Paid sick leave covers the sniffles; Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) covers the big life events — a new child, a serious personal illness, or caring for a gravely ill family member — with partial wage replacement for weeks at a time. Unlike sick leave, which is a state-by-state scatter, PFML has consolidated into a clear cohort of 13 states plus Washington DC with mandatory programs as of 2026.
The 13 Mandatory PFML States + DC (2026)
| State / DC | Funding model | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|
| California | Social insurance (since 2004) | Active |
| New Jersey | Social insurance (since 2009) | Active |
| New York | Private insurance mandate | Active |
| Rhode Island | Social insurance (TDI since 1942) | Active |
| Washington | Social insurance | Active |
| Massachusetts | Social insurance | Active |
| Connecticut | Social insurance | Active |
| Oregon | Social insurance | Active |
| Colorado | Social insurance | Active |
| Delaware | Social insurance | Benefits from Jan 1, 2026 |
| Maine | Social insurance | Benefits from May 1, 2026 |
| Minnesota | Social insurance | Benefits from Jan 1, 2026 |
| Maryland | Social insurance | Enacted; benefits delayed to Jan 2028 |
| Washington DC | Social insurance | Active |
Ten additional states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia) have only voluntary private-insurance frameworks — they let carriers sell paid-leave coverage but do not require employers to participate. Virginia enacted a comprehensive program in April 2026 with benefits starting December 2028.
How PFML Works
- Social insurance: employees and/or employers pay a small payroll contribution into a state trust; the trust pays the benefit. This is the model in 12 of the 13 states plus DC.
- Private mandate (NY): employers must buy coverage from private carriers; the state sets benefit levels and premiums.
- Benefit amount: typically 60% to 100% of wages, capped at a statewide average-weekly-wage ceiling.
- Duration: commonly 6 to 12 weeks per year for qualifying events.
- Job protection: some states extend FMLA-style reinstatement; others rely on federal FMLA.
Why Employers Care
PFML is payroll-funded, so even employers with no sick-leave mandate (e.g., Texas, Florida) may still owe PFML contributions once a worker is in a PFML state. The contribution is usually split between employee and employer, with the employer responsible for remitting it. Small-employer shares vary — Virginia, for example, phases the employer share by size starting in 2028.
Use the Estimator
Because each program sets its own wage base, contribution rate, and benefit formula, the PFML estimator is the fastest way to see an employee's likely weekly benefit and your contribution obligation in a given state. Pair it with the state matrix for a footprint-wide view.
Sources: Child Trends (updated Apr 17, 2026); Bipartisan Policy Center (updated Apr 23, 2026); LegalClarity (mid-2026). Figures current as of retrieval 2026-09-21. Informational only.