Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave Update

While benefits will not be available to employees until January 2020, Washington state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program requires employers to start remitting premiums starting with January 2019 payrolls. The regulations require a contribution of .4% of gross wages. The premium is shared 2/3 by the employees and 1/3 by employers. Starting in January, if you hire workers in the state of Washington, you will see a charge of 1.32% of gross wages.

To qualify for Paid Family and Medical Leave, employees must work 820 hours or more in the qualifying period. See Washington’s PFML site for details on the qualifying period.

When qualified, Washington workers will be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family or medical leave. An additional 2 weeks of leave is available when the leave is a result of pregnancy complications. Workers are eligible for up to 16 weeks of leave when family and medical leave are used in combination.

The weekly benefit for Paid Family and Medical Leave is capped at $1,000 with a minimum of $100 and is a calculated percentage of the employee’s gross wages.

Employees working under a current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will not be subject to deductions or eligible for the state benefits until their current CBA agreement is reopened, renegotiated, or expires.

More information can be found at: https://www.paidleave.wa.gov/

Disclaimer: The information presented in this post is provided for informational purposes only and shall not be considered legal or tax advice. Please consult with your legal or tax advisor for specific legal or tax advice.