You are eligible for Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave if you worked at least 820 hours in Washington during your qualifying period for an employer covered by the state’s unemployment insurance system, and you have a qualifying reason to take leave. Nearly all W-2 employees in the state are automatically enrolled, regardless of whether they work full-time, part-time, or for more than one employer.
The 820-Hour Threshold
The core eligibility test is hours worked, not months employed or hours per week. You need 820 hours in Washington during your “qualifying period,” which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim. If you fall short in that window, the state will check the last four completed calendar quarters instead.1Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.05.010 – Definitions
Hours from multiple jobs count together as long as all the work was performed in Washington for covered employers. Seasonal workers and people who changed jobs during the qualifying period still qualify if their combined hours clear 820. The state verifies your hours through the quarterly reports your employer files, so you generally do not need to prove them yourself.
Which Workers Are Covered
Most private- and public-sector W-2 employees in Washington are covered automatically. Premiums come out of your paycheck whether you work one job or several, and whether your schedule is full-time or part-time. Workers who were previously excluded under a collective bargaining agreement became eligible on January 1, 2024, after that exclusion expired at the end of 2023.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
A few groups fall outside mandatory coverage:
- Federal employees are not part of Washington’s program.
- Employees of tribally owned businesses on tribal land are excluded unless the tribe opts in.
- Self-employed workers, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and partners, are not automatically covered but can elect in. The initial commitment is at least three years, with one-year renewals after that, and you pay the full premium yourself and report your earnings quarterly.3Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 50A.10.010 – Elective Coverage – Self-Employed
Working for a Small Business
Business size does not change your eligibility for benefits. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not required to pay the employer share of premiums, but they still have to withhold and remit the employee share. Small employers can choose to opt in to paying their share on an annual basis, with enrollment open until March 1 each year.4Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Small Businesses If you work for a small business, you can still file and receive weekly benefits like any other covered employee.
Qualifying Reasons for Leave
Clearing the hours test only gets you access to the program. You also need a qualifying event. The program covers four categories:
- Your own serious health condition, including surgery, chronic illness, or injury that keeps you from doing your job.
- Caring for a family member with a serious health condition or injury.
- Bonding with a new child, taken anytime within the first 12 months after birth, adoption, or foster placement.
- Certain family needs arising from a family member’s active-duty military deployment.
“Family member” is defined broadly. It covers your spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, and grandchild, and it also reaches anyone who lives in your home or relies on you for care, even without a blood or marriage relationship.5Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Family Member Definition This is wider than many other leave programs, and it is one reason workers who do not qualify under federal law sometimes qualify here.
Most qualifying events allow up to 12 weeks of paid leave per claim year. If you have more than one type of qualifying event in the same year, you can take up to 16 weeks total. Workers with a pregnancy- or childbirth-related medical complication may receive up to 18 weeks.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works Your claim year is a rolling 52-week period that starts the first day you take leave.
Eligibility for Job Protection Is Separate
Being eligible for Paid Leave benefits is not the same as being eligible to have your job held for you. Those are two different tests, and workers often assume one covers the other.
Starting January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees must hold your job while you are on Paid Leave, as long as you have worked for that employer for at least 180 calendar days (about six months). These thresholds dropped in 2026; previously the requirements were 50 employees and 12 months of tenure. An employer returning you from leave that started before January 1, 2026, must still follow the new 2026 rules if your return date falls on or after that date.6Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection Requirements for Employers
When you return and you qualify for job protection, your employer must restore you to the same position or one with equivalent pay, benefits, and working conditions. Your employer must also keep your health insurance in place during your leave as if you were still working, and you continue to pay your share of the premiums.6Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Job Protection Requirements for Employers
If your employer has fewer than 25 employees, or you have worked there for fewer than 180 days, state Paid Leave law does not require your employer to hold your job. You can still receive your weekly benefit. Separate protections under federal FMLA or other state laws may apply in some situations.
How Washington Eligibility Differs From FMLA
Washington’s Paid Leave is a separate program from the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for employees at companies with 50 or more workers who have been employed at least 12 months. Washington’s program reaches further: it applies to employees at businesses of any size, uses a broader definition of family, and pays wage replacement rather than offering unpaid time.7Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Find Out How Paid Leave Works
If you do not qualify for FMLA because your employer is too small or your tenure is too short, you may still be eligible for Washington Paid Leave benefits. When the same event qualifies under both programs, your Paid Leave and FMLA time generally run at the same time, and using FMLA does not reduce your Paid Leave entitlement.
Confirming Your Eligibility and Next Steps
If you believe you meet the 820-hour threshold and have a qualifying reason, you apply through the state’s SecureAccess Washington (SAW) portal at secureaccess.wa.gov. The state verifies your hours against the quarterly reports your employer has already filed, so most of the eligibility review happens on their end.
Give your employer written notice at least 30 days before leave you can plan for, such as a due date, scheduled surgery, or upcoming adoption. If the need is unexpected, notify your employer as soon as you reasonably can. Written notice can be an email, a text, or a physical note, and it should state that you plan to use Paid Leave and roughly how long you expect to be out.2Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. How Paid Leave Works
If your claim is denied, you have 30 days from the date of the denial notice to appeal in writing to the Employment Security Department, which forwards the case to the Office of Administrative Hearings.8Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave. Disputes and Appeals A denial based on hours is worth checking carefully, because combined hours from multiple Washington employers in the qualifying period can push a borderline worker over the 820-hour line.