To apply for CT Paid Leave, start a claim through the Aflac-run portal at ctpaidleave.org or call Aflac at (877) 499-8606, then upload the identity, employment, and medical documents Aflac requests in your New Claim Notification. Once every required document is in, the review takes roughly five business days, and approved benefits begin paying weekly from your first day of leave with no waiting period.1CT Paid Leave. Apply for Benefits2CT Paid Leave. Frequently Asked Questions
Confirm You Qualify Before You File
The earnings test is the first gate. You need at least $2,325 from a covered employer in the highest-earning quarter of your base period, which is the first four of the five most recently completed calendar quarters. Wages from more than one covered employer count together, and part-time work is fine as long as the dollar threshold is met.3CT Paid Leave. Check Your Eligibility
Your reason for leave also has to fit one of the covered categories: your own serious health condition, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, bonding during the first 12 months after a child’s birth, adoption, or foster placement, military caregiver leave, needs arising from family violence, or organ or bone marrow donation.4CT Paid Leave. Qualifying Reasons “Family member” for these purposes includes siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, and civil union partners, along with anyone whose relationship with you is the equivalent of a family bond.5CTLawHelp. Taking Time off from Work for Family or Medical Leave
Give Your Employer Notice First
Tell your employer you’re taking leave before you file the claim. If the leave is foreseeable, like a scheduled surgery or a known adoption date, give at least 30 days’ notice. If it isn’t, notify them as soon as you reasonably can.6CT.gov. Notice of Employee Rights Under the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act and Connecticut Paid Leave Act
The CT Paid Leave Authority publishes a standardized Employee Notice to Employer form on its website. Use it, follow whatever internal notice process your workplace has, and keep a copy for yourself.7CT Paid Leave. Employee Notice to Employer Notifying your employer is a distinct step from filing your benefits claim and from requesting job-protected leave under CT FMLA.
Gather Your Documents
Have the following ready before you open a case:
- Your Social Security number.
- Your employer’s name, an HR or payroll contact, and your job information.
- The start date and expected end date of your leave.
- The Medical Provider form (for your own condition) or Caregiver form (for a family member’s condition), downloaded from ctpaidleave.org and completed by the healthcare provider.
- Recent pay stubs to help verify earnings.
Make sure any provider forms are legible, fully filled in, and signed. Incomplete medical documentation is one of the most common reasons claims stall. A clear scan or phone photo works for the upload.
File the Claim in the Aflac Portal
The whole application runs through Aflac, which administers the program for the CT Paid Leave Authority. You have two ways in:
- Online. Sign in to your CT Paid Leave account at ctpaidleave.org, click your name in the upper right, and choose “Aflac Portal” from the dropdown. That takes you to the claims portal, where you start a new case.
- By phone. Call Aflac at (877) 499-8606 and open the case with a representative.8CT Paid Leave. How to Apply
Opening the case is only the start. Aflac then sends a New Claim Notification listing the exact documents you have to return and the deadline for returning them. The specifics vary with your reason for leave, but they generally cover three things: identity verification, employment verification (a form your employer completes), and leave-specific documentation such as the Medical Provider or Caregiver form.
Upload each document by clicking your case number on the dashboard and choosing “Upload Documents.” If the portal isn’t an option, Aflac accepts documents by fax or email using the contact information on the forms themselves. Your claim is not considered complete, and cannot be processed, until every requested document is in by the deadline.8CT Paid Leave. How to Apply
What Happens After You Submit
Once all required documents arrive, Aflac generally takes about five business days to review the claim. You can watch the status at any time from the document dashboard inside the Aflac portal.9CT Paid Leave Authority. After You Apply
Approval or denial arrives through the portal or by mail, whichever communication preference you selected. Approved benefits pay weekly for the duration of your leave, delivered either by direct deposit or on a state-issued debit card. There is no waiting period. Payment eligibility runs from your first day of leave.2CT Paid Leave. Frequently Asked Questions
How Much You Will Receive and For How Long
The weekly benefit is 95% of your base weekly earnings up to an amount equal to 40 times Connecticut’s minimum wage, plus 60% of any earnings above that, capped at 60 times the minimum wage.10CT.gov. Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance With the minimum wage at $16.94 an hour on January 1, 2026, the 95% tier applies to the first $677.60 of weekly earnings and the maximum weekly benefit is $1,016.40.11CT Paid Leave. Before You Apply
Most leave reasons allow up to 12 weeks of benefits in a 12-month period. A pregnancy-related incapacity can add up to 2 more weeks on top of that.12CT Paid Leave. How CT Paid Leave Works
If You Need Intermittent Leave
You don’t have to take the leave in one block. The program allows intermittent leave, taken in separate non-consecutive stretches, and reduced-schedule leave, where you cut back your weekly hours. This is a common pattern for chemotherapy, other recurring treatment, or chronic conditions that flare.12CT Paid Leave. How CT Paid Leave Works
Benefits for intermittent leave are calculated on the actual time missed, down to the minute. There is one requirement that trips people up: you must notify CT Paid Leave within two days of each intermittent absence. Missing that window can create problems with the claim. For bonding leave, whether intermittent use is permitted at all depends on your employer’s policy under CT FMLA and the federal FMLA, not the paid leave program.
Job Protection Is a Separate Application
CT Paid Leave pays you while you are out. It does not, by itself, protect your job. The right to return to the same or an equivalent position comes from CT FMLA, and you have to request that leave through your employer separately from filing your benefits claim. CT FMLA applies to employers with one or more employees and covers you after three consecutive months of employment.13CT.gov. FMLA FAQs If you also qualify for federal FMLA, the two leaves generally run at the same time.
If You Are Self-Employed
Sole proprietors and self-employed people are not automatically in the program, but you can opt in. Enrollment locks you in for a minimum of three years, then automatically renews in one-year increments unless you withdraw.14CT Paid Leave. Sole Proprietor or Self-employed Individual You also cannot register and immediately file. If you registered after January 1, 2022, you have to wait until the first day of the month following three full calendar months after registration before you can apply for benefits.15CT Paid Leave. Remit Contributions
If Your Claim Is Denied
A denial can be appealed, but only after Aflac issues a final denial decision. Appeals go to the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Appeals Division, either through the online Leave Complaint and Appeals portal or by contacting the Appeals Division at (860) 263-6970 or 38 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109.16CT.gov. CT Paid Leave Appeals
If your claim was denied because a document was missing rather than because you were found ineligible, it is often faster to contact Aflac and resubmit what’s needed than to file a formal appeal.