Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program replaces part of your wages when you need time off for your own serious health condition, to care for a family member, or to bond with a new child. If you worked at least 820 hours in Washington during the qualifying period, you can take up to 12 weeks of leave in a claim year, with the weekly benefit capped at $1,647 in 2026.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15 – Family and Medical Leave The program is run by the Employment Security Department and most Washington employees are covered automatically.
Who Qualifies
You need 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. If that doesn’t get you to 820, the state looks at your last four completed quarters instead.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.05.010 – Definitions Hours from more than one Washington employer count toward the threshold.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15.010 – Employee Eligibility
Eligibility rests on your work history, not your current job. If you logged enough hours during the qualifying period but are between jobs when the need for leave arises, you can still apply.
Self-employed workers, including independent contractors and sole proprietors, can opt in. The initial commitment is three years, followed by one-year renewal periods, and you pay both the employer and employee shares of the premium. Benefits become available after you reach 820 hours during the qualifying period that follows enrollment.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.10.010 – Elective Coverage, Self-Employed
Federal employees are not covered. Workers on tribal lands are excluded unless the tribe has opted into the state program.5Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
What Counts as a Qualifying Reason
Medical leave covers your own serious health condition: illness, injury, surgery recovery, and pregnancy-related conditions such as prenatal complications, bed rest, or recovery from a C-section.5Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
Family leave covers bonding with a new child, biological, adopted, or foster, during the first 12 months after birth or placement.6Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. New Parents It also covers caring for a family member with a serious health condition. Washington defines family broadly:
- Spouses and domestic partners
- Children, including biological, adopted, foster, stepchildren, and children you serve as a guardian or stand-in parent for
- Parents and parents-in-law
- Siblings
- Grandparents and grandchildren, including your spouse’s grandparents
- Sons-in-law and daughters-in-law
- Anyone who regularly relies on you for care, whether you live together or not
That last category is where Washington’s law stands out. A caregiving relationship can qualify even without a blood or legal connection.7Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Family Member Definition
Military-connected family leave is also available when a family member is called to active duty, for situations such as helping with legal or financial arrangements, attending military ceremonies, and making childcare plans for the service member’s children.
How Much Time You Can Take
In a single claim year, you can take up to 12 weeks of medical leave or up to 12 weeks of family leave. If you use both in the same year, the combined cap is 16 weeks. A pregnancy-related complication that causes incapacity, such as bed rest or C-section recovery, lifts the combined cap to 18 weeks.5Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
Leave does not have to be taken all at once. You can use your approved hours intermittently, taking partial weeks as your condition or caregiving needs require.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works Approved leave is tracked in hours; once you exhaust the hours, the leave ends even if the calendar date for your approved end hasn’t arrived. Intermittent use is common for chemotherapy, physical therapy, and other ongoing treatment.
How Much You’ll Be Paid
Your weekly benefit depends on how your average weekly wage compares to the statewide average weekly wage, and the formula favors lower earners:9Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15.020 – Weekly Benefit Amount
- If you earn half the state average or less, your benefit is 90% of your average weekly wage.
- If you earn more than that, you get 90% on the portion of your wages up to half the state average, plus 50% on the portion above that threshold.10Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15 – Family and Medical Leave
The maximum weekly benefit is set each year to 90% of the state average weekly wage. For 2026, that cap is $1,647.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.15 – Family and Medical Leave Payment goes out weekly by direct deposit or prepaid debit card.
Your first approved week is a waiting week with no payment.11Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim After that, you must file a weekly claim through the portal to trigger each week’s payment. Approval alone doesn’t release money; skipping the weekly claim means skipping the deposit.
How to Apply
Before you start, gather what you’ll need:
- Your Social Security Number or ITIN. Without either, request a paper application from the Employment Security Department instead of applying online.
- Your employment history, so you can verify employers from the qualifying period.
- Medical documentation if you’re applying for medical leave or to care for a sick family member. You can submit the state’s Certification of Serious Health Condition form filled out by your healthcare provider, your FMLA paperwork, or a doctor’s note that covers the same information.12Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Apply Now
- Birth or placement documentation for bonding leave, such as a birth certificate, adoption finalization papers, or foster placement documents.
The provider’s documentation should state when the condition began, how long it’s expected to last, and whether you’ll need continuous or intermittent leave. Getting those details right the first time avoids delays.
Give your employer written notice at least 30 days before leave starts if the need is foreseeable, like a planned surgery or an expected due date. If the need is unexpected, notify your employer as soon as you can. The notice should include your expected start and end dates.13Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. 30-Day Notice to Employer
Applications are filed online through a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account, with Paid Leave added as a service.12Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Apply Now One deadline that catches people off guard: you must submit a complete application within 30 days after your qualifying event. If you miss that window, you can request backdating, but only for a good cause reason such as a serious health condition or incapacity that kept you from applying on time. If you’re planning both medical leave for pregnancy recovery and family leave for bonding, those are two separate applications.
Processing currently takes three to four weeks from the date you submit.14Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave. About the Program There’s no application fee. You can check status and respond to requests for more information through the portal.
Job Protection in 2026
Starting January 1, 2026, your employer must hold your position (or an equivalent one with the same pay, benefits, and working conditions) while you’re on leave, as long as two conditions are met: the employer has at least 25 employees on their Washington payroll, and you’ve worked for that employer for at least 180 calendar days before leave begins. The minimum-hours requirement was eliminated in 2026, so only the 180-day tenure matters now.15Paid Leave Washington. Job Protection Requirements for Employers
The employer-size threshold drops in the next two years: 15 employees in 2027, and 8 in 2028.16Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.35.010 – Employment Protection If your leave started before January 1, 2026, but your return date falls on or after that date, the 2026 rules apply.
While you’re on job-protected leave, your employer must keep paying its share of your health insurance premiums under the same terms as when you were working, for as long as the job protection lasts. If your employer is below the size threshold, you still receive your paid leave benefits; you just don’t have the statutory guarantee that your specific job will be waiting.
If Your Claim Is Denied
You have 30 days from the date on the decision notice to appeal.17Paid Family and Medical Leave – Washington State. Disputes and Appeals Appeals go in by mail or fax and must include your name, claim ID or Social Security number, address, phone number, the specific decision you’re contesting, and why you disagree. You can also send new documentation that wasn’t part of the original application, such as a more detailed doctor’s note or corrected employment records. The department reviews the new information and may issue a new determination without a hearing.
Washington also has an independent Office of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Ombuds that investigates complaints and helps people work through problems with the program.18Office of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Ombuds. PFML Ombuds Homepage Because the ombuds is separate from the Employment Security Department, it can advocate on your behalf without a conflict of interest. Contact them well before the 30-day appeal window closes to keep your options open.