New York disability benefits in 2026: the statutory DBL check
New York's Disability Benefits Law pays workers who are ill, injured off the job or pregnant. The benefit is half of your wage, held under a weekly cap far below what any other state program pays.
New York Disability Benefits Law (DBL), your own illness, injury or pregnancy
$170
a week · $1,190 for 8 weeks
| Weekly benefit: program maximum | $170 |
| Average weekly wage used | $962 |
| Weeks paid (up to 26 weeks for this reason) | 7 weeks after a 7-day wait |
| Total for this leave | $1,190 |
| Federal income tax | depends on who paid the premiums |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $810 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 21 % |
New York: 50% of the average weekly wage of the last eight weeks, no more than $170 a week, for up to 26 weeks. New York averages the last eight weeks worked; the engine uses your regular weekly pay.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
New York disability benefits, paid under the Disability Benefits Law (DBL), replace 50 % of the average weekly wage of your last 8 weeks worked, but never more than $170 a week. The cap binds early: anyone earning more than about $17,680 a year receives the same $170, so a worker on $50,000 gets $170 rather than half of a weekly wage near $962. Only a very small paycheck, such as $15,000 a year, falls under the cap, at about $144 a week. The first 7 days are unpaid and benefits begin on the eighth consecutive day. They last up to 26 weeks in any 52 consecutive weeks. Employees contribute 0.5 % of wages, at most $0.60 a week. Compared with New York Paid Family Leave, which reaches $1,228.53, DBL is the thin part of the state's coverage.
A low cap that does most of the work
California, New Jersey and Hawaii publish a new disability maximum each year. New York's Workers' Compensation Board states the DBL maximum as $170 a week, citing section 204 of the Workers' Compensation Law (WCB, disability benefits for employees). With half of the weekly wage as the rule, the cap is reached at a weekly wage of $340, about $17,680 a year. Above that, every worker receives the same amount whatever the salary.
For a worker on $50,000, the gap is wide. Take-home pay is about $810 a week; DBL replaces 21 % of it. The same person bonding with a child under Paid Family Leave would receive $644.
DBL for your weeks off
New York Disability Benefits Law (DBL), your own illness, injury or pregnancy
$170
| Weekly benefit: program maximum | $170 |
| Average weekly wage used | $962 |
| Weeks paid (up to 26 weeks for this reason) | 7 weeks after a 7-day wait |
| Total for this leave | $1,190 |
Waiting period and length
No benefit is paid for the first 7 days of a disability; payments start on the eighth consecutive day (section 208). An absence of 8 weeks therefore pays 7 weeks, $1,190 at the cap. The longest a claim can run is 26 weeks within any 52 consecutive weeks (section 205).
Your plan may pay more
The law sets what disability coverage must pay at least, not the most it may pay. DBL is bought by your employer, and some company plans and union contracts replace a larger share of salary than the statutory half. Ask your HR office whether your coverage is the statutory plan or an enhanced one before you plan your budget around $170.
What employees pay
The deduction is 0.5 % of wages and may not exceed $0.60 a week (WCB, employer page), about $31 a year. It appears on pay stubs next to the Paid Family Leave deduction, which is larger.
Pregnancy and bonding in New York
For a birth, DBL covers the period your provider certifies as disability, before and after delivery. Bonding weeks are then claimed under New York Paid Family Leave. The maternity leave pay page shows the two together, and the disability insurance comparison shows how far New York sits below the other states.
Tax
Under Revenue Ruling 2025-4, a medical leave benefit is excluded from income for the part attributable to the worker's own contributions and taxable for the part attributable to employer contributions. With the employee share limited to $0.60 a week, part of a DBL check may be taxable; the statement from the carrier is the reference.
New York Disability Benefits Law (DBL): the 2026 figures
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Benefit rule | 50% of the average weekly wage of the last eight weeks, no more than $170 a week, for up to 26 weeks |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | up to $170 |
| Weeks: Own health or pregnancy | 26 |
| Unpaid waiting period: own health or pregnancy | 7 days |
| Employee premium, 2026 | 0.5% of wages, at most $0.60 a week |