To claim New York Paid Family Leave, you file Form PFL-1 (Request for Paid Family Leave) with your employer’s PFL insurance carrier, along with the companion form that matches your reason for leave and the supporting documents that prove it. You complete Part A, your employer completes Part B within three business days, and you send the finished package to the carrier yourself. For 2026, an approved claim pays 67% of your average weekly wage up to $1,228.53 per week, for as many as 12 weeks.1Paid Family Leave. New York Paid Family Leave Updates for 2026
Confirm You’re Eligible Before You File
Eligibility depends on your regular schedule. If you work 20 or more hours a week, you qualify after 26 consecutive weeks with your employer. If you work fewer than 20 hours a week, you qualify after 175 days worked, and those days do not need to be consecutive.2Paid Family Leave. Eligibility Filing before you hit the threshold produces a denial and nothing else.
Match the Companion Form to Your Reason for Leave
PFL-1 is never submitted alone. The companion form and proof depend on why you need leave.
Bonding With a New Child
Attach Form PFL-2 (Bonding Certification) plus documentation of the child and, where relevant, your relationship to the child:
- Birth parent: the child’s birth certificate, or a health care provider’s certification of birth if the certificate isn’t available yet.
- Non-birth parent: a birth certificate naming you as the second parent, a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage, or a Court Order of Filiation. You can instead provide the birth parent’s documentation plus proof of your relationship to that parent, such as a marriage certificate or domestic partnership document.3Paid Family Leave. Bonding Leave for the Birth of a Child
- Adoption: court documents finalizing the adoption, documentation in furtherance of adoption, or a court order. If you are not the parent named, include proof of your relationship to the named parent.4Paid Family Leave. Bonding Leave for the Adoption of a Child
- Foster care: placement records from the placing agency.
Caring for a Seriously Ill Family Member
Two additional forms are needed. Your family member (the care recipient) signs PFL-3, the Release of Personal Health Information, and gives it to their health care provider, who keeps it on file. You fill in the employee portion at the top of PFL-4, the Health Care Provider Certification, and pass it to the care recipient’s provider, who completes the rest and returns it to you.5NY.Gov. Paid Family Leave to Care for a Family Member A provider can decline to certify PFL-4 if they believe the patient is a victim of abuse or neglect by the person requesting leave.
A Family Member’s Military Deployment
Attach Form PFL-5 (Military Qualifying Event) and one of the following: covered active duty orders, a letter from the military unit confirming an impending call to duty, or documentation of military leave signed by the approval authority. If your qualifying event involves meeting with a third party such as a school counselor or attorney, document the meeting with the person’s name, address, contact information, and the purpose. The last page of PFL-5 has a template for this.6Paid Family Leave. Paid Family Leave for Military Families
Completing Part A
Part A is yours. Fill in your contact details, Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number, and employment information. Providing your SSN is technically voluntary under the state’s Personal Privacy Protection Law, but including it helps the Workers’ Compensation Board process your claim faster.7NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services. New York PFL-1 Form Instructions You also need your employer’s full legal name, physical address, and Federal Employer Identification Number so the carrier can match your claim to the right policy.
The form asks whether you’ll take leave as one continuous block or intermittently. For 2026, intermittent leave is measured in full-day increments.1Paid Family Leave. New York Paid Family Leave Updates for 2026 Give specific dates. Vague scheduling slows the benefit calculation and pushes your first payment back.
Sign and date the form. Your signature certifies the information is accurate. Keep a copy and give the original to your employer for Part B.8New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Request for Paid Family Leave (Form PFL-1)
Getting Part B Back From Your Employer
Part B is your employer’s section. They verify your hire date, report your last eight weeks of gross wages, and calculate your average weekly wage. These figures drive your weekly benefit, so a mistake here becomes a wrong payment. Your employer has three business days to complete Part B and return it to you.9Paid Family Leave. Handling Requests
If your employer stalls or refuses, call the Paid Family Leave helpline at (844) 337-6303, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern.10Paid Family Leave. Paid Family Leave Forms The three-day rule is not optional, and an employer cannot block your leave by holding onto paperwork.
Where to Send the Completed Package
Send the finished package to your employer’s Paid Family Leave insurance carrier, not to your employer and not to the Workers’ Compensation Board. Submission is your responsibility.8New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Request for Paid Family Leave (Form PFL-1) The carrier’s name and contact information appear on Part B after your employer fills it in.
The package includes PFL-1 with both parts complete, the correct companion form (PFL-2, PFL-4, or PFL-5), and every supporting document your leave type requires. Most carriers accept submissions by mail, fax, or through an electronic portal. Use one method only. Duplicate filings slow things down.
If you believe your employer carries no PFL insurance at all, send the request directly to the Workers’ Compensation Board at Paid Family Leave, PO Box 9030, Endicott, NY 13761-9030.3Paid Family Leave. Bonding Leave for the Birth of a Child
When to Give Notice
If the reason for your leave is foreseeable, such as an expected birth, planned adoption, or scheduled medical treatment, give your employer at least 30 days’ advance notice. If the need is sudden, notify them as soon as practicable.11New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 12 CRR-NY 380-3.1 – Employee Notice Requirements for Paid Family Leave Missing the 30-day window for a foreseeable event won’t automatically defeat your claim, but it gives the carrier grounds to ask questions.
What Happens After You Submit
The carrier must pay or deny your claim within 18 calendar days of receiving a complete request, or your first day of leave, whichever comes later.9Paid Family Leave. Handling Requests That clock starts only when the package is complete, so a missing document resets your timeline.
The 2026 benefit is 67% of your average weekly wage, capped at $1,228.53 per week. The cap is 67% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage.12Paid Family Leave. Wage Benefits Calculator
A denial must come with a formal notice explaining the specific reason. Keep that letter. It is the starting point for any appeal.
Your Job and Health Insurance While You’re Out
Under Workers’ Compensation Law Section 203-b, your employer must restore you to the same position after your leave, or to a comparable one with equivalent pay, benefits, and terms. Benefits you accrued before leave stay with you, though you don’t accrue new benefits or seniority during the leave itself.13New York State Senate. Workers Compensation Law Section 203-B – Reinstatement Following Family Leave
Your health insurance continues while you’re on leave, and you keep paying your normal share of the premium. If premiums change during your leave, you pay the new rate. If your payment runs more than 30 days late, the employer can drop coverage after giving you at least 15 days’ written notice, and must restore it when you return.14New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 12 CRR-NY 380-7.3 – Health Insurance During Paid Family Leave
Retaliation for requesting or taking Paid Family Leave is prohibited, including termination, demotion, or pay cuts. If your employer refuses to reinstate you, file a Formal Request for Reinstatement (Form PFL-DC-119) with the employer and the Workers’ Compensation Board.15Paid Family Leave. Employer Responsibilities and Resources
If the Carrier Denies Your Claim
The Workers’ Compensation Board has designated National Arbitration and Mediation (NAM) to handle every PFL dispute. You can file a Request for Arbitration to challenge a denial or dispute the benefit amount.16National Arbitration and Mediation. New York State Paid Family Leave Arbitration Program
Send the Request for Arbitration and all supporting documents to both NAM and the respondent (the carrier, employer, or Workers’ Compensation Board). Filing is available online through NAM’s portal or by mail to NAM, 990 Stewart Avenue, First Floor, Garden City, NY 11530, Attention: PFL Arbitrations. The filing fee is $25, refunded if your claim is found valid.17New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. Notice of Total or Partial Denial of Request/Claim for Paid Family Leave Benefits The arbitrator reviews written submissions from both sides and issues a final, binding decision.