
From your Cocoon Dashboard:
Go to Your tasks.
Find the relevant Claim card.
Select Verify my payments.
You may also be able to access payment verification from the Your payments tab by selecting How do I know if I've been paid correctly?
Either option will take you to Cocoon’s Benefits verification flow, where you can upload your Explanation of Benefits documents and enter the payment details Cocoon needs to review.
What do I need to verify a payment?
To verify your payments, you’ll usually need the Explanation of Benefits, often called an EOB, from the state agency or private insurance carrier that issued your benefit payment.
An EOB is not the same as a bank statement or employer paystub. It typically includes details like the payment amount, the benefit coverage dates, and any deductions or adjustments.
Some payments may be visible in an online portal instead of on a mailed paper EOB. For example:
Washing state benefits may only be available through the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave portal.
California EDD details may vary by claim type. Disability payment details may be available in the portal, while Paid Family Leave details may only be available on the paper EOB.
You can upload one or more EOB files during payment verification and enter the payment details from each document.
Information needed for state benefits payments.
For state payments, Cocoon usually needs:
Gross payment amount
This may be different from the check amount or deposit amount.
Payment coverage dates
These are the dates the payment covers and should usually appear as a date range.
Information needed for private insurance payments
For private insurance payments, Cocoon usually needs:
Gross payment amount
FICA deductions
This may include Medicare and Social Security
Other deductions
“Other” deductions often account for expected state benefits, so this may be a larger amount.
Payment coverages dates
If the gross and net payment amounts are the same for a private disability payment, enter 0 for FICA deductions. Leaving the deduction field blank may prevent you from submitting the details.
Once you have uploaded all relevant documents, Cocoon will review, and if your estimated benefit payouts are subject to adjustment, we will reflect this in your Cocoon dashboard.
What documents cannot be used for payment verification?
The following documents are generally not enough for Cocoon to verify a benefit payment:
Bank statements
Bank statements may show what was deposited, but they usually do not include the coverage dates, gross amount, or deductions needed to verify the benefit rate.
Medical EOBs or Out-of-network expense documents
Cocoon verifies income replacement benefit payments, not medical expenses or healthcare reimbursements.
Employer paystubs
Employer paystubs can help you understand what your employer paid, but Cocoon needs documents showing income received from outside your employer’s payroll, such as state or private insurance benefits.
Your employer uses Cocoon’s calculations as part of their payroll process, then applies other payroll- specific items like taxes, premiums, or other deductions. For payment verification, Cocoon needs the source documents from the agency or carrier that paid the outside benefit.
Why should I verify payments early?
Keeping Cocoon up to date on benefit payments helps ensure your employer has the most accurate information for your leave pay.
Submitting payment verification early can help:
Reduce the chance of pay disruptions.
Confirm whether Cocoon’s estimated benefits match the actual benefits you received.
Help your employer calculate any remaining employer-paid leave benefits as accurately as possible.
Please submit your benefit verifications as soon as you receive payment details from the state agency or private insurance carrier.
What happens after I submit payment verification?
After you upload the relevant documents and enter the payment details, Cocoon’s team will review the submission.
If Cocoon determines that your estimated benefit payouts need to be adjusted, we’ll update the relevant information in Cocoon where applicable. In some cases, changes may be small or may not appear clearly in every dashboard view right away, but the verified payment information will still help Cocoon and your employer calculate your leave pay more accurately.
How do I read the Explanation of Benefits (EOB)?
State and private insurance EOBs vary by agency, carrier, and claim type. In general, look for:
The gross benefit amount
The payment period or coverage dates
Any deductions, including FICA, taxes, offsets, or “other” deductions
The net payment amount, which is the amount you actually received.
If you’re having trouble reading your EOB and don’t see an example that matches your document, contact Cocoon Support for further assistance.
State Benefit Examples
California EDD
Use the EDD notice or portal information to identify:
Gross payment amount
Payment coverage dates
Claim type, if shown
EDD disability and Paid Family Leave documents may show payment information differently, so use the document or portal view that includes the payment amount and the dates covered.
New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF)
Most New York benefits are distributed through a private insurance carrier selected by the employer. If your benefit was paid by Guardian, MetLife, Unum, Prudential, or another private carrier, see the Private insurance benefit examples section instead.
New York (via Guardian, but may come from a different private insurance)
New York benefits may be paid through a private insurance carrier, such as Guardian or another carrier. In these cases, use the private insurance EOB and enter:
Gross amount
FICA deductions, if listed
Other deductions, if listed
Payment coverage dates
Rhode Island
Rhode Island documents may not always list an exact date range clearly. If the exact coverage period is not shown, one way to check the payment is to use a 7-day week and the weekly rate to help verify the benefit payment.
Washington
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave payments may be visible in the Washington state portal.
Log in to your Washington PFML portal and check the approved leave start and end dates. Once the portal shows payments through the approved leave end date, you have likely been fully paid for that approved period.
Massachusetts
To verify Massachusetts state payments, log in to your Massachusetts portal and review the payment history. Confirm that the most recent Pay Period end date goes through your leave end date according to your Cocoon leave plan.
Private Insurance Benefit Examples
Guardian
Use the Guardian EOB to identify:
Gross payment amount
Net payment amount
FICA deductions
Other deductions or offsets
Payment coverage dates
MetLife Portal
If the MetLife payment shows no FICA deductions and the gross and net payment amounts are the same, enter 0 for FICA deductions.
Principal
Use the Principal EOB to identify the gross amount, deductions, and coverage dates. If deductions are listed separately, enter them in the matching fields in Cocoon.
Prudential
Use the Prudential EOB to identify the gross amount, FICA deductions, other deductions, and the payment coverage period.
Unum
Use the Unum EOB to identify the gross amount, deductions, and coverage dates. If the EOB includes offsets or adjustments, include those amounts when entering the payment details in Cocoon.
Have Questions? We're here to help!
Email us at support@cocoon.com