Federal FMLA pays nothing in Connecticut or anywhere else, but Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program does replace part of your wages while you’re out. In 2026, the weekly benefit is 95% of your average weekly wage up to a low-wage threshold, plus 60% of anything above it, capped at $1,016.40 per week. Most workers receive somewhere between those two figures, and the exact amount depends on what you were earning before you went on leave.
Federal FMLA Alone Pays Zero
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act gives eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year for a serious health condition, caring for a sick family member, or bonding with a new child.1U.S. Department of Labor. FMLA Frequently Asked Questions Your employer has to keep your health insurance going and hold your job or an equivalent one.2U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 28 – The Family and Medical Leave Act But no wages. The paycheck side of leave in Connecticut comes from a separate state program, CT Paid Leave (CT PFML).
The 2026 Weekly Benefit Formula
Connecticut’s minimum wage rose to $16.94 per hour on January 1, 2026, and the paid leave formula moves with it.3State of Connecticut. Minimum Wage Information Forty times the minimum wage — $677.60 — is the threshold that splits the formula in two.
- If your average weekly wage is $677.60 or less, you receive 95% of it. A worker earning $600 a week would collect $570.
- If your average weekly wage is higher than $677.60, you receive $643.72 (95% of the threshold) plus 60% of the amount above the threshold. Someone earning $1,000 a week would collect about $837.
The weekly benefit is capped at 60 times the state minimum wage, which works out to $1,016.40 in 2026.4CT Paid Leave Authority. Frequently Asked Questions To hit that cap, your average weekly wage needs to run well above the threshold; anything you earn beyond the point that produces $1,016.40 doesn’t add to the benefit.
Your average weekly wage is calculated from your recent earnings history, so overtime, bonuses, and irregular hours all factor in.
How Many Weeks You Get Paid
CT PFML pays up to 12 weeks of benefits in a 12-month period. If you have a pregnancy-related serious health condition, you can qualify for up to two additional weeks, for a maximum of 14. These paid weeks run at the same time as any job-protected leave you’re taking under federal FMLA or Connecticut’s state FMLA law, so the paid program doesn’t extend your total time off — it puts wages behind the weeks you were already entitled to take.5Connecticut Paid Leave. CT Paid Leave and CT FMLA
Who Qualifies for the Paid Benefit
Two conditions have to be met. You must currently work for a covered Connecticut employer, or have worked for one within the 12 weeks before your leave starts. And you must have earned at least $2,325 in wages in one of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.6CT Paid Leave. Coverage and Eligibility That earnings floor is low enough that most part-time workers clear it.
Coverage reaches nearly every Connecticut employer with one or more employees. Self-employed Connecticut residents and sole proprietors can opt in on their own.
What You’ll Actually Take Home in 2026
CT PFML benefits count as wages for federal tax purposes under IRS Revenue Ruling 2025-4, but the IRS has designated 2026 as a transition year. Employers and the state are not required to withhold federal income tax on the benefit or report it during the 2026 tax year.7J. J. Keller Leave Manager. IRS: No Tax or Reporting for State PFML Benefits in 2026 The income is still technically taxable, so nothing may be withheld from your weekly deposit even though you may owe on it at filing time. Setting aside a share of each payment is a way to avoid a surprise in April 2027.
One exception: if your employer voluntarily pays the employee-side PFML contribution for you, those amounts are treated as wages and reported on your W-2.7J. J. Keller Leave Manager. IRS: No Tax or Reporting for State PFML Benefits in 2026
Stacking Employer Pay on Top
If your employer offers PTO, short-term disability, or another paid leave benefit, you may be able to use it alongside CT PFML. The rule is that your combined pay from every source can’t exceed your normal weekly wages. Some employers require accrued PTO to run concurrently with CT PFML; others let you choose. Check the employee handbook or ask HR, because the answer decides whether you can save PTO for after your paid leave runs out or whether both drain at the same time.
Filing the Claim
Applications go through Aflac, the third-party administrator hired by the CT Paid Leave Authority. You can start online at ctpaidleave.org or by calling Aflac at (877) 499-8606.8Connecticut Paid Leave. Applying for Benefits Tell your employer separately that you need leave, and if you’re eligible for job-protected FMLA, request that through HR.9Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Before You Apply Give 30 days’ notice for foreseeable leave when you can. Your employer will complete an employment verification form after you file, and once everything is in, decisions typically come within about five business days.