Washington D.C. Paid Family Leave

In Force as of July 1, 2020
Benefit Overview

Covered Leaves and Durations

The total amount of leave time available in a 52-week period is eight weeks.

Leave TypeCovered LeaveMaximum Leave Duration
Medical
  • Leave taken by a covered individual due to their own serious health condition
12 weeks
Family
  • Care for a family member with a serious health condition
12 weeks
  • Bond with a new child after birth, adoption or foster care placement
12 weeks

Weekly Benefit Amount

Employees can receive up to 90% of their average weekly wage for a covered leave, up to a maximum of $1,049 per week in 2023.

Waiting Period

There is a seven-day waiting period for benefits.

Intermittent Leaves

Employees can take leave intermittently or all at once. Intermittent leaves must be taken in one-day increments.

 

All information on this page is subject to change as state requirements change.

 Who's Covered

Covered Employees

CoveredNot CoveredOptional

Covered employees must:

  • Work for a participating employer
  • Spend more than 50% of their work time in the District of Columbia
  • Have worked for a participating employer in the previous 52 calendar weeks before taking leave
  • An employee receiving unemployment benefits or long-term disability payments
  • Self-employed individuals

Family Members

Covered employees may take family leave to care for a:

  • Child
  • Domestic partner
  • Parent
  • Sibling
  • Grandparent
 How it Works

Plan Options

There's no private plan option for Washington D.C. PFL. Employers must participate in the district's program. However, the district allows private plans that would supplement its PFL program.

Funding

Employers fund the district's PFL through an additional 0.26% employer payroll tax. There's no wage-based limit, and contributions are paid quarterly. There's no wage-based limit, and contributions are paid quarterly.

Addtional Information Employers Need to Know

All employers — including private sector, non-profit and household — who pay the district's unemployment insurance tax must participate. Unlike some other states, employers that contract workers through staffing or temp agencies must also participate.

D.C. PFL Notification Requirements

Paid family leave notices must be posted in clearly visible places at the workplace.

More Information

Visit the Washington D.C. Paid Family Leave page for more information.

You can also visit The Standard’s Relatively Speaking blog to stay updated on the latest PFML news.

 

All information on this page is subject to change as state requirements change.

 Legislative Activity
March 11, 2022

Effective July 1, 2022, the benefit period will be 12 weeks for parental, 12 weeks for family, 12 weeks for own medical, and two weeks for pre-natal. The overall maximum will be 12 weeks per year. Employer payroll tax will decrease from 0.62% to 0.26%. Effective July 1, 2022, the benefit period will be 12 weeks for parental, 12 weeks for family, 12 weeks for own medical, and two weeks for pre-natal. The overall maximum will be 12 weeks per year. Employer payroll tax will decrease from 0.62% to 0.26%.