Washington paid family and medical leave in 2026
Washington's PFML pays for your own serious health condition, for bonding with a new child and for caring for a relative, from one program with a shared yearly limit. Enter your pay and reason.
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave, bonding with a new child
$1,231
a week · $14,777 for 12 weeks
| Weekly benefit | $1,231 |
| Average weekly wage used | $1,731 |
| Weeks paid (up to 12 weeks for this reason) | 12 weeks |
| Total for this leave | $14,777 |
| Federal income tax on it, about | $3,251 |
| Your take-home pay now, a week | $1,373 |
| Share of take-home pay replaced | 90 % before tax |
Washington: 90% of the weekly wage up to half the state average weekly wage, plus 50% of the part above, up to $1,647 a week in 2026. The engine averages your two highest quarters, the method Washington uses for most workers.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the estimates are built · state laws and agency pages read October 20, 2026
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave replaces 90 % of your weekly wage up to half of the state average weekly wage, $915, and 50 % of the part above, with a maximum of $1,647 a week in 2026 and a minimum of $100. Only wages above about $2,562 a week hit the ceiling. Someone paid $48,000 a year would see roughly $828 weekly, and a $90,000 salary roughly $1,231. Medical and family leave are capped at 12 weeks apiece, with a claim-year total of 16 weeks, or 18 when a pregnancy complication causes incapacity. A waiting week of 7 days applies to medical and caregiving leave, not to bonding after a birth or placement, so 12 weeks of bonding at $90,000 pay $14,777. Premiums total 1.13 % of wages up to $184,500, and employees cover 71.43 % of it. The maximum is set to reach $1,727 for claims filed from January 1, 2027, a figure still to come.
Two slices of your wage
The benefit is the sum of two parts (RCW 50A.15.020). The first part is 90 % of your average weekly wage up to half of the state average weekly wage. If you earn more than that, the second part adds 50 % of the difference. A worker with a weekly wage of $915 or less receives 90 % of it; a worker at $1,731 a week receives $1,231, about 71 % of gross pay and 90 % of take-home pay. The agency averages the two highest quarters of your base period for most workers; the calculator does the same.
Medical, bonding or caregiving
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave, caring for a seriously ill relative
$1,231
| Weekly benefit | $1,231 |
| Average weekly wage used | $1,731 |
| Weeks paid (up to 12 weeks for this reason) | 3 weeks after a 7-day wait |
| Total for this leave | $3,694 |
12 weeks each, 16 in all
Medical leave and family leave each allow up to 12 weeks in a claim year, and together they stop at 16 (Washington Paid Leave). The combined limit matters most around a birth. A mother who needs weeks of medical leave before and after delivery uses part of the 16, and the bonding weeks that follow fill what remains. When a pregnancy complication makes her unable to work, the combined total goes up to 18 weeks.
Which leaves have a waiting week
The statute imposes a waiting period of the first 7 consecutive calendar days, then exempts leave for the birth or placement of a child and leave for a qualifying military exigency. So bonding is paid from the first day, while medical leave and caring for a relative start after the waiting week: 4 weeks of caregiving at $90,000 pay $3,694, for 3 paid weeks.
The premium and who pays it
For 2026 the total premium is 1.13 % of gross wages, excluding tips, up to the Social Security cap of $184,500 (Paid Leave premium page). Employees pay 71.43 % of that premium, and employers with 50 or more employees pay up to 28.57 %. A worker earning $90,000 contributes about $726 in the year.
2027: a higher cap to come
The Employment Security Department has announced that the maximum will be $1,727 for new claims filed on or after January 1, 2027 (ESD news release). Until then, claims are paid under the 2026 cap of $1,647. Washington has no state income tax, but family leave benefits are federal income under Revenue Ruling 2025-4; see the paid leave tax page.
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave: the 2026 figures
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Benefit rule | 90% of the weekly wage up to half the state average weekly wage, plus 50% of the part above, up to $1,647 a week in 2026 |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | $100 to $1,647 |
| Weeks: Own health or pregnancy | 12 |
| Weeks: Bonding with a new child | 12 |
| Weeks: Caring for a relative | 12 |
| Weeks: All reasons together | 16 |
| Weeks: With a pregnancy complication | 18 |
| Unpaid waiting period: own health or pregnancy | 7 days |
| Unpaid waiting period: caring for a relative | 7 days |
| Unpaid waiting period: bonding with a new child | none |
| Employee premium, 2026 | 0.807% of wages up to $184,500 (71.43% of the 1.13% premium) |
| Official calculator | paidleave.wa.gov |