Paid Family Leave Benefit Calculator
Estimate your weekly paid family or medical leave benefit by state, see your total payout over the leave, and size the gap against normal pay.
Paid Family Leave Benefit Calculator
State Where You Work
marks the 13 states plus DC that pay benefits in 2026. Benefits follow the state you physically work in.
Pay Entered As
Gross wages before deductions. Every state sets your benefit from its own base period, so this is an estimate of your average weekly wage.
Type of Leave
Family leave covers bonding with a new child or caring for a seriously ill relative. Medical leave covers your own illness, injury, or pregnancy recovery.
Weeks of Leave You Plan to Take
Optional: employer top-up and your normal take-home
Employer top-up per week
Salary continuation, a PTO top-up, or any employer supplement paid on top of the state benefit.
Your normal weekly take-home
Leave this blank and the income gap is measured against your gross weekly pay instead. Get the exact figure from the hourly paycheck calculator.
Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or benefits advice. Your actual weekly benefit is set by your state agency from your official base-period wage records, which may differ from the wages you enter here.
No State Benefit
What the nearest paying states would pay you
Comparison only. You can claim a state benefit only where you actually work.
Your Income During Leave
Program Details
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2026 paid family leave weekly benefits by state
Thirteen states plus the District of Columbia pay a wage-replacement benefit while you are on family or medical leave in 2026. Three of those programs are new: Minnesota and Delaware started paying on January 1, 2026, and Maine on May 1, 2026.
Every program works roughly the same way. It replaces a percentage of your average weekly wage, pays a higher percentage on the first slice than on the rest, and caps the weekly dollar amount. The cap is what most people run into.
| Jurisdiction | Replacement formula | Max weekly | Family weeks | Medical weeks | Benefit-year window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 90% of AWW, then the greater of 70% of AWW or 63% of the state average weekly wage | $1,765.00 | 8 (PFL) | 52 (SDI) | Claims beginning in calendar 2026 |
| Colorado | 90% up to $804.46/wk, then 50% | $1,448.02 | 12 (16 with complications) | 12 (shared bank) | Benefit years from July 1, 2026 |
| Connecticut | 95% up to $677.60/wk, then 60% | $1,016.40 | 12 (14 with pregnancy incapacity) | 12 (shared bank) | Calendar 2026 |
| Delaware | 80% of AWW, flat, rounded up to an even dollar | $900.00 | 12 parental, 6 caregiving | 6 per 24 months | 2026 and 2027 (cap fixed) |
| District of Columbia | 90% up to $1,104.00/wk, then 50% | $1,190.00 | 12 (plus 2 prenatal) | 12 | Through September 30, 2026 |
| Hawaii (TDI) | 58% of AWW, wages above $1,500.21/wk excluded | $871.00 | No family program | 26 | Calendar 2026 |
| Maine | 90% up to $624.56/wk, then 66%, each tier rounded up | $1,249.12 | 12 (shared bank) | 12 (shared bank) | Leave starting from July 1, 2026 |
| Massachusetts | 80% up to $961.24/wk, then 50% | $1,230.39 | 12 | 20 (26 servicemember care) | Benefit years starting in 2026 |
| Minnesota | 90% up to $711.50/wk, 66% to $1,423, then 55% | $1,423.00 | 12 | 12 (20 combined) | Through the last Sunday in October 2026 |
| New Jersey | 85% of AWW, flat | $1,119.00 | 12 (FLI) | 26 (TDI) | Calendar 2026 |
| New York (PFL) | 67% of AWW | $1,228.53 | 12 | See DBL | Calendar 2026 |
| New York (DBL) | 50% of AWW | $170.00 | No family arm | 26 in any 52 weeks | Not indexed, unchanged since 1989 |
| Oregon | 100% up to $916.58/wk, then 50% | $1,692.16 | 12 shared (14 with pregnancy) | 12 (shared bank) | Benefit years from June 28, 2026 |
| Rhode Island | 4.62% of your highest-quarter wages | $1,150.00 ($1,552.00 with 5 dependents) | 8 (TCI) | 30 (TDI) | Benefit years from July 1, 2026 |
| Washington | 90% up to $915.00/wk, then 50%, rounded down | $1,647.00 | 12 | 12 (16 to 18 combined) | Calendar 2026 |
Six jurisdictions do not reset on January 1. Oregon changes for benefit years beginning on or after the last Sunday in June, Colorado, Maine and Rhode Island on July 1, DC on October 1, and Minnesota on the last Sunday in October. Most benefit comparison pages treat every cap as an annual January figure, which is why you will still see Oregon quoted at its old $1,636.56.
Maryland and Virginia have enacted programs that pay nothing yet: Maryland benefits begin January 1, 2028, and Virginia applications open December 1, 2028. New Hampshire and Vermont run voluntary opt-in insurance, and Illinois and Michigan mandate employer-funded paid time off rather than a state fund. In the remaining 36 states there is no state benefit at all, though FMLA may still give you 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave.
How your weekly benefit is actually worked out
Your state does not use the pay stub in your hand. It uses a base period, and there are three families of them.
Highest-quarter states. California and Rhode Island find your best calendar quarter in the base period and work from that. California divides it by 13 to get a weekly figure. Rhode Island skips the weekly step entirely and takes 4.62% of the quarter.
Last-eight-weeks states. New York averages your final eight weeks of pay before leave starts, including bonuses and commissions, and uses whichever eight-week window gives the higher number. A recent bonus raises a New York benefit in a way this calculator will not capture.
Multi-quarter base-period states. Everyone else uses the first four of the last five completed quarters, or a variation on it. Washington and Connecticut take the two highest quarters and divide by 26. DC divides the highest four of five quarters by 52. Minnesota applies its brackets to your high quarter rather than to a plain average, which is why a year with one big quarter produces a bigger benefit there than the annual total suggests.
The advertised percentage is a starting percentage
Most programs are tiered. The headline rate covers only wages below a breakpoint; a lower rate takes over above it. Washington replaces 90% of the first $915 a week and 50% of everything above. So a worker on $1,500 a week gets $823.50 plus $292.50, or $1,116, which is 74% of pay rather than 90%.
Then the cap bites. A Massachusetts worker earning $3,000 a week is quoted 80%, but the state maximum is $1,230.39, so the real replacement is 41%. High earners hit that ceiling in every jurisdiction, and the more you earn, the further below the advertised rate you land.
The benefit is the payout side of a payroll deduction you are probably already making.
Closing the gap between your benefit and your normal pay
No state replaces 100% of a typical wage for a full leave. Planning the shortfall is the part official state calculators leave out.
Employer top-up. Many employers add salary continuation or a supplement on top of the state benefit. Combined pay generally cannot exceed 100% of your normal wages, and some programs reduce the state benefit dollar for dollar when supplemental pay overlaps the same week. Check the rule before you count on the total.
PTO stacking. Using accrued vacation or sick time to fill the gap is common and usually allowed. A 2025 US Department of Labor opinion says employers in state paid leave jurisdictions cannot require you to burn PTO concurrently, so it should be your choice. Work out what you have banked with the PTO accrual calculator, or price out cashing it in instead with the PTO payout calculator.
Weeks past the state maximum. If you plan 16 weeks off in a 12-week state, four of those weeks pay nothing from the state. Colorado, Connecticut, Oregon and Washington all add extension weeks for pregnancy or childbirth complications, so ask about those before assuming the plain ceiling applies to you.
Run the shortfall through your actual budget with the disposable income calculator, and if you need to work backwards from a target net figure, the reverse paycheck calculator will get you there.
Taxes on paid family leave benefits
IRS Rev. Rul. 2025-4 settled how these benefits are treated, and it splits by benefit type and by who funded the contribution.
Family leave benefits paid by a state are included in your federal gross income under section 61, but they are not wages for Social Security or Medicare. The state issues a Form 1099 when payments reach $600 or more for the year.
Medical leave benefits split. The portion attributable to employer contributions is included in gross income and is treated as wages for federal employment tax. The portion attributable to your own contributions is excluded from income under section 104(a)(3).
Transition relief is still live. IRS Notice 2026-06 extended the Rev. Rul. 2025-4 transition period through calendar year 2026. For medical leave benefits paid in 2026, a state or employer is not required to apply the third-party sick pay withholding and reporting rules to the employer-funded portion, and will not face the related penalties. That is why your 2026 forms may not match the rules above.
Most states do not withhold federal income tax from your benefit unless you ask them to, so set money aside if the payments are taxable to you. The contributions you paid in are treated as a state income tax under section 164(a)(3) and are deductible in the year withheld, but only if you itemize and only within the SALT cap. State tax treatment varies: California, for instance, does not report PFL benefits for state tax purposes.
For how the deduction side shows up on your stub, read State Paycheck Deductions Explained: PFML, FAMLI and SUI 2026.
Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or benefits advice. Your actual weekly benefit is determined by your state agency using your official base-period wage records, which may differ from the wages you enter here. Benefit maximums and formulas change (several states reset mid-year) and eligibility rules vary. Confirm with your state program before making financial decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about paid family leave benefit calculator
How much does paid family leave pay?
Between roughly 50% and 100% of your average weekly wage, depending on the state and how much you earn. Lower earners get the highest percentage: Oregon replaces 100% of wages below $916.58 a week, Connecticut 95%, and Washington, Colorado, Maine and Minnesota 90%. Every state then caps the weekly dollar amount, from Hawaii TDI at $871 and New York DBL at $170 up to Oregon at $1,692.16 and California at $1,765.
Which states pay paid family leave benefits in 2026?
Thirteen states plus the District of Columbia: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii (medical only), Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and DC. Maryland has a program on the books but pays nothing until January 1, 2028, and Virginia not until December 2028. New Hampshire and Vermont run voluntary opt-in insurance plans, not mandatory wage replacement. Illinois and Michigan require employer-funded paid time off instead of a state fund. The other 36 states have no state paid leave benefit.
Is paid family leave taxable?
Family leave benefits paid by a state are included in your federal gross income but are not wages for Social Security or Medicare, and the state issues a Form 1099 when payments reach $600. Medical leave benefits split by who funded the contribution: the portion tied to employer contributions is taxable income, the portion tied to your own contributions is excluded. That is IRS Rev. Rul. 2025-4. Notice 2026-06 extended the transition relief through calendar 2026, so states and employers are not yet required to apply the third-party sick pay withholding rules to the employer-funded medical portion.
Can I use PTO or vacation to top up my paid leave?
Usually yes, and the combined total generally cannot exceed 100% of your normal pay. Some states reduce the state benefit dollar for dollar when supplemental pay overlaps, so check your program rules before you stack. A 2025 US Department of Labor opinion also says employers in state paid leave jurisdictions cannot require you to burn PTO concurrently with FMLA leave. Work out how much PTO you have with the PTO accrual calculator.
Can I get paid family leave and FMLA at the same time?
Yes, and they usually run concurrently. FMLA is the federal job protection law: up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if you and your employer qualify. The state program is the money. One gives you a job to come back to, the other replaces part of your wages. DC is the exception worth knowing: its paid leave program pays benefits but carries no job protection of its own.
How is my average weekly wage calculated for paid leave?
It falls into three families. Highest-quarter states (California and Rhode Island) take your best calendar quarter and divide by 13. New York looks only at your last eight weeks of pay, including bonuses and commissions. Everyone else works from a multi-quarter base period, usually the first four of the last five completed quarters, and several take only the two highest quarters. Because this calculator works from your current pay, it is an estimate: your state uses your official wage records.
Why is my benefit less than the percentage my state advertises?
Because you hit the weekly cap. Massachusetts advertises 80%, but a worker earning $3,000 a week receives $1,230.39, an effective replacement of 41%. Tiered states also drop to a lower percentage above a breakpoint, so the headline rate only applies to the first slice of your wages. The calculator flags it when your result is capped and shows the replacement rate you actually get.
When do state paid leave benefit amounts change?
Most reset January 1, but six jurisdictions do not. Oregon changes for benefit years beginning on or after the last Sunday in June, Colorado, Maine and Rhode Island on July 1, DC on October 1, and Minnesota on the last Sunday in October. Your amount is generally locked to the date your leave starts, not the date you apply, so a claim that begins before a reset keeps the old figure for the whole benefit year.