Washington Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)

Update (06/09/25, effective 01/01/26): The Employment Security Department (ESD) has released the 2026 maximum weekly benefit amount for the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. The amount is increasing from $1,542 to $1,647 per week for new claims filed on or after January 1, 2026.

Update (10/09/25, effective 01/01/26): Several changes are incoming to the WA PFML program due to the passing of House Bill 1213. You may read the full amendments here, while below are the quick hits.

• Eligibility requirements: The length of service requirement for an employee to be eligible for WA PFML will be 180 calendar days as of the start of the leave, regardless of employer size. Additionally, the minimum duration of claim benefit payments will be reduced to 4 consecutive hours of leave, instead of 8.
• Expanded job-protection requirements: Currently, employers with 50 or more employees are required to provide job protection under the law. Soon, this will be employers with 25 or more employees by January 1, 2026, 15 or more employees by January 1, 2027, and then 8 or more employees by January 1, 2028. Further, employees are entitled to employment restoration (to the position held by the employee when the leave commenced or to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment) upon returning from WA PFML leave, regardless of if they also qualify for and receive concurrent leave under the FMLA.
• Stacking leave: Employers will be allowed to prevent stacking of employment protection rights by applying employment protection of WA PFML to unpaid FMLA leave. To do so, the employer must provide written notice to the employee within 5 business days of either the initial request for FMLA leave, or the use of FMLA leave, whichever is earlier. Subsequent notice should be provided monthly for the remainder of the employer’s designated 12-month leave year or until FMLA leave is exhausted. There are several stipulations as far as what the notice requires, and this document from the state’s rulemaking session provides these requirements and some examples.
• Notice of Reinstatement: For a continuous leave that exceeds two typical workweeks, or a combined intermittent leave duration that exceeds 14 typical work days, employers must provide advance written notice to the employee within 5 business days. The notice must provide the date of the employee’s first scheduled workday after their leave, as well as the expiry of their right to employment restoration. If the leave is intermittent, employers may estimate the expiration date based on the information provided by the employee and the ESD.
• Group health insurance continuation: Currently, employers are only required to maintain group health insurance continuation when there is at least a 1 day overlap of FMLA and WA PFML. Once January 1, 2026 rolls around, employers must maintain health care coverage during any period of the employee’s WA PFML leave where they are entitled to job protection (regardless of overlap with FMLA).

Update (10/30/25, effective 01/01/26): The WA PFML premium rate will be increasing to 1.13% for the 2026 year. Employers will be responsible for 28.57% of the total premium, while employees will be responsible for the remaining 71.43%. This is an increase from the current 2025 premium rate of 0.92%, with employers paying 28.48% of the total premium, and employees paying 71.52%. As a reminder, the premium rate is capped at the Social Security Wage Base, which will be $184,500 in 2026. The maximum annual employee contribution for 2026 will be $1,489.21.

Update (01/05/26, effective 01/01/26): The WA PFML 2026 mandatory poster and optional paystub insert are now available. You will be able to find a link to download both within our “Notice Requirements” section below, and please ensure that you update your current posters as soon as possible. Further resources like the Employer’s Paid Leave Benefits Toolkit and the Employer Wage Reporting and Premiums Toolkit were also recently updated, and can be found at the same link below.

The WA PFML poster must be displayed in the workplace. Find the current 2026 poster under “Download the mandatory poster,” as well as the optional paystub insert here.

Please ensure as a company you are offsetting any salary continuation/company top-up pay aligned with the new maximum weekly benefit rate, effective 01/01/26.* Additionally, please be sure to adjust your contributions in line with the updates, effective 01/01/26.

*Claims that start in 2025 will be awarded 2025 benefit rates. Claims that begin on or after 01/01/26 will be eligible for the new maximum benefit rate.

Your role and responsibilities.

HB 1213 (Amendments to WA PFML)