Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave

Paid Family and Medical Leave is a state-offered benefit for anyone who works in Massachusetts and is eligible to take up to 26 weeks of paid leave for medical or family reasons. PFML is funded through a Massachusetts tax, and is separate from both the federally mandated benefits offered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and from leave benefits that may be offered by your employer. You must provide notice to your employer prior to applying to receive PFML benefits. If you are self-employed, you are not required to contribute, but you can choose to opt-in.

Under Massachusetts PFML laws, Covered individuals may be entitled to family and medical leave for the following reasons:

• up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave in a benefit year if they have a serious health condition that incapacitates them from work.
• up to 12 weeks of paid family leave in a benefit year related to the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or because of a qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that a family member is on active duty or has been notified of an impending call to active duty in the Armed Forces.
• up to 26 weeks of paid family leave in a benefit year to care for a family member who is a covered service member with a serious health condition.

To fund PFML benefits, employers may deduct payroll contributions of up to 0.378% (adjusted annually) from a covered individual’s wages or other earnings. A covered individual’s average weekly earnings will determine his or her benefit amount, for a maximum weekly benefit of up to $850 (adjusted annually).

Remember that it is unlawful for an employer to retaliate against an employee for exercising their rights to Paid Family Leave. If you are a worker and are unsure of your Paid Family Leave rights, talk to your employer or look for instructional postings in your break room area.

Massachusetts: M.G.L. Chapter 175M (Paid Family & Medical Leave)

Massachusetts Labor Poster