No federal law provides or guarantees paid family and medical leave for private-sector workers, but some states run their own programs. DOL
GovFacts tool
Paid Family Leave Lookup
Pick a state to see whether it runs a paid family and medical leave program, whether the program is paying benefits yet, how many weeks it pays, its weekly maximum or how it is set, and where to apply. Federal jobs, government jobs, self-employment and small employers can be exceptions, and the result says what to check.
How to answer this
Private colleges and companies with government contracts count as private. Civilians who work for the Army, Navy, Air Force or another military department pick the federal government, and so do Postal Service workers. National Guard members and reservists: answer for your civilian job. For a tribal government or an employer that fits nowhere else, pick “Not sure, or something else.” Federal and military answers go straight to the result.
How this lookup works:
Pick a state to see what its program pays, for how long and where to apply. Where a program’s own pages couldn’t be read, the result says so and sends you to the state.
See every state’s paid leave program, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico
| State, D.C. or territory | Program | What the lookup says |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Alaska | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Arizona | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Arkansas | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| California | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Colorado | State program | The state has a program; check its details with the state |
| Connecticut | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Delaware | Depends on the employer’s size | Employers with nine or fewer employees are exempt, employers with 10 to 24 employees must provide parental leave only, and employers with 25 or more must provide full coverage. Seasonal operations that shut down for a month or more are exempt. Del. Labor Dept. |
| District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Florida | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Georgia | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Hawaii | Disability pay only | Paid disability leave, but no paid family leave program |
| Idaho | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Illinois | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Indiana | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Iowa | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Kansas | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Kentucky | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Louisiana | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Maine | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Maryland | Pays starting Jan. 1, 2028 | Maryland pays for leave taken on or after Jan. 1, 2028 |
| Massachusetts | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Michigan | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Minnesota | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Mississippi | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Missouri | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Montana | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Nebraska | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Nevada | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| New Hampshire | Voluntary insurance only | Voluntary leave insurance, not a state program everyone pays into |
| New Jersey | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| New Mexico | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| New York | State program | The state has a program; check its details with the state |
| North Carolina | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| North Dakota | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Ohio | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Oklahoma | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Oregon | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| Pennsylvania | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Puerto Rico | Disability and maternity pay, no paid family leave program | The Labor Department lists Puerto Rico separately: its laws provide paid temporary disability and maternity leave to eligible workers. DOL |
| Rhode Island | State program | The state has a program; check its details with the state |
| South Carolina | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| South Dakota | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Tennessee | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Texas | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Utah | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Vermont | Voluntary insurance only | Voluntary leave insurance, not a state program everyone pays into |
| Virginia | Voluntary insurance only | Voluntary leave insurance, not a state program everyone pays into |
| Washington (state) | State program pays benefits | The state’s program is paying benefits |
| West Virginia | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Wisconsin | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
| Wyoming | No state program | No state paid family and medical leave program |
Each table links to its official sources, last checked September 25, 2026.
How the Lookup Works
Pick a state to see what its program pays, for how long and where to apply. Where a program’s own pages couldn’t be read, the result says so and sends you to the state.
Which States Have Paid Leave
- The Labor Department counts 13 states and the District of Columbia with laws creating paid family and medical leave programs. DOL
- The department’s 2024 history of paid leave names them: California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, the District of Columbia, Washington, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, Colorado, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota and Maine. DOL
- Maryland’s program pays for leave starting Jan. 1, 2028. Md. Labor Dept.
- New Hampshire, Vermont and Virginia have voluntary programs that let some workers and employers buy private family or medical leave insurance. DOL
- The Labor Department lists Hawaii separately: its law provides paid temporary disability leave to eligible workers. DOL
- The Labor Department lists Puerto Rico separately: its laws provide paid temporary disability and maternity leave to eligible workers. DOL
Paid Leave Is Not the FMLA
- The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible employees of covered employers unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical reasons. DOL
- CT Paid Leave replaces income but doesn’t protect the job; job protection comes from the federal FMLA and Connecticut’s own leave laws. CT Paid Leave
- Paid sick leave is a different benefit, for shorter absences such as a cold or the flu. As of December 2024, 18 states and the District of Columbia had paid sick leave laws covering private employers. DOL
Federal Employees
- Federal civilian employees covered by the FMLA provisions in title 5 of the U.S. Code can get up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for each birth or each placement of a child for adoption or foster care, used within the 12 months after it. It takes the place of unpaid leave under those FMLA rules. OPM
- Only employees eligible for that FMLA leave qualify: an employee with a temporary appointment, an intermittent work schedule or less than 12 months of qualifying federal service does not. OPM
- An employee who is not yet eligible at the birth or placement, such as one short of 12 months of service, can become eligible during the 12 months that follow and use the paid leave for the rest of that period. OPM