What is Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML)?
The landscape of Paid Family & Medical Leave is changing as states create their own unique PFML programs. In general, PFML is job-protected paid leave that allows employees to:
- Bond with a newborn, adopted or foster care child during the first 12 months
- Care for a seriously ill family member
- Address important needs related to a family member’s military service
- Take leave for his or her own serious health condition
- Safe Leave is offered in a few states to address non-medical concerns surrounding domestic violence
A state may allow PFML coverage through private insurance carriers along with the state option.
The information included here will be updated as changes are made to PFML in each state. It should not be considered legal advice.
California
Leave Type: Paid Family Leave (PFL), State Disability Insurance (SDI)
Reason for Leave: PFL: Bonding, family care, military exigency. SDI: Own serious health condition
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: 100% employee paid
Benefit Amount: PFL: 60-70% of pay, up to $1,698 per week. SDI: 60-70% of pay, up to $1,698 per week
Duration: PFL: Up to 8 weeks, SDI: Up to 52 weeks
Colorado
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency, Safe leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: 50% employee paid/50% employer paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 90% wage replacement for earnings equal to or less than 50% of the state average weekly wage plus 50% replacement for earnings above 50% of the state average weekly wage.
$1,100 maximum benefit per week
Duration: Up to 12 weeks. Additional 4 weeks for pregnancy or childbirth complications
Connecticut
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military-related, Safe leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: 100% employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 95% wage replacement for earnings equal or less than 40 times the state minimum wage plus 60% replacement for earnings above 40 times the state minimum wage Maximum benefit is based on 60 times the state minimum wage: $941.40 per week as of January 1, 2024
Duration: Up to 12 weeks
Delaware
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Employers can deduct up to 50% of the required contributions from employee’s wages
Benefit Amount: Up to 80% wage replacement $900 maximum benefit per week
Duration: For employers with 10 or more employees, up to 12 weeks of parental leave in a benefit year. In addition, for employers with 25 or more employees, up to 6 weeks of family or medical leave in a 24-month period.
District of Columbia
Leave Type: Paid Family Leave (PFL)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care
Private Plan Option: No
Funding: 100% employer paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 90% replacement for earnings up to 150% of the state minimum wage multiplied by 40 plus 50% replacement for earnings up to 150% of the state minimum wage multiplied by 40.
$1,049 maximum benefit per week
Duration: Up to 12 weeks for a combination of paid family and medical leave. Up to 12 weeks of parental leave. Up to 12 weeks of family leave to care for family member. Up to 12 weeks of medical leave. 2 weeks for prenatal care
Hawaii
Leave Type: Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Both employer and employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 58% wage replacement. $798 maximum benefit per week. $14 minimum benefit per week
Duration: TDI up to 26 weeks of leave
Maine
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency, Safe leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: 50% employer paid/50% employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 90% of the employee’s average weekly wage (AWW) up to 50% of the state’s AWW, plus 66% of the employee’s AWW that exceeds 50% of the state’s AWW. The maximum weekly benefit will be equal to the state’s average weekly wage.
Duration: Up to 12 weeks
Maryland
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Both employer and employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 90% wage replacement for earnings equal to or less than 65% of the state average weekly wage plus 50% replacement for earnings above the state average weekly wage
$1,000 maximum benefit per week
Duration: Up to 12 weeks. Additional 12 weeks if the employee takes leave for their own serious health condition and bonding
Massachusetts
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency, Safe leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Both employer and employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 80% wage replacement for earnings equal to or less than 50% of the state average weekly wage plus 50% wage replacement for earnings above 50% of the state average weekly wage.
$1,149.90 maximum benefit per week for 2024
Duration: Up to 26 weeks total combination of paid family and medical leave. Up to 12 weeks of family leave (includes active duty family military leave plus bonding time). Up to 20 weeks of medical leave for your own serious health condition. Up to 26 weeks of caregiver benefit for service member.
Michigan
Leave Type: Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA)
Reason for Leave: Personal health, family health, public health emergencies, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking
Private Plan Option: No
Funding: 100% employer paid
Benefit Amount: 1 hour of paid sick time per 30 hours worked x employee’s hourly or base wage, or Michigan’s minimum wage rate
Duration: Small business (10 or fewer employees) cap at 40 hours paid per year, all other employers cap at 72 hours paid per year.
Minnesota
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency, Safe leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Both employer and employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 90% wage replacement for earnings equal to or less than 50% of the state average weekly wage (SAWW) plus 66% of wages above 50% of the SAWW but below 100% plus 55% of wages above 100% of SAWW
Duration: Up to 12 weeks for employee’s own medical condition. Up to 12 weeks for bonding, safe leave, or family leave. Up to a total of 20 weeks
New Jersey
Leave Type: Temporary Disability Benefits (TDB)* Family Leave Insurance (FLI)
Reason for Leave: TDB: Illness, Injury or disability not related to job. FLI: Bonding, family care, save leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: TBD: 100% employer paid. FLI: 100% employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 85% wage replacement. $1,055 maximum benefit per week in 2024
Duration: TDB: Up to 26 weeks leave. FLI: Up to 12 weeks leave
New York
Leave Type: Disability Benefits Law (DBL). Paid Family Leave (PFL)
Reason for Leave: DBL: Own serious health condition. PFL: Bonding, Family care, Military exigency
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: DBL: Maximum employee contribution $0.60. Employer is responsible for the remainder of the premium.
PFL: 100% employee paid
Benefit Amount: DBL: 50% wage replacement with a maximum $170 per week
PFL: 67% wage replacement with a maximum $1,151.16 per week in 2024
Duration: DBL: Up to 26 weeks. PFL: Up to 12 weeks
Oregon
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (PFMLl)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Safe leave
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Both employer and employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 100% wage replacement for earnings equal to or less than 65% of the state average weekly wage plus 50% wage replacement for earnings above 65% of the state average weekly wage. The maximum weekly benefit will be capped at 120% of the state average weekly wage.
Duration:Up to 12 weeks. Additional 4 weeks unpaid (combined with OFLA). Additional 2 weeks for pregnancy complications
Rhode Island
Leave Type: Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI). Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI)
Reason for Leave: TDI: Own serious health condition. TCI: Bonding, Family care
Private Plan Option: No
Funding: 100% employee paid
Benefit Amount: 4.62% of wages earned in the highest quarter of the employee’s base period
$1,007 maximum benefit per week
$114 minimum benefit per week
Duration: TDI: Up to 30 weeks. TCI: Up to 6 weeks
Washington
Leave Type: Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Reason for Leave: Own serious health condition, Bonding, Family care, Military exigency
Private Plan Option: Yes
Funding: Both employer and employee paid
Benefit Amount: Up to 90% wage replacement for earnings equal to or less than 50% of the state average weekly wage plus 50% wage replacement for earnings above 50% of the state average weekly wage
$1,456 maximum benefit per week
Duration:Up to a total of 16 weeks. Up to 12 weeks of family leave. Additional 2 weeks for pregnancy complications
Additional PFML programs:
New Hampshire and Vermont have also passed PFML laws covering state employees. These programs differ from other states in that they offer voluntary coverage for other public and private employers.
New Hampshire:
Effective January 1, 2023, employers and employees have the option of participating in the voluntary NH PFML insurance plan. This plan provides eligible workers with up to 6 weeks of benefits at 60% wage replacement. Qualifying leave reasons include a worker’s own serious health condition, care for an ill family member, bonding with a new child, and military exigencies. Workers who qualify for Short-Term Disability insurance benefits will not qualify for the NH PFML benefits for the same period of time.
Employers with 50 or more workers who do not provide NH PFML coverage for their employees may be obligated to collect premium payments through payroll deductions if workers choose to purchase an individual plan.
Vermont:
Effective July 1, 2023, the VT PFML program is mandatory for state employees. Vermont is taking a phased in approach where public and private employers can offer voluntary coverage as of July 1, 2024, and those employers with fewer than 10 employees or individual workers can elect coverage as of July 1, 2025. The mandatory program offers up to 6 weeks of benefits at 60% wage replacement. Voluntary coverage benefits may vary. Qualifying leave reasons include a worker’s own serious health condition, care for an ill family member, bonding with a new child, and military exigencies.
