Washington State parental leave gives most workers up to 12 weeks of paid time off to bond with a new child through birth, adoption, or foster placement, with benefits reaching $1,647 per week in 2026. The program is run by the state’s Employment Security Department and funded by premiums paid by both employees and employers. Both parents qualify, not just the one who gave birth, and leave can start as soon as the child arrives.
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, or the last four completed quarters if you don’t meet the threshold under the first window.1Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.15.010 – Qualifying Period Those hours can come from multiple employers or part-time jobs. You don’t have to hit the threshold at a single workplace.
Birth parents, non-birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, and guardians all qualify to bond with a child who enters the home during the first 12 months after birth or placement, as long as the child is under 18.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. New Parents3Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.05.010 – Definitions
Self-employed workers, including sole proprietors and LLC members, aren’t automatically covered but can opt in. If you do, you commit to paying the employee share of premiums for at least three years, then renew annually.4Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Elective Coverage Opt In
How Much You’ll Get Paid
Your weekly benefit depends on your average weekly wage during your highest-earning quarters. The formula pays 90 percent of your average weekly wage up to 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage, then 60 percent of anything above that threshold.5Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.15 – Family and Medical Leave Insurance The maximum weekly benefit is 90 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. Washington’s 2024 average weekly wage was $1,830, which puts the 2026 maximum benefit at $1,647 per week.6Washington State Employment Security Department. Washington’s Average Wage Increased to $95,160 in 2024 Someone earning roughly $2,300 a week or more hits the cap.
You pay for this through payroll premiums. Starting January 1, 2026, the total premium rate is 1.13 percent of your gross wages. Employees cover 71.43 percent of that premium; employers with 50 or more employees pay the remaining 28.57 percent.7Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Updates Smaller employers aren’t required to pay the employer share but still collect and remit the employee portion.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Employers On a $60,000 salary, your annual share works out to roughly $484.
How Long You Can Take Off
Parental bonding leave is up to 12 weeks, and you must use it within the first 12 months after birth or placement.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.15.020 – Benefit, Amount and Duration Birth parents who also need medical leave can combine the two: up to 16 weeks of family and medical leave together in the same benefit year, and up to 18 weeks if the medical leave is for a pregnancy-related serious health condition.
Your first week of leave is a waiting period with no benefits paid. It doesn’t eat into your 12 weeks, though. You still receive the full 12 weeks of paid benefits after that unpaid week.9Washington State Legislature. RCW 50A.15.020 – Benefit, Amount and Duration
Is Your Job Protected
Starting January 1, 2026, you’re entitled to job protection if your employer has 25 or more employees and you’ve worked there at least 180 calendar days. There’s no minimum hours-per-week requirement.10Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection for Employees That’s a broader rule than before, which used a higher employer-size threshold.
Employer size is measured by whether the business had at least 25 employees on its Washington payroll each workday for 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding year.11Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection Requirements for Employers If you qualify, your employer must restore you to the same or an equivalent position when you come back.
Health insurance continues too. Covered employers must maintain your coverage during job-protected leave on the same terms as if you were still working, and you remain responsible for whatever share of the premium you normally pay.10Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection for Employees Before 2026, employers only had to continue coverage when state leave overlapped with federal FMLA leave.
If your employer is also covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, your FMLA time may run concurrently with your state paid leave. The employer has to give you written notice within five business days explaining how FMLA affects your remaining job-protected time under the state program.10Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection for Employees
How to Apply
Tell Your Employer First
Give your employer written notice at least 30 days before leave starts.12Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Notifying Your Employer About Taking Leave Include your expected start and end dates. If the birth or placement happens unexpectedly, notify them as soon as you can. Keep a copy.
Gather Your Documents
For bonding leave after a birth, both parents can use the Certification of Birth form on the Paid Leave website; birth parents can also use it for postnatal medical leave. For adoption or foster placement, you’ll need court documents or a letter from a social worker or placement agency showing the date the child entered your home.13Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Get Ready to Apply You’ll also need a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Without either, contact the program for a paper application.14Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Apply Now If you’re close to the 820-hour mark and your employer hasn’t reported your recent hours, pull pay stubs or other records that back up your total.
Apply Within 30 Days
Submit a complete application within 30 days of the birth or placement. Past that window, you may still be able to backdate your claim if you have good cause for the delay, such as a serious health condition that kept you from applying.14Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Apply Now Missing the deadline without good cause can cost you weeks of benefits.
What Happens After You Apply
Current processing time is three to four weeks.15Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Processing Time Incomplete or complex applications take longer. Once approved, you choose between direct deposit and a U.S. Bank ReliaCard prepaid debit card.
Approval doesn’t start the money flowing on its own. You have to file weekly claims through your online Paid Leave account, reporting whether you worked any hours or received other benefits that week. Claim weeks run Sunday through Saturday, and you file after the week ends. By law, submitted weekly claims are processed within 14 days, with payment arriving three to five business days later.16Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. File Your Weekly Claim Skip a weekly filing and you won’t get paid for that week.
Using Employer PTO at the Same Time
Your employer can’t require you to burn through vacation or sick time before using state Paid Leave. Some employers do offer supplemental benefits designed to top off your state payments without reducing them. If your employer hasn’t designated its paid time off as a “supplemental benefit,” using employer PTO during the same week you’re receiving state benefits will reduce the state payment dollar for dollar.17Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works Ask HR how your company’s policy is set up before you count on stacking.
If You’re Denied
You have 30 days from the date of the denial notice to appeal.18Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Disputes and Appeals Common reasons for denial include falling short of the 820-hour threshold, incomplete certification forms, and filing after the 30-day application deadline without good cause. Read the denial letter closely. It tells you exactly what went wrong, which is what you need to decide whether a quick fix is possible or whether you need to bring evidence to a hearing.
Taxes on Your Benefits
Washington has no state income tax, so your benefits aren’t taxed at the state level. Federal treatment is less settled. The IRS has not issued specific guidance on Washington’s Paid Leave benefits. The Employment Security Department issues a 1099-G to anyone who receives family leave benefits and reports the amount to the IRS.19Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Payments Based on how similar programs in other states have been treated, you will likely owe federal income tax on your family leave benefits. Nothing is withheld automatically, so plan for the bill or make estimated payments. A tax professional can walk you through what fits your situation.