Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave

Reminder! Premiums for the new Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave insurance begin on January 1, 2019!

Almost every Washington employer is required to participate in this new
insurance program and their employees will be eligible to receive benefits
beginning on January 1, 2020. To pay for these new benefits, the State will begin to collect premiums in 2019.

Starting in 2019, employers must:

• Report employee wages, hours, and more to the
  Washington State Employment Security Division
• Collect premiums from employee paychecks and remit then to the Employment Security Division
  • The program is funded through a shared premium of 0.4% of employee wages, up to the social security maximum of $132,500.
• Provide notice of the program to your employees

Reporting is required at the end of each quarter, with reports and
premiums due at the end of the month following the quarter’s end. For example, the first quarter’s reports and premiums are due by April 30, 2019.

What do you need to do?

• January 1, 2019 – Begin payroll deductions for
  premiums and data collection for reporting
• April 1, 2019 – First quarter reporting and premium payment to the state (due by April 30)
• January 1, 2020 – Benefits begin

For detailed information about the program benefits, costs and requirements, go to https://paidleave.wa.gov/files/Documents/2018.Employer.Toolkit.V1.1.pdf  to download the most current version of the State’s Employer Toolkit. You can also access information by visiting the ESD website at https://esd.wa.gov/paid-family-medical-leave/employers.

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