DC Paid Family Leave after the October 2026 changes
The District of Columbia cut its paid leave program on October 1, 2026: a lower weekly cap and fewer weeks for two of the four leave types. Here is what a claim pays now.
DC Paid Family Leave, bonding with a new child
$1,100
a week · $13,200 for 12 weeks
| Weekly benefit: program maximum | $1,100 |
| Average weekly wage used | $1,538 |
| Weeks paid (up to 12 weeks for this reason) | 12 weeks |
| Total for this leave | $13,200 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $2,408 |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $1,252 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 88 % before tax |
District of Columbia: 90% of the weekly wage up to 150% of 40 hours at the DC minimum wage ($1,104), plus 50% above, capped at $1,100 a week from October 1, 2026. The engine divides your yearly pay by 52.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
Since October 1, 2026, DC Paid Family Leave pays at most $1,100 a week for every type of claim, down from $1,190. The formula did not change: 90 % of your average weekly wage up to 150 % of 40 hours at the District minimum wage of $18.40, which is $1,104, plus 50 % of the part above. Because the new cap is lower than that threshold would allow, it now binds at an average weekly wage of about $1,317, roughly $68,474 a year. At $45,000 a year the benefit is about $779 a week; at $80,000, the cap. The weeks changed too. Medical leave went from 12 to 10 weeks and family leave from 12 to 6, while parental leave stays at 12 weeks and prenatal leave at 2. Workers pay nothing: employers fund the program with 0.75 % of wages.
What changed on October 1, 2026
The Department of Employment Services lists the changes side by side (DC Paid Family Leave program updates):
| Item | Before | From October 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly benefit maximum | $1,190 | $1,100 |
| Medical leave | 12 weeks | 10 weeks |
| Family leave (caring for a relative) | 12 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Parental leave | 12 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Prenatal leave | 2 weeks | 2 weeks |
Family leave took the largest cut. A worker earning $80,000 who cares for a seriously ill parent could previously receive about $14,280 over 12 weeks; the same leave now pays $6,600 over 6 weeks. Parents of a new child keep the full 12 weeks, though at the lower cap.
DC leave under the new rules
DC Paid Family Leave, caring for a seriously ill relative
$1,100
| Weekly benefit: program maximum | $1,100 |
| Average weekly wage used | $1,538 |
| Weeks paid (up to 6 weeks for this reason) | 6 weeks |
| Total for this leave | $6,600 |
A cap below the formula's own line
The formula in the D.C. Code pays 90 % of the average weekly wage up to 150 % of the minimum wage times 40, and 50 % above it (D.C. Code § 32-541.04). With a minimum wage of $18.40 that line is $1,104, and 90 % of it is $994. The new cap of $1,100 sits only a little above, so the 50 % tier now adds at most $106 before the cap stops it. In practice the program has become a 90 % benefit with a ceiling, reached at about $1,317 a week. The District's own calculator uses the same minimum wage (DC benefits calculator).
Around a birth
A pregnancy can involve three of the four leave types. Prenatal leave, 2 weeks, covers prenatal care before the birth. Medical leave, now 10 weeks, covers recovery when a provider certifies it. Parental leave, still 12 weeks, pays for bonding with the child, and is the one type the changes left untouched apart from the cap. The maternity leave pay page adds the amounts for a given salary; the calculator above lets you switch between reasons to see each one.
Employers pay, workers do not
DC is the only program on this site funded by employers alone, with no employee contribution at all. Covered employers pay 0.75 % of each covered employee's wages (D.C. Code § 32-541.03). Nothing should appear on your pay stub for paid family leave.
Tax follows the funding
Under Revenue Ruling 2025-4, family and parental benefits are federal taxable income. Medical leave benefits are excluded only for the part attributable to employee contributions; since DC workers contribute nothing, a DC medical leave benefit is attributable to employer contributions. The paid leave tax page explains the rule, and the Maryland page covers the program coming next door.
DC Paid Family Leave: the 2026 figures
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Benefit rule | 90% of the weekly wage up to 150% of 40 hours at the DC minimum wage ($1,104), plus 50% above, capped at $1,100 a week from October 1, 2026 |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | up to $1,100 |
| Weeks: Own health or pregnancy | 10 |
| Weeks: Bonding with a new child | 12 |
| Weeks: Caring for a relative | 6 |
| Weeks: Prenatal care | 2 |
| Employee premium, 2026 | employer-funded (0.75% of wages) |
| Official calculator | dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov |