Washington Updates Paid Family and Medical Leave Rate for 2026

Washington’s Employment Security Department has announced a new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) premium rate for 2026. Beginning January 1st, the total premium rate will increase to 1.13 percent of employee gross wages, with employers contributing 28.57 percent and employees contributing 71.43 percent. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from the employer portion but must still collect employee premiums.

Additional PFML changes effective in 2026 include enhanced job protection, clarified health care benefit requirements, updated rules for FMLA concurrence, reduced weekly hour minimums for claim eligibility, and expanded small business assistance grants.

Next Steps

Employers should notify employees of the new premium rate, begin collecting the updated amount on January 1st, and review upcoming compliance impacts.

HR Consulting Group is available to support Washington PFML compliance and policy updates.