Washington Paid Family Medical Leave: Eligibility and Benefits

Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave pays you a portion of your wages when you take time off for your own serious health condition, a new child, a family member’s serious illness, or certain military-connected events. In 2026, weekly benefits top out at $1,647, and the program is run by the Employment Security Department, which processes every claim.¹

Who Qualifies

You need at least 820 hours of work in Washington during your qualifying period, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you apply. Those hours can come from any mix of employers, so two part-time jobs or a mid-year job change won’t sink your eligibility.²

Nearly all Washington workers are automatically covered. Federal employees are the main exception. Self-employed people and employees of federally recognized tribes can opt in voluntarily. If you work for a small business with fewer than 50 employees, the employer isn’t required to pay the employer share of the premium, but you still contribute through payroll and you still qualify for the full benefit.³

What Counts as a Qualifying Event

Four categories of events can trigger paid leave:

Your own serious health condition, including major surgery, hospitalization, chronic illness under ongoing treatment, or recovery from giving birth.
Bonding with a new child by birth, adoption, or foster placement within the first year.
Caring for a family member with a serious health condition.
Qualifying situations tied to a family member’s military deployment.

The definition of “family member” is broader than most people expect. It covers your spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, and sibling, and it also reaches anyone who regularly lives in your home and depends on you for care, whether or not there’s a blood or legal tie.⁴

How Much Time and How Much Money

Within a 52-week claim year, you can take up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave or 12 weeks of paid family leave. If you have qualifying events in both categories in the same year, the combined cap is 16 weeks. A pregnancy complication that causes incapacity extends that combined cap to 18 weeks; your provider must document the complication on the certification form.⁵

Leave doesn’t have to be taken in one block. Intermittent leave is allowed, and the smallest block you can claim is four consecutive hours. That flexibility matters if you have a condition that flares unpredictably or if you’re spacing out medical appointments around work.

Your weekly benefit is based on your average weekly wage compared to the statewide average. Workers earning at or below 50 percent of the state average receive roughly 90 percent of their typical weekly pay. Higher earners get 90 percent of the portion up to that threshold, plus 50 percent of any wages above it. The formula is tilted so lower-wage workers replace a larger share of their income. The 2026 weekly maximum is $1,647, and the department uses your two highest-earning quarters of the qualifying period to set your benefit. If you work part-time during leave, your weekly benefit is reduced in proportion to the hours you worked.⁵

What You and Your Employer Pay In

As of January 1, 2026, the total premium is 1.13 percent of gross wages (not counting tips), up to the Social Security wage cap of $184,500. Employers with 50 or more employees split the premium: up to 28.57 percent from the employer and 71.43 percent from the employee. Smaller employers don’t have to pay the employer share but still collect and remit the employee’s portion.⁶ Some employers cover the employee share as a benefit, but they aren’t required to.

How to Apply

Before you start, pull together:

Your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
Medical certification, if you’re taking leave for your own health condition or to care for a family member. You can use the department’s certification form, an FMLA form, or a provider’s note that contains the same information.⁷
Bonding documentation, such as proof of birth or paperwork from an adoption or foster agency.

Give your employer written notice at least 30 days before leave starts. If the situation wasn’t foreseeable, such as an emergency surgery or premature birth, notify your employer as soon as you can.⁸

Create a SecureAccess Washington account, which links to the Paid Leave portal where you upload your certification and identity documents.⁹ The application asks you to choose direct deposit or a state-issued debit card for payment.

The Waiting Week and Weekly Claims

A one-week waiting period applies to most claims. You won’t be paid for the first seven calendar days of your leave. There is no waiting period for parental bonding leave, medical leave during the postnatal period, family leave for the loss of a child, or military exigency leave.¹⁰

After your application is approved, you have to file a weekly claim for every week of leave, even weeks you don’t want paid. Weekly claim periods run Sunday through Saturday, and you file after the week ends. Each claim asks whether you worked any hours (including self-employment), received other benefits like workers’ compensation or unemployment insurance, or used employer-provided paid time off. You cannot collect Paid Leave benefits and unemployment or workers’ compensation for the same period.¹⁰

By law, the department has 14 days to process each weekly claim. Once approved, payment lands in three to five business days.

Job Protection and Health Insurance

Starting January 1, 2026, you’re entitled to return to your same or an equivalent position if you’ve worked for your employer for at least 180 calendar days (about six months) and your employer has 25 or more employees. There is no longer a minimum hours requirement.¹¹

If you qualify for job protection, your employer must also maintain your health insurance as if you were still working. You’re still responsible for your share of the premium during leave.¹² Employers who aren’t legally required to hold your job can still choose to do so voluntarily.

Your employer cannot fire, demote, or otherwise penalize you for taking Paid Leave. The Employment Security Department investigates retaliation complaints and can order the employer to pay damages if it finds a violation.¹¹

How It Works with Federal FMLA

If you qualify for both Washington Paid Leave and federal FMLA, the two run at the same time. FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave; Washington’s program provides the wage replacement. Using one doesn’t reduce your entitlement under the other.¹

Washington’s rules are broader in important ways. FMLA requires 12 months and 1,250 hours with your current employer and only applies to employers of 50 or more. Washington Paid Leave has no employer-size threshold for benefit eligibility and counts hours from all employers. You may qualify for state benefits when federal FMLA doesn’t apply.

If Your Employer Runs a Voluntary Plan

Some employers opt out of the state pool and operate their own voluntary plan. These private plans must match or exceed state benefits and cover every employee. If your employer has one, your benefits come through that plan rather than the state, and if the plan is ever denied or discontinued, you default back to state coverage. Ask HR if you’re unsure which applies.¹³

Taxes on Your Benefits

The IRS has not issued specific guidance on whether Washington Paid Leave benefits are taxable at the federal level. Based on how similar programs in other states are treated, family leave benefits (bonding, caregiving) are likely treated as taxable income, while medical leave benefits for your own health condition may be treated more like short-term disability payments.¹⁴

Washington has no state income tax, so there’s no state withholding to worry about. The department issues a 1099-G for benefits paid during the tax year. Federal taxes are not withheld from your payments automatically, so consider setting money aside or adjusting withholding elsewhere. A tax professional can walk you through your specific situation.

If Your Claim Is Denied

If the department denies your claim or you disagree with a decision, you can request a review through your online Paid Leave account. Log in, click “Request Review” in the Claim Reviews section, select the claim, and explain why the decision should change. You can upload supporting documents with your request, and the department will mail you a letter with the outcome once a specialist finishes the review.¹⁵

1
Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A – Family and Medical Leave
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Small Businesses: 150 Employees or Fewer
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Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.05.010 – Definitions
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Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15 – Benefit Amount and Duration
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Estimate Your Paid Leave Payments
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Get Ready to Apply
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Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave. Notice to Employer
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Log In
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim
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Paid Leave Washington. Job Protection Requirements for Employers
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Voluntary Plans
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Paid Family and Medical Leave. What to Know About Your 1099-G
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Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. After You Apply