Local Update
San Francisco
For employers operating in San Francisco (city and county), the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) is having a webinar on October 23, 2024 from 9:00am – 2:00pm regarding the various city-wide labor laws. There are multiple sessions and you can come and go as you please. You can register here.
State Updates
Colorado
There will be no change to the CO FAMLI premium rates throughout 2025. As a reminder, the contribution rate is currently 0.9% of wages shared equally (0.45% each) between employer and employees. Premiums are capped at the social security wage base. Employers with fewer than 10 U.S. employees are exempt from deductions and must deduct and remit only the employee portions to the state.
Delaware
With contributions for Delaware Paid Leave beginning in just a few months as of January 2025, the registration portal “Delaware One Stop” is now open. This portal is for employers to register and license their business in the state and prepare for payroll deductions for eligible employees. If you are already registered with OneStop, then it is not required to register again for the upcoming Paid Leave program. Once registered, an employer will be automatically enrolled in the program if considered a covered employer, while smaller employers will have the option to voluntarily join. Larger employers will be able to request a private plan, if desired, from September 1, 2024 through December 1, 2024. The state has released FAQs on the portal and employer registration, as well as a benefits contribution calculator on the Paid Leave website.
New York
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has announced updated premium details for the Paid Family Leave (PFL) program for the 2025 calendar year.
The updated contribution rate, effective as of January 1, 2025, will increase to 0.388% as compared to the premium rate of 0.373% for 2024. The maximum annual contribution cost per employee in 2025 will subsequently increase to $354.53 from $333.25. If you would like further detail on the rate decisions, you can find more within the DFS press release.
Additionally, the state average weekly wage for 2025 was updated to $1,757.19, which means that the taxable wage ceiling will be $91,373.88. The maximum weekly benefit will increase to $1,177.32 from $1,151.16.
Maine
Some good news for employers awaiting the Pine Tree State’s upcoming Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. We previously reported that the PFML program was pushed forward to provide benefits to Maine employees as early as January 1, 2026. However, we’ve confirmed that the program will still be going live as of May 1, 2026 as originally intended.
As a friendly reminder, contributions for this program begin as of January 1, 2025. This winter, the state will be releasing the Maine Paid Leave Contributions Portal; an online system to allow employers to register their business, file quarterly wage reports, remit quarterly premiums, and more. We will let you know as soon as the portal is available. In the meantime, the state has released some FAQs about the PFML program that covers topics like contributions, definitions, and private plans, just to name a few.
Canada Updates
Employment Insurance (EI) Federal Benefits
Effective January 1, 2025, the maximum insurable earning (MIE) for EI benefits will increase to $65,700 from $63,200. Below is a table which shows the maximum amounts of premiums payable to the EI program by employers and employees for 2025.
| Contributor | Premium rate (per $100 of insurable earnings) | Maximum annual contribution 2025 | Difference in maximum annual contribution from 2024 |
| Workers | $1.64 | $1,077.48 | $28.36 |
| Employers | $2.30 | $1,508.47 | $39.70 |
| Workers residing in Quebec | $1.31 | $860.67 | $26.43 |
| Employers in Quebec | $1.83 | $1,204.94 | $37.00 |
The employee premium rate will be $1.64 per $100 of insurable earnings in 2025 and $2.30 for employers. With the updated MIE and premium rate, insured workers in 2025 will be subject to a maximum annual premium of $1,077.48 (the maximum in 2024 is $1,049.12). Also from this updated MIE, the maximum weekly EI benefit rate will increase from $668 per week in 2024 to $695 per week for EI claims that begin in 2025. Note: the extended EI benefits plan for parental leave will increase from $401 per week in 2024 to $417 per week in 2025.
Residents of Quebec will be subject to a premium rate of $1.31 per $100 of insurable earnings in 2025, to a maximum annual premium of $860.67. The lower premium for Quebec residents is due to the province administering a parental insurance plan, QPIP. The reduction rate for QPIP premiums is 0.36%, and employers pay 1.4 times the employee premium rate. The 2025 premium rate for employers in Quebec is $1.83 per $100 of insurable earnings.
Nova Scotia
In barely three weeks, the Nova Scotia Legislature quickly pushed forward Bill 464, An Act Respecting Stronger Workplaces for Nova Scotia. The bill received royal assent to become law as of September 20, 2024. Currently, the province’s Labour Standards Code entitles employees up to 3 days of sick leave due to their own medical condition or family needs. Once the changes come into effect as of January 1, 2025, not only will the current sick leave be amended, but a new leave will become available for an employee’s serious illness or injury. Here are the details:
The currently available sick leave will allow up to 5 days of unpaid leave per year for reasons due to the employee’s sickness or injury, and up to 3 days of unpaid leave per year for reasons due to the sickness or injury of the employee’s child, parent, or family member, or for medical, dental, or other similar appointments during work hours.
The new leave addition for a serious illness or injury will allow up to 27 weeks of unpaid leave within any 52-week period. An employee is eligible for this leave if they have been employed with their employer for at least 3 months, and have been diagnosed with a serious illness or serious injury. This leave may be taken continuously or intermittently, in periods not less than one week. For the purposes of calculating leave taken, an employee returning to work from this leave during a work week is deemed to have taken leave for the entire week.
If you include Nova Scotia-specific leave benefits information within your company handbook, updates may need to be made.
Prince Edward Island
As one last reminder, we want to ensure our Canada employers are aware of the upcoming change to paid sick leave in this province, which comes into force on October 1, 2024. We covered the details in this newsletter, and in summary, employees working in Prince Edward Island will earn 1 day of paid sick leave after each 12 months of continuous employment, up to 3 days total of paid sick leave in 36 months. If you haven’t already, be sure to review and, if necessary, revise your sick leave programs to ensure you are in compliance with the changes.
