Paid family leave · Washington · 2026
Washington paid family leave for new parents (2026)
Washington pays up to 12 weeks of bonding leave for a new child in 2026, up to $1,647 a week. Washington pays 90% of weekly wages up to $915, plus 50% of wages above that, up to the $1,647 cap.
Key facts
| Program | Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave |
|---|---|
| Status | paying benefits since 2020 |
| Bonding weeks for a new child | 12 |
| How the benefit is figured | Washington pays 90% of weekly wages up to $915, plus 50% of wages above that |
| Weekly maximum | $1,647 (minimum $100) |
| Job protection | Yes from 2026-01-01 if employer has 25+ workers and employee has worked there 180 days (6 months)+ |
| Employee payroll cost | Total premium 1.13% of gross wages up to $184,500; employees pay 71.43% of premium (~0.807% of wages) |
| Figures in effect | claims filed 2026-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (2027: max $1,727 on SAWW $1,919) |
Estimate your own benefit
Enter your pay in the baby budget calculator to see your estimated weekly benefit, the pay gap during leave and what child care costs in Washington after you go back. Child care prices: Washington infant care.
Sources: app.leg.wa.gov, esd.wa.gov, esd.wa.gov, paidleave.wa.gov, paidleave.wa.gov.
Last verified October 5, 2026 against official sources: Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave.
Cite this page: This Mom, “Washington Paid Family Leave (2026)”, thismom.com/paid-family-leave/washington/ (updated ). Data free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to the page.