Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)

Washington

Employment Security Division

Effective: 01/01/20
Last updated: 01/16/24

State website: www.paidleave.wa.gov

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Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WA PFML) Plan Details

Summary:
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State or voluntary plan: (self-insured).

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Mandatory coverage: For all Washington public and private employers, except the federal government and federally recognized tribes.

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Waiting period: Seven consecutive calendar days, beginning on the Sunday on or before the minimum eight consecutive hours of leave.

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Benefit duration: 12 weeks PML + two additional weeks for incapacity due to pregnancy + 12 weeks PFL + seven days bereavement.

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Total WA PFML combined maximum: 16 weeks or 18 weeks including incapacity due to pregnancy.

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Maximum benefit: $1,456.

 
Coverage details
  • State or voluntary (i.e., “private”) plan.
  • Voluntary plans may only be self-insured and must at least equal the provisions of the state plan.
  • An exemption must be filed and approved for the voluntary plan before the voluntary plan may go into effect.

Symetra offers ASO services for an employer’s self-funded voluntary plan for groups with 200 or more lives who also have our FMLA administration.

Covered employers
  • All employers with one or more eligible employees working in Washington are eligible, including state and municipal governments and agencies, but excluding the federal government, federally recognized tribes and self-employed individuals.
  • Federally recognized tribes and self-employed individuals can opt in.
  • Employers covered by a collective bargaining agreement in effect prior to 10/19/2017 are exempted from the plan, but may opt in.
Covered individuals

Covered individuals must have worked a minimum of 820 hours (about 16 hours/week) during the qualifying period (which is defined as the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters from the date leave began or the last four completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the application for leave), through one job or multiple jobs in Washington.

For voluntary plans, the individual must have worked at least 340 hours (of the 820 hours) for the current employer during the 12 months immediately preceding the date leave would begin, except if the employee moves from one employer to another and is covered under a voluntary plan for both employers, in which case the employee is immediately eligible under the new voluntary plan.

Contribution amount
  • State plan rate: The state plan rate is 0.74% of the covered individual’s Average Weekly Wage, capped at the Social Security maximum wage base, which is $168,600 for 2024.
  • The maximum amount the employee can pay under the state plan is about 71.43% of the total cost, as follows:
    • WA PFL: The cost for WA PFL is 48% of the total cost of the state plan; the covered individual can pay up to 100% cost.
    • WA PML: The cost for WA PML is 52% of the total cost under the state plan. The covered individual can pay up to 45% of the WA PML cost.
  • The employer pays remainder of the plan cost under the state plan.
  • An employee cannot be required to contribute more to their employer under a voluntary plan than they would have under the state plan.
  • Employers with fewer than 50 total employees do not have to contribute the employer portion of the WA PML contribution under the state plan.
  • The state plan rate will be adjusted annually on or around October 20th each year, to be effective on the next January 1st, subject to a maximum rate cap of 1.20% of Average Weekly Wage.
Waiting period
  • Seven consecutive calendar days.
  • The waiting period starts on the Sunday prior to the covered individual’s first day of leave and ends on the next Saturday.
  • The covered individual must take a minimum of eight consecutive hours of leave before the waiting period is satisfied (if an employee typically works shifts of less than eight hours, an employee can meet this requirement when they’ve missed eight consecutive hours in a week in which they would have been scheduled).
  • Only one waiting period per benefit year, regardless of the number of leaves.
  • No waiting period for WA PFL for bonding, military exigencies, or bereavement, or for WA PML for birth of a child.
Benefit calculation
  • 90% of the employee’s Average Weekly Wage that is equal to or less than 50% of the State Average Weekly Wage; PLUS
  • 50% of the employee’s Average Weekly Wage that is more than 50% of the State Average Weekly Wage, up to the Maximum Weekly Benefit.
Maximum weekly benefit amount

$1,456.

Minimum weekly benefit
amount

$100 (or the covered individual’s Average Weekly Wage if less than $100/week).

Other income amount offsets

Benefits are reduced by other income amounts as follows:

  • 100% backdoor offsets with “Supplemental Benefit Payments” (payments designated by the employer as such which can include, but are not limited to, what we often refer to as “accrued paid leave” such as salary continuation, vacation leave, sick leave, or other paid time off).
  • Direct offsets for other payments not designated as “supplemental benefit payments.”

Note that workers' compensation and unemployment insurance are considered exclusions and thus are not payable at same time as WA PFML (and thus are not an offset).

Maximum duration: Medical leave

12 weeks, plus up to two additional weeks for incapacity due to pregnancy related condition.

Maximum duration: Family leave

12 weeks.

Maximum duration – bereavement leave

The first seven calendar days beginning the day after the death of a qualified family member for whom the employee would have qualified for WA PML for birth or for WA PFL to bond within the 12 months after the birth, adoption or placement.

Maximum duration: Combined medical and family leave, including bereavement leave

16 weeks (or up to 18 weeks if two additional weeks for incapacity due to pregnancy-related condition is required) in a benefit year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Important Information:

 

 

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Symetra assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or timeliness of any information provided herein. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. We recommend employers speak with legal counsel specializing in labor and employment law to ensure compliance with applicable PFML and PFL mandates.

The information on this page was updated as of September 2024.