Maternity leave pay in 2026: what each state pays around a birth
A birth usually draws on two benefits: disability pay for the end of pregnancy and recovery, then family leave to bond with the baby. Choose your state and enter your pay and the weeks your provider certifies.
Paid time off for a birth in California
$17,654
18 weeks paid in all
| SDI: pregnancy and recovery, 10 weeks | $9,346 |
| PFL: bonding, 8 weeks | $8,308 |
| Weekly benefit | $1,038 |
Disability pay for the birth and family leave for bonding come from two programs here, each with its own maximum.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
In the United States, maternity leave pay comes from state programs, not from federal law, and only in the states that run them. A birth parent usually receives two benefits in a row: a disability or medical leave benefit for the weeks a provider certifies before and after the delivery, then family leave for bonding. With $60,000 of steady pay and 10 weeks of certified disability, for example 4 before and 6 after the birth, the total runs from about $10,784 in Colorado to $20,596 in New Jersey. California pays $17,654: $9,346 of SDI after a 7-day wait, then 8 weeks of family leave. Where one program pays both and caps weeks for all reasons, the bonding time shrinks: in Washington, the combined limit of 16 weeks leaves 6 weeks of bonding after 10 medical weeks. Hawaii pays the disability part only. Bonding benefits are federal taxable income; the disability part is excluded for the share you funded.
Two benefits, one after the other
Pregnancy and childbirth count as a disability, or a serious health condition, in every state program. The weeks your provider certifies, typically some time before the due date and a recovery period after it, are paid by the disability side: SDI in California, TDI in New Jersey, Rhode Island and Hawaii, DBL in New York, or the medical leave of a combined program. Once recovery ends, bonding with the baby is family leave. The other parent has no disability period, but can usually claim bonding weeks on their own wages.
Your birth, your state
Paid time off for a birth in New Jersey
$20,596
| TDI: pregnancy and recovery, 10 weeks | $8,827 |
| FLI: bonding, 12 weeks | $11,769 |
| Weekly benefit | $981 |
State by state at $60,000 a year
| State | Pregnancy and recovery | Bonding | Limit for both | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | SDI: $9,346 for 10 wk | PFL: $8,308 for 8 wk | separate programs | $17,654 |
| New York | DBL: $1,530 for 10 wk | PFL: $9,277 for 12 wk | separate programs | $10,807 |
| New Jersey | TDI: $8,827 for 10 wk | FLI: $11,769 for 12 wk | separate programs | $20,596 |
| Rhode Island | TDI: $6,237 for 10 wk | TCI: $5,544 for 8 wk | separate programs | $11,781 |
| Hawaii | TDI: $6,023 for 10 wk | no state program | separate programs | $6,023 |
| Washington | PFML: $8,486 for 10 wk | PFML: $5,658 for 6 wk | 16 weeks | $14,144 |
| Massachusetts | PFML: $7,788 for 10 wk | PFML: $9,518 for 12 wk | 26 weeks | $17,306 |
| Connecticut | CT Paid Leave: $9,295 for 10 wk | CT Paid Leave: $1,859 for 2 wk | 12 weeks | $11,154 |
| Oregon | Paid Leave Oregon: $10,352 for 10 wk | Paid Leave Oregon: $4,141 for 4 wk | 14 weeks | $14,493 |
| Colorado | FAMLI: $8,987 for 10 wk | FAMLI: $1,797 for 2 wk | 12 weeks | $10,784 |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Paid Leave: $9,323 for 10 wk | Minnesota Paid Leave: $9,323 for 10 wk | 20 weeks | $18,646 |
| Delaware | Delaware Paid Leave: $5,400 for 6 wk | Delaware Paid Leave: $5,400 for 6 wk | 12 weeks | $10,800 |
| Maine | Maine PFML: $9,114 for 10 wk | Maine PFML: $1,823 for 2 wk | 12 weeks | $10,937 |
| District of Columbia | DC PFL: $10,185 for 10 wk | DC PFL: $12,222 for 12 wk | see program page | $22,407, if both apply |
The states where one law pays both medical and family leave are the ones to read closely. Massachusetts's limit of 26 weeks leaves room for a full recovery and full bonding; Delaware pays only 6 medical weeks and 12 weeks in all. Where disability and family leave are separate programs, as in California, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, each has its own maximum; Rhode Island counts its caregiver weeks inside the 30 weeks of its benefit year. For DC, the DC page lists the leave types; how they combine around a birth was not read on the agency pages, so the total assumes both apply.
Extra weeks for complications
Several programs add weeks when pregnancy or childbirth causes complications or incapacity: Washington up to 18, Connecticut up to 14, Oregon up to 14, Colorado up to 16. Oregon extends its limit for anyone pregnant or who gave birth in the past year, which the table includes; elsewhere the extra weeks require a certified complication and are not counted above.
Pay in the quarters before the birth
Every amount above assumes steady pay. California, Rhode Island and Minnesota compute the benefit from your best quarter, Washington, Massachusetts and Colorado from your two best, and New York from your most recent weeks. A parent who cut hours late in the pregnancy, or who started a new job during the year, can receive less than these figures; one who had a strong quarter can receive more. Enter your best quarter under More options in the calculator to see the difference. Adoptive and foster parents, and the parent who did not give birth, have no disability period: their benefit is the bonding column alone, on their own wages.
Job protection is a separate question
None of these benefits hold your job by themselves. The federal FMLA protects up to twelve weeks for eligible employees, and some state laws add more; the FMLA and paid leave page explains who is covered. Check with your employer before the birth which law applies and whether an employer policy pays on top of the state benefit.
Tax on the two parts
The bonding benefit is federal taxable income under Revenue Ruling 2025-4. The disability part is excluded to the extent it comes from your own contributions, which makes worker-funded programs such as California's SDI and Rhode Island's TDI largely tax free, and taxable for the share funded by an employer. The paid leave tax page goes through the split.