In Connecticut, paternity leave for new fathers runs through two laws working in tandem: the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave program replaces part of your wages for up to 12 weeks of bonding time, and the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA) protects your job while you’re out. As of January 1, 2026, the paid benefit tops out at $1,016.40 per week. You qualify for the pay based on recent earnings, and for job protection after just three months with your employer.
Who Qualifies for Paid Benefits
The Connecticut Paid Leave Authority uses an earnings test, not a tenure test. You’re a covered employee if you earned at least $2,325 during the highest-earning quarter of your base period.1Justia. Connecticut Code 31-49e – Paid Family and Medical Leave Definitions The base period is the first four of the five most recently completed calendar quarters before your claim. File in July 2026, and the program looks at wages from roughly April 2025 through March 2026, picks your best quarter, and checks it against the threshold.
How long you’ve been at your current job doesn’t matter for the paid benefit. Someone two months into a new position can still collect, as long as the wage history clears $2,325 in a qualifying quarter. Self-employed Connecticut residents and sole proprietors can also receive benefits, but only if they’ve voluntarily enrolled in the program.1Justia. Connecticut Code 31-49e – Paid Family and Medical Leave Definitions
Who Qualifies for Job Protection
Job protection is a separate question governed by CT FMLA. You qualify once you’ve been employed by your current employer for three consecutive months immediately before requesting leave.2Justia. Connecticut Code 31-51kk – Family and Medical Leave Definitions There is no minimum hours-worked requirement under state law, which is a lower bar than the federal FMLA.
The CT FMLA covers any employer with one or more employees, so even very small businesses are included.3Connecticut Department of Labor. Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act FAQs The statute does exclude municipalities, local and regional boards of education, and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools from its definition of “employer.”2Justia. Connecticut Code 31-51kk – Family and Medical Leave Definitions If you work for one of those employers, you may still have job protection under the federal FMLA if you meet its separate requirements.
When CT FMLA applies, your employer must reinstate you to the same job or, if that position no longer exists, to an equivalent one. Employers cannot interfere with, retaliate against, or discriminate against you for requesting or taking leave.4Connecticut Department of Labor. Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act
How Much Time Off You Can Take
The paid program provides up to 12 weeks of wage replacement within any 12-month period for bonding with a child after birth, adoption, or foster placement.5Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code 31-49g – Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority Established The 12 weeks must be used within the first year after the child arrives. CT FMLA provides 12 weeks of job-protected leave for the same purpose, and the two run concurrently. You do not get 12 paid weeks followed by another 12 unpaid-but-protected weeks.
Block Leave Versus Intermittent Leave
Taking the whole 12 weeks in one continuous stretch is the simplest route. If you’d rather spread the time out, say by taking every Friday off for several months or working reduced hours, you can request an intermittent or reduced-schedule arrangement, but only with your employer’s approval.6Connecticut Paid Leave. I Am Starting or Expanding My Family If your employer declines, consecutive weeks are your only option.
How Much You’ll Get Paid in 2026
Your weekly benefit is based on how your wages compare to the Connecticut minimum wage, which rose to $16.94 per hour on January 1, 2026.7State of Connecticut. Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Will Increase to $16.94 on January 1, 2026 The formula has two tiers.
- If your base weekly earnings are $677.60 or less (40 times the minimum wage), you receive 95% of those earnings.
- If you earn more than $677.60 per week, you get 95% of the first $677.60 plus 60% of everything above that amount.
The weekly maximum is capped at 60 times the minimum wage, which comes to $1,016.40 for 2026.8Connecticut Paid Leave. Before You Apply Base weekly earnings of roughly $1,277 (about $66,400 per year) are enough to hit the ceiling. The tier percentages and the 60-times-minimum-wage cap are written into statute.5Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code 31-49g – Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority Established Because the cap tracks the minimum wage, it rises automatically when the wage does.
Your “base weekly earnings” are not your current paycheck. The program totals your wages during the two highest-earning quarters of your base period, divides by 26, and rounds down to the next whole dollar.1Justia. Connecticut Code 31-49e – Paid Family and Medical Leave Definitions There is no waiting period; benefits start on the first day of covered leave.
How State Leave Lines Up With Federal FMLA
If you qualify for both the Connecticut and the federal FMLA, the two run concurrently. You cannot use 12 weeks of state leave and then claim another 12 under the federal law.9Connecticut Paid Leave. CT Paid Leave and FMLA The total of job-protected bonding leave is 12 weeks, not 24.
The federal FMLA is harder to qualify for: your employer must have at least 50 employees within 75 miles, and you must have worked there at least 12 months and logged at least 1,250 hours in that period.10U.S. Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave Act Many Connecticut fathers who don’t meet those federal thresholds, because they work for a smaller employer or haven’t been there a full year, still have state job protection after three months of employment with an employer of any size.
Using PTO Alongside Paid Leave
Your employer can require you to use accrued paid time off (vacation, sick leave, personal days) while you’re also collecting CT Paid Leave benefits. Some employers let you choose whether to layer PTO on top. Either way, your combined pay from PTO and the benefit cannot exceed your regular rate of pay.9Connecticut Paid Leave. CT Paid Leave and FMLA
Even if your employer requires concurrent PTO use, they must let you keep at least two weeks of accrued time off in reserve.9Connecticut Paid Leave. CT Paid Leave and FMLA They cannot drain every last vacation day during your bonding leave.
Taxes on the Benefit
Bonding leave benefits count as taxable income for federal purposes. The IRS treats these payments as gross income under Section 61, so you’ll owe federal income tax on what you receive. They are not subject to Social Security, Medicare, or federal unemployment tax, so the effective bite is smaller than on regular wages.11Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2025-4
Aflac, the program’s claims administrator, issues a Form 1099-G to anyone who received $600 or more during the tax year.12Connecticut Paid Leave. CT Paid Leave Federal income tax is not withheld automatically. If you want withholding, submit a W-4; otherwise, set money aside or adjust your estimated payments.
How to Apply
Give your employer at least 30 days’ advance notice if the leave is foreseeable. A known due date or scheduled adoption placement makes that straightforward. If the child arrives early or something changes unexpectedly, notify your employer as soon as you can.13Connecticut eRegulations. Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies 31-51rr-33 – Employee Notice Requirements for Foreseeable FMLA Leave
File the benefit claim through the CT Paid Leave online portal at ctpaidleave.org. You’ll need your Social Security number, your employer’s contact information, and the date of birth or placement (or the expected date, if the child hasn’t yet arrived).14Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Frequently Asked Questions You can start a claim without a firm leave start date and update it later. If you’d rather not file online, Aflac can be reached by phone at 877-499-8606 to open or manage a claim.
Supporting documents usually include proof of the qualifying event, such as a birth certificate, adoption decree, or foster placement records. The program may also require an employment verification form. Once Aflac has everything, payments go out through direct deposit or a prepaid debit card.
If Your Employer Uses a Private Plan
Some employers opt out of the state-run program by offering an approved private plan. A private plan must provide benefits equal to or better than the state program, and the CT Paid Leave Authority must approve it before it takes effect.15Connecticut Paid Leave. Private Plans Approvals run three years, and employees vote on renewals and material changes at the end of each window.
Under a private plan, you’d file through the employer’s insurance carrier rather than the state portal. Your leave rights and minimum benefits are the same, but the claims process may differ. Ask HR which route applies to you.
Protection Against Retaliation
Connecticut law makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, discipline, or otherwise retaliate against you for filing a paid leave claim or requesting leave protected by the CT FMLA.16Connecticut Paid Leave. Employers The protection covers both taking the leave and the act of applying for benefits. If an employer takes adverse action after you request or take leave, you can file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor. The law also prohibits interference with your reinstatement rights once your leave ends.4Connecticut Department of Labor. Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act