EMPLOYMENT LAW NEWS
By GovDocs
Updated February 2026
Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., now mandate paid family and medical leave, with requirements varying widely and posing compliance challenges for multi-state employers.
While there is no federal paid family and medical leave law for private employers, thirteen states and Washington, D.C. have mandatory paid family medical leave laws: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington
The past few years have brought a steady expansion of paid family and medical leave laws at the state level. As with other leave mandates, these programs vary from one jurisdiction to another.
From eligibility and waiting period requirements to covered family members and qualifying reasons for leave, managing paid family and medical leave laws presents a significant challenge for employers operating across the U.S.
Here, we review state paid family and medical leave laws. The information in this blog reflects the laws in place as of February 2026.
The summaries below highlight some of the basic requirements in each state. However, employers with employees in states that have paid family and medical leave laws should review the full statutory and regulatory frameworks to ensure ongoing compliance.
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California’s Paid Family Leave Law went into effect in 2004, with recent amendments taking effect Jan. 1, 2025. The law covers employees who have been paid at least $300 in wages by employers with one or more individuals in California.
Unique to California, there is one local jurisdiction, San Francisco, that has its own paid parental leave law.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
California’s eligible reasons to use paid family medical leave include:
Covered Family Member
Child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, child of a domestic partner or the person to whom the employee stands in loco parentis; parent – biological, foster, adoptive, in-law (including parent of Spouse or Domestic Partner), step, legal guardian, or person who stood in loco parentis to employee as a child; grandparent – parent of employee’s parent; grandchild – child of employee’s child; sibling – biological, adopted or affinity through common legal or biological parent; spouse; domestic partner
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
California requires 8 weeks of paid family leave for illness of employee or covered family member, baby bonding, or a qualifying exigency related to covered active duty of certain family members.
Colorado’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act went into effect on the last day of 2020 with the most recent amendments as of Jan. 1, 2026.
Employees are covered if they earned at least $2,500 in wages during the employee’s “base period” for employers who had at least one employee for each working day during twenty or more calendar workweeks or paid wages of $1,500 during any calendar quarter in the preceding year.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Colorado’s eligible reasons to use paid family and medical leave include:
Covered Family Member
Child – regardless of age, biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, child of a domestic partner, or individual that Covered Individual stands or stood in loco parentis; parent – biological, adoptive, foster, step, legal guardian, or person who stood in loco parentis of Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s spouse or domestic partner; person to whom Covered Individual is legally married or a domestic partner; grandparent – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s spouse or Domestic Partner; grandchild – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s spouse or Domestic Partner; sibling – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s spouse or Domestic Partner; individual whom the Covered Individual has a significant personal bond that is or like a family relationship, regardless of biological or legal relationship.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Colorado requires employers to provide 12 weeks of paid family medical leave for eligible employees. An additional 4 weeks per pregnancy are available to a covered individual with a serious health condition related to pregnancy or childbirth complications. Effective Jan. 1, 2026, an additional 12 weeks are available to a covered individual who has a child receiving inpatient care for a duration in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Effective in 2019, Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Act applies to employees who earned at least $2,325 during their highest-earning quarter within the “base period” and are either currently employed, have been employed by an employer within the prior 12 weeks, or are self-employed individuals or sole proprietors who reside in Connecticut that have enrolled in the program. The law applies to private employers with one or more employees.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Connecticut’s eligible reasons to use paid family and medical leave include:
Covered Family Member
Parent, child, spouse, sibling, grandparent, grandchild including, but not limited to biological, adopted, foster, step, in-law, legal guardian, and in loco parentis relationships or an individual related to the employee by blood or affinity whose close association shows to be the equivalent of a family relationship.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Connecticut requires family and medical leave up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period plus two additional weeks during the same 12 month period to a covered employee for a serious health condition resulting in incapacitation that occurs during a pregnancy.
Delaware is a more recent state to pass a paid family medical leave law, which took effect on July 1, 2022. However, contributions were required starting on Jan. 1, 2025, with benefits available to employees starting on Jan. 1, 2026.
Employers are covered depending on the number of employees. If businesses have 25 or more employees, parental, family caregiving and medical leave are required benefits while businesses with 10 to 24 employees are required to provide parental leave only.
All employees employed by an employer are covered under the law except casual, seasonal employees of the State. Employees are eligible when they have been an employee for at least 12 months and worked at least 1,250 hours with the employer during the last 12-month period.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Delaware’s eligible reasons to use the Paid Leave Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program include:
Covered Family Member
Parent – biological parent of an employee or person who stood in loco parentis to employee when employee was son or daughter; Child – includes biological, adopted, foster or step child, a legal ward or child of person standing in loco parentis, who is under 18 years of age or 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability; Spouse – husband or wife.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Covered employees are eligible for a maximum of 12 weeks family and medical benefits in an application year. Note, parental leave is 12 weeks per application year while medical, family caregiving, and qualified exigency leave is 6 weeks in any 24 month period.
Another recent addition, Maine’s Paid Family Medical Leave Program took effect on Jan. 1, 2026. However, contributions began on Jan. 1, 2025, but with benefits processing beginning on May 1, 2026.
A covered employee includes any person employed in the State of Maine, excluding independent contractors, and all employers are covered, including governmental agencies located in Maine, but excluding the federal government.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Maine’s eligible reasons to use the Paid Leave Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program include:
Covered Family Member
Child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, or individual that covered individual stands or stood in loco parentis; parent – biological, adoptive, foster, step, legal guardian, or person who stood in loco parentis of Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s spouse; spouse of the Covered Individual; Domestic Partner of the Covered Individual; Grandparent – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual; Grandchild – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual; Sibling – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual; Designated by the Covered Individual, regardless of biological or legal relationship, an individual whom has a significant personal bond, like a family relationship with the Covered Individual.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Maine requires covered employers to provide 12 weeks of family leave in a benefit year, and 12 weeks of medical leave in a benefit year. However, a covered individual may not take more than 12 weeks, in aggregate, of family and medical leave in one year.
Maryland’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program’s contributions will begin on Jan. 1, 2027, with benefits available Jan. 3, 2028.
The program covers individuals who have worked at least 680 hours over the 12-month period immediately preceding leave and all employers, including governmental entities, that employ at least one person in the state. Note, employers with 15 or more employees only contribute to the paid family leave fund.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Eligible reasons to use Maryland’s paid family medical leave include:
Covered Family Member
Child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward, or individual that Covered Individual stands or stood in loco parentis; parent – biological, adoptive, foster, step, legal guardian, or person who stood in loco parentis of Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s spouse; Spouse of the Covered Individual; Domestic Partner of the Covered Individual; Grandparent – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual; Grandchild – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual; Sibling – biological, foster, adoptive or step of Covered Individual.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
12 weeks of benefits in an application year will be required in Maryland. An additional 12 weeks of benefits may be available if the covered employee takes leave for birth, adoption or placement of a child and then needs to take off for employee’s serious health condition that renders covered employee unable to perform the functions of their position.
Effective back in 2019, Massachusetts’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Law applies to employers whose services are localized or some part of service is performed in the state. Employees are covered when they have earned at least 30 times the weekly benefit rate in the last four completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the employee’s benefit year.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Massachusetts’s eligible reasons to use paid family leave include the following:
Covered Family Member
Spouse; Domestic Partner; Child – including biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward or child whom the covered individual stands in loco parentis; Parent – including in-law and person who stood in loco parentis to the covered individual as a child; Grandchild; Grandparent; or Sibling.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Massachusetts requires 12 weeks of family leave, 20 weeks of medical leave, and 26 weeks for a qualifying exigency relating to an active duty family member.
Minnesota Paid Leave was passed back in 2023 with both contributions starting and benefits available on Jan. 1, 2026.
A covered employee includes any individual who performs services for both private and public employers, with exceptions.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Minnesota’s eligible reasons to use Paid Leave include the following:
Covered Family Member
Spouse or domestic partner; Child, including a biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, or child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis, is a legal guardian or is a de facto parent; parent or legal guardian of the employee, including the biological, adoptive, de facto, or foster parent, stepparent, or legal guardian of an employee or the employee’s spouse, or an individual who stood in loco parentis to the employee when the employee was a child; sibling; grandchild; grandparent or spouse’s grandparent; son-in-law or daughter-in-law; an individual who has a relationship with the employee that creates an expectation and reliance that the employee care for the individual, whether or not the employee and the individual reside together.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Eligible individuals are entitled to a maximum of 12 weeks of family leave or 12 weeks of medical leave in one benefit year. If an employee uses both medical and family leave within a single benefit year, they are only entitled to an overall leave maximum of 20 weeks total for the benefit year.
New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance went into effect back in 2008.
Covered employers include both private and public businesses who are covered by the New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Law and subject to New Jersey’s Family Temporary Disability Leave.
Any employee, with limited exceptions, who has paid into the program through employment and meets the minimum gross earnings requirements is eligible for benefits.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
New Jersey’s eligible reasons to use paid family medical leave include:
Covered Family Member
Child, sibling, parent, grandparent, grandchild, spouse, domestic partner, civil union partner, parent-in-law, any other individual related by blood to the employee, and any other individual the employee shows to have a close association with the employee which is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Child includes: biological, adopted, foster, step or legal ward of a covered employee – includes child of domestic partner or civil union partner of employee or child who becomes child of employee pursuant to a valid written agreement between the parent and a gestational carrier.
Parent includes: biological, foster, adoptive, step parent of the covered individual or a person who was a legal guardian of the covered individual when the individual was a child or who became the parent of the covered individual pursuant to a valid written agreement between the parent and a gestational carrier.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Employees in New Jersey are entitled to 6 weeks for leave prior to July 1, 2020 but 12 weeks for leave beginning on or after July 1, 2020.
Back in 2016, New York’s Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits Law were put in place.
For disability benefits, covered employees are those who work for covered employers (one or more employees) for four or more consecutive weeks.
For family leave benefits, covered employees must work for a covered employer (one or more employees) for 26 or more consecutive weeks and work 20 or more hours. Note, employees who work less than 20 hours will be eligible after working 175 full days preceding their first full day of leave.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
New York’s eligible reasons to use paid family medical leave include:
Covered Family Member
Child – includes biological, adopted, foster, stepchild, legal ward, child of domestic partner or person whom employee stands in loco parentis; Domestic Partner; Parent – includes biological, foster, adoptive parent, parent-in-law, stepparent, legal guardian, or other person who stood in loco parentis to employee when employee was a child; Grandparent; Grandchild; Sibling – includes a biological or adopted sibling, half-sibling, or stepsibling.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Employees in New York are eligible for 12 weeks paid family leave during any 52 week calendar period.
Oregon’s Family and Medical Leave was in place on Sept. 29, 2019.
Employees are covered after they earn at least $1,000 in wages during the base year or alternate base year, with limited exceptions, at either a private or public employer with one or more employee.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Oregon allows employees to use paid family leave for the following reasons:
Covered Family Member
Child, including the child of a domestic partner and person standing in loco parentis, parent, legal guardian or ward, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, spouse or registered domestic partner (relationships include, biological, adoptive, step-relationships, in-law and foster care relationships); Spouse, domestic partner, parents, parent-in-law, parents of domestic partner, siblings, stepsibling of a covered individual, siblings or stepsiblings of employee’s spouse or domestic partner; Grandparent of a covered individual or grandparent’s spouse or domestic partner; Grandchild of a covered individual or the grandchild’s spouse or domestic partner; Any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with a covered individual is the equivalent of a family relationship.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
In Oregon, employees are entitled to 12 weeks of paid leave for any combination of family leave, medical leave, or safe time leave as well as up to 2 additional weeks for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.
The Rhode Island Temporary Disability / Caregiver Insurance took effect over 10 years ago, on Jan. 1, 2014.
Private employers with one or more employees and employees who are 16 years or older, earned sufficient wages during the base period to be eligible, and work for 7 or more consecutive days are covered.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Rhode Island employees may use paid family leave for the following:
Covered Family Member
Child – biological, adopted, foster, step, legal ward of employee, child of employee’s domestic partner, or child of employee who stands in loco parentis to that child; Parent – biological, foster, adoptive, step, in-law, legal guardian, or other person who stands in loco parentis to the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner when they were a child; Employee’s domestic partner or spouse; Grandparent – parent of employee’s parent; Sibling – biological siblings, half siblings, step siblings, foster siblings, and adopted siblings.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
Beginning January 1, 2026: employees are entitled to a maximum of 8 weeks of leave in a benefit year.
Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Law began on Oct. 19, 2017.
Employees who have worked at least 820 hours during the qualifying period and whose work is localized in Washington and all employers, except the federal government, are covered.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Employees in Washington are entitled to paid family and medical leave for the following:
Covered Family Member
Child – including biological, adopted, foster, step, child’s spouse, or child to whom employee stands in loco parentis, is a legal guardian or de facto parent, regardless of age or dependency status; Grandchild; Grandparent; Parent – including biological, adoptive, de facto, foster, step or legal guardian of an employee or employee’s spouse, an individual who stood in loco parentis to employee when employee was a child; Sibling; Spouse – including a husband, wife or state registered domestic partner; Individual who regularly resides in the employee’s home or where the relationship creates an expectation that the employee care for the person.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
In any benefit year, employees are allowed to take 12 weeks for family leave or medical leave. This may be extended to 14 weeks if the employee experiences a serious health condition with a pregnancy that results in a period of incapacity.
Up to 16 weeks of combined family and medical may be taken in any benefit year as well, which may be extended to 18 weeks if the employee experiences a serious health condition with a pregnancy that results in a period of incapacity.
Back in 2017, the District of Columbia’s Paid Family Leave began and covered private employers subject to the D.C. Unemployment Compensation Act.
Notably, an employee who spends more than 50% of work time for an employer working in D.C. or whose employment is based in D.C. where they regularly spend work time in D.C. (and not more than 50 % of work time in another jurisdiction) are eligible for benefits.
Eligible Reasons for Leave
Under D.C. Paid Family Leave, covered individuals may use the leave for the following:
Covered Family Member
Biological, adopted or foster son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, legal ward, son or daughter of a domestic partner, or a person to whom an eligible individual stands in loco parentis; Biological, foster, or adoptive parent, parent-in-law, stepparent, legal guardian, or other person who stood in loco parentis to an eligible individual when the eligible individual was a child; A person to whom an eligible individual is related by domestic partnership defined by D.C. Code 32-701(4) or by marriage; Grandparent of an eligible individual; Sibling of an eligible individual.
Weeks Allowed Per Type of Leave
D.C. provides that within a 52-workweek period, a covered individual is eligible for the following:
This Employment Law News blog is intended for market awareness only, it is not to be used for legal advice or counsel.
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