Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program replaces part of your wages when you take time off for your own serious health condition, to bond with a new child, to care for a family member, or for certain military family needs. Benefits run up to $1,647 per week in 2026, last up to 12 weeks (16 or 18 in some combined-leave situations), and are administered by the state Employment Security Department. Most workers qualify based on hours worked in Washington, not on employer size.
Who Qualifies
You need at least 820 hours of work in Washington during your qualifying period. That period is normally the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you apply; if those quarters fall short, the state looks at your last four completed calendar quarters instead.1Paid Family and Medical Leave. Qualifying Period Definition Hours from more than one employer count toward the total, so part-time and multi-job workers can still meet the threshold. Employers report your hours and wages to the state each quarter.2Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Quarterly Report and Pay Premiums
Self-employed people, independent contractors, and tribal government employees aren’t automatically covered but can opt in through an elective coverage agreement. Opting in commits you to paying the employee share of premiums for an initial three-year period, after which you can withdraw during a 30-day window or let coverage renew year to year. You report your own earnings quarterly and don’t pay the employer share.3Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Elective Coverage Opt In
What Counts as a Qualifying Reason
Benefits split into two buckets. Medical leave covers your own serious health condition, such as recovery from surgery or treatment for a chronic illness. Family leave covers 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, and specific needs tied to a family member’s military deployment.4Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
“Family member” is defined broadly. It includes your spouse or domestic partner, child (of any age, whether biological, adopted, foster, step, or a child you’re raising in a parental role), parent, sibling, grandchild, and grandparent, plus their spouses or domestic partners. It also reaches anyone related by blood or close personal bond whose relationship with you is equivalent to family, anyone who regularly lives in your home in a mutual-care arrangement, and anyone who acted as a parental figure to you when you were growing up.5Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.05.010 – Definitions
How Much You’ll Receive and For How Long
Your weekly benefit depends on how your average weekly wage compares to the statewide average weekly wage (SAWW), which is $1,830 for 2026. If your average weekly wage is at or below half the SAWW ($915), you get 90 percent of your wages. Above $915, the formula pays 90 percent of the first $915 plus 50 percent of every dollar above that, up to a maximum weekly benefit of $1,647 in 2026.6Washington State Legislature. Chapter 50A.15 RCW
A worker earning $600 per week would get about $540. Someone earning $1,500 per week would get roughly $1,116 ($823.50 on the first $915 plus $292.50 on the remaining $585). Higher earners hit the $1,647 cap at about $2,562 per week in wages.
Within a single claim year, you can take up to 12 weeks of medical leave or up to 12 weeks of family leave. If you need both types in the same year, the combined maximum is 16 weeks. If a pregnancy or childbirth causes incapacity, the maximum extends to 18 weeks.7Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
Your first approved week is a “waiting week” without a PFML payment. You can use employer paid time off during that week without affecting benefits. Several leave types skip the waiting week: bonding with a new child, medical leave during the postnatal period, family leave after the loss of a child, and military exigency leave.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim
How to Apply
Have your Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number ready so the state can match your work history to your claim. If you have neither, contact the Employment Security Department to request a paper application.9Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Apply Now
For medical leave or family leave to care for someone with a serious health condition, submit one of these: a certification form completed by you and your healthcare provider, a federal FMLA form, or a doctor’s note that includes the same information as the certification form.10Paid Family and Medical Leave. Get Ready to Apply Make sure the provider fills in the dates, their credentials, and the details of the condition before you send it. Incomplete forms are one of the most common reasons applications stall.
You also need to notify your employer. Give at least 30 days’ notice for foreseeable events like planned surgery or an expected due date; for emergencies or unexpected illness, notify your employer as soon as you can.
Applications go through the state’s online portal. You’ll create or log in to a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account, link to your PFML benefit account, upload documents, enter your leave dates, and answer certification questions.11Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Log In There is no fee. Processing currently takes about three to four weeks. If something is missing or unclear, a specialist will contact you by phone, so keep your contact information current.12Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. About the Program
Filing Weekly Claims After Approval
Approval alone does not release payments. You have to file a weekly claim for every week you’re on leave, including weeks you’re not asking to be paid. Claim weeks run Sunday through Saturday and can be filed after the week ends. Online applicants file through their Paid Leave account; paper applicants call the Customer Care Team.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim
Each weekly claim asks you to report any hours you worked (including self-employment) and any employer-paid time off you used, rounded up to a whole number. You won’t get paid for any week where your reported work hours or paid time off equal or exceed your typical workweek hours. To qualify for payment in a given week, you must have missed at least four consecutive hours of work.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim The state must process submitted weekly claims within 14 days, and approved payments typically arrive within three to five business days depending on your bank.
Job Protection Is Separate
Being eligible for PFML payments and being entitled to return to your job are two different questions. Everyone who qualifies can receive benefits, but the right to your same or a comparable position depends on your employer’s size and your tenure.
Starting January 1, 2026, you’re entitled to job protection if your employer has 25 or more employees on their Washington payroll for at least 20 calendar weeks in the current or preceding year, and you’ve worked for that employer for at least 180 calendar days. The old minimum-hours requirement was eliminated for 2026. If you return from leave on or after January 1, 2026, the new rules apply even if your leave started earlier.13Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection Requirements for Employers
If your employer is smaller or your tenure is shorter, you can still collect PFML benefits, but your employer isn’t legally required to hold your position. Federal FMLA may still protect your job if your employer has 50 or more employees and you meet FMLA’s separate eligibility rules, so check whether both laws apply to you.
What Comes Out of Your Paycheck
The program is funded through a payroll premium on your gross wages (tips excluded), up to the Social Security wage cap of $184,500 for 2026. The total premium rate for 2026 is 1.13 percent of covered wages. Employees pay 71.43 percent of that total; employers pay 28.57 percent.14Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Updates For a worker earning $60,000 a year, the employee share works out to about $484, or roughly $18.60 per biweekly paycheck.
Employers with fewer than 50 employees aren’t required to pay the employer portion, but they still collect and remit the employee share.15Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.10.030
Taxes on Your Benefits
Washington has no state income tax, so benefits aren’t taxed at the state level. Federal treatment is less settled. The IRS has not issued definitive guidance on whether Washington PFML benefits are federally taxable, but the state issues a 1099-G to anyone who received family leave benefits, and based on how similar programs are treated elsewhere, you will likely owe federal income tax on those payments.16Paid Family and Medical Leave. What to Know About Your 1099-G The state doesn’t withhold federal tax from your payments, so consider setting money aside or adjusting withholding elsewhere.
If Your Claim Is Denied
A denial can be appealed. Submit a written appeal to the Employment Security Department within the deadline stated in your decision letter, which will include filing instructions. Common reasons for denial include incomplete medical documentation, missing the 820-hour threshold, and failing to give your employer notice. Before starting a formal appeal, check whether the problem can be fixed by submitting additional documentation.