California Paid Leave Programs

Covered Leaves and Durations

Weekly Benefit Amount

Benefit Calculation: 

• 70% of wages for individuals who earn less than one-third of the state’s average quarterly wage, or 
• 60% of wages for individuals who earn one-third or more of the state’s average quarterly wage

Maximum Weekly Benefit: $1,620  

Minimum Weekly Benefit: $50 

State Average Weekly Wage: $1,642 

Waiting Period

There is no waiting period for Paid Family Leave. Benefits are payable as of the first day of covered leave.

There is a seven-day waiting period for SDI.

Intermittent Leaves

Employees can take their leave on an intermittent basis or all at once.

Covered Employees

Employees are eligible for paid family leave benefits if they have:

• Contributed to the California SDI program through payroll deductions during their base period
• Earned at least $300 in the base period

The base period covers the 12 months — divided into four consecutive quarters — before the PFL claim's start date. The base period includes wages subject to SDI tax that were paid about 5 to 18 months before the claim began.

Family Members

Covered employees may take family leave to care for a:

• Spouse or domestic partner
• Child
• Parent
• Parent-in-law
• Sibling
• Grandchild
• Grandparent

Plan Options

California provides State Disability Insurance and PFL to eligible employees with qualifying reasons. Employers in the state may offer SDI and PFL as Voluntary Disability Insurance.

SDI:

Employees may be able to use SDI for:

• A non work-related injury or illness that keeps them from working
• A pregnancy and/or childbirth

PFL:

Eligible employees can also receive PFL to:

• Care for a seriously ill family member
• Bond with a new child
• Address a qualifying military need

California's PFL program can run concurrently with:

• California's Pregnancy Disability Leave
• California's Family Rights Act (when leave is not due to pregnancy)
• The federal Family and Medical Leave Act

Funding

Employee contributions — through payroll deductions — fund California's paid family leave program and its SDI program. The contribution rate is set at 1.1% with no taxable wage limit.

Employers can choose to pay for their employees' contributions. Or they may offer Voluntary Disability Insurance as an employee-paid benefit.

Additional Information Employers Need to Know

Employers must post the following statements in clearly visible places at the workplace:

• Notice to Employees: Unemployment Insurance/Disability Insurance/Paid Family Leave
• Disability Insurance Provisions
• Paid Family Leave Benefits

New hires and employees taking covered leave should also receive brochures about SDI and PFL.

More Information

Visit the California Paid Family Leave site for more information on California’s PFL.

If you'd like to see how we can help you comply with leave laws, check out our leave management services. We offer both absence management and benefits administration so you can focus your time where you need it most.