Overview of the Update
On October 29, 2025, the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) announced updates to the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. Effective January 1, 2026, Washington’s family leave insurance premium rate will increase from 0.92% to 1.13%. Additional legislative updates impacting employer responsibilities and employee benefits are also scheduled to take effect at the same time.
The full details will be made available on the ESD website in December 2025.
What Employers Need to Know
Premium Contributions
Employers with 50 or more employees must pay 28.57% of the total premium, while employees pay the remaining 71.43%.
Employers with fewer than 50 employees are not required to pay the employer portion but must still withhold and remit the employee portion.
The wage base for Washington’s Paid Leave program aligns with the federal Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) wage base, which will be $184,500 for 2026.
Employee Notification
Employers are required to notify employees that the new premium rate applies to wages paid on or after January 1, 2026.
An updated mandatory workplace poster—available in both English and Spanish—will be included in the employer toolkit in December.
You can access the employer toolkit and related materials here:
Employer Roles and Responsibilities – Washington Paid Leave
Employee Eligibility Notices
If an employee notifies you of a qualifying event that may make them eligible for Paid Leave, employers must provide the state-issued notice within five days.
Download the required notice here:
Paid Leave Employee Notification Form (PDF)
Key Legislative Updates Effective January 1, 2026
The ESD will release new resources as they become available. Here’s what’s changing:
Job Protection: Expanded job protection for employees taking Paid Leave from employers with 25 or more employees.
Health Care Benefits: Clarified rules on maintaining health care benefits during job-protected Paid Leave.
Paid Leave and FMLA Concurrence: Guidance on managing job protection when employees qualify for both Paid Leave and FMLA.
Weekly Claim Minimums: Reduced the minimum time an employee must miss in a week to qualify for benefits—from 8 hours to 4 hours.
Small Business Assistance Grants: Expanded access to grants helping small employers cover costs related to employee leave.
Additional Resources
Employer Resources Page: https://paidleave.wa.gov/employers/
Employer’s Paid Leave Benefits Toolkit: Download PDF
Estimate Your Paid Leave Premium: https://paidleave.wa.gov/estimate-your-paid-leave-payments/
Sign Up for ESD Email Updates: Subscribe Here
Contact Information
Washington Employment Security Department
Phone: (833) 717-2273
Email: paidleave@esd.wa.gov
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