Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave replaces part of your wages when you need time off for your own serious health condition, to care for a family member, to bond with a new child, or for certain military-related and bereavement events. For 2026, approved workers can receive up to $1,647 per week, for as long as 12 to 18 weeks depending on circumstances. The program is run by the Employment Security Department (ESD) and funded by premiums you and your employer both pay.
Who Qualifies
You’re eligible once you’ve worked at least 820 hours in Washington during the qualifying period, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before your leave starts.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.15.010 – Eligibility for Benefits Hours from more than one Washington employer count together, so part-time work and job changes don’t disqualify you as long as the total gets you to 820.
Employer size has no effect on your eligibility. A five-person shop and a five-thousand-person company are treated the same for benefits. A few groups sit outside the program: federal employees are covered under separate federal systems and don’t participate, and workers under collective bargaining agreements that were in place before October 19, 2017 remain exempt until those contracts expire or are renegotiated.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works3Employment Security Department. Concise Explanatory Statement – Implementation of Substitute Senate Bill 5649
How Much You’ll Be Paid
Your weekly benefit is tied to the statewide average weekly wage, which is $1,830 for 2026. The formula has two tiers. If your typical weekly wages are at or below 50% of the state average ($915 per week), you receive 90% of your usual pay. If they’re higher, you receive 90% of the first $915 plus 50% of anything you earn above that, up to the cap.
The 2026 maximum weekly benefit is $1,647. The minimum is $100. Higher earners won’t see their full income replaced, but most moderate-wage workers see a meaningful share of their pay covered.
Most people can take up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave within a benefit year. If you need both types in the same year, the combined cap is 16 weeks. Serious health complications during pregnancy add two more weeks, bringing the possible total to 18.4Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave
Supplemental Pay From Your Employer
Your employer may offer “top-off” pay that bridges the gap between your state benefit and your regular wages. This is voluntary on both sides, and the extra money does not reduce your state payment, as long as you do not report supplemental benefits on your weekly claim.5Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. Employer’s Paid Leave Benefits Toolkit Your employer cannot force you to burn through PTO or sick leave before using Paid Leave; those are separate benefits.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
What You Can Take Leave For
Medical leave covers your own serious health condition that keeps you from doing your job. Family leave covers caring for a family member with a serious health condition, bonding with a new child by birth, adoption, or foster placement, and certain military exigency events when a family member is deployed or called to active duty.4Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave Bereavement leave is also available for the loss of a child.
Who Counts as Family
The statute defines family member as a child, grandchild, grandparent, parent, sibling, or spouse. It also covers anyone who regularly lives in your home and depends on you for care, where there’s an expectation that you provide it.6Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.05.010 – Definitions “Parent” includes biological, adoptive, foster, and stepparents, plus anyone who stood in a parental role when you were a child. The household provision is broad enough that domestic partners and in-laws can qualify even though the statute doesn’t name them directly.
What It Costs You
The total premium for 2026 is 1.13% of gross wages. You pay 71.43% of that, your employer pays 28.57%.7Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Updates On $1,000 of weekly wages, that’s about $8.07 from your paycheck and about $3.23 from your employer.
Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not required to pay the employer share.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Employers If you work for a small employer that doesn’t contribute, you still pay only the employee portion. You never pick up your employer’s share.
Whether Your Job Is Protected
Starting January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees must hold your job (or an equivalent one) while you’re on approved leave, provided you’ve worked for that employer at least 180 days.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.35.010 – Employment Protection The threshold drops to 15 employees in 2027 and 8 employees in 2028, so protection widens over the next few years.
Job restoration means the same position or an equivalent one at the same pay, benefits, and working conditions. Your employer must also keep your health insurance going during leave on the same terms as if you were still working.10Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection Requirements for Employers Narrow exceptions exist for salaried employees in the top 10% of earners within 75 miles of the worksite, where restoration would cause substantial economic harm, and for cases where your position would have been eliminated anyway (such as a layoff).9Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.35.010 – Employment Protection
How Federal FMLA Fits In
If your employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles, you’re also covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and the two leaves generally run at the same time. FMLA provides 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave, and your employer can require that it runs concurrently with your Washington benefits. Using Paid Leave doesn’t shorten your FMLA entitlement, and vice versa.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works If your employer is too small for FMLA, Washington’s own job protection rules are what protect your position.
How to Apply
Notify Your Employer First
When your leave is foreseeable, give your employer written notice at least 30 days before it starts.11Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. Notice to Employer For emergencies like an unexpected surgery or a premature birth, notify them as soon as you reasonably can.12Paid Family and Medical Leave Washington State. Employer Notice to Employee This notice goes to your employer and is separate from your application to the state.
Gather Your Documents
What you need depends on your leave type:
- For medical leave or family leave to care for someone, a certification form signed by the relevant healthcare provider. You can use the state’s medical certification form, an FMLA form, or a doctor’s note with the same information. The provider has seven calendar days to complete the form and cannot charge you a fee for filling it out, though they can bill for the underlying appointment.13Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Get Ready to Apply
- For bonding leave, a birth certificate, hospital documentation of the child’s date of birth, or legal placement documents for adoption or foster care.14Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. Paid Leave Certification Forms
You also need at least one identity verification document, such as a driver’s license, passport, state ID, or an ITIN letter from the IRS.15Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Identification Verification Documents If you don’t have an SSN or ITIN, you can request a paper application instead.16Paid Family and Medical Leave. Apply Now
Submit Online
Create a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account if you don’t already have one, then link it to the Paid Leave portal.4Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave You’ll enter your employment details, upload documents, and submit. Incomplete applications take significantly longer to process, so check your work before you submit.
What Happens After You Apply
The Waiting Period
For most leave types, the first seven consecutive calendar days are an unpaid waiting period. You don’t get paid for that week, but it counts toward your total leave duration.17Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.15.020 – Waiting Period Three situations skip the waiting period entirely: bonding leave, military exigency leave, and (new for 2026) medical leave for a serious health condition related to pregnancy.18Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15 – Family and Medical Leave Insurance Account and Benefits
Processing and Weekly Claims
ESD currently estimates three to four weeks to process an application.19Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave. Processing Time Once approved, you get a determination letter, and from there you need to file a weekly claim through your online account to keep payments coming.20Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim If you miss a week, you miss that week’s payment. Paper applicants file weekly claims by phone instead.
If You’re Denied
If a claim is denied or you think a determination is wrong, request a review through your online Paid Leave account under “Claim Review(s).” Pick the claim, explain why you disagree, and upload any supporting documents.21Paid Family and Medical Leave. After You Apply ESD may contact you for more information. Paper applicants can request a review by calling 833-717-2273 during business hours.
If You’re Self-Employed
Self-employed workers aren’t enrolled automatically but can opt in. Sole proprietors, independent contractors, partners, and joint venturers can elect coverage by filing a written notice with ESD. The initial commitment is at least three years; later coverage periods last at least one year.22Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.10 – Premiums – Section: Elective Coverage Self-Employed
You pay 100% of the premiums since there’s no employer share, and you must cover both the family and medical portions. Eligibility kicks in after you work 820 hours in Washington during the qualifying period that follows your election. You can withdraw within 30 days after the end of each coverage period by filing a written notice. If you stop paying premiums, ESD can cancel your coverage and collect what you owe.
Taxes on Your Benefits
Washington has no state income tax, but your Paid Leave benefits aren’t fully free of federal tax. The IRS laid out the rules in Revenue Ruling 2025-4:23Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2025-4
- Family leave benefits (bonding, caregiving, military exigency) are fully taxable as federal income, because they aren’t tied to your own health condition.
- Medical leave benefits are partially taxable. The portion funded by your own premium contributions is generally tax-free; the portion funded by your employer’s contributions is taxable.
The state issues a tax form when your benefit payments exceed $600. The IRS has provided transitional relief from some withholding and reporting requirements through 2026, so you may want to plan for a tax bill when you file. Your employer’s contributions to the program on your behalf aren’t included in your taxable income.23Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2025-4