Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave (MA PFML)

Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave (MA PFML)

The Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MA PFML) plan began on January 1, 2021. Wage replacement benefits are payable to MA workers for medical leave (ML) if they are unable to work due to non-work-related injury or illness, including pregnancy and childbirth or for paid family leave (PFL) to bond with a new child, to address a military exigence with extended time available for military family care. Starting July 1, 2021, workers are able to receive benefits to care for a seriously ill family member.

Coverage Options: Employers can participate in the state-run program or they can self-insure or fully insure a private plan. MetLife provides fully insured and self-insured coverage options.

Job Protection: The MA PFML coverage is job protected. When applicable, a worker should request leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) concurrently.

Benefits:

• 12 weeks for family leave
• 20 weeks for own serious health condition
• 26 weeks for caring for a covered service member
• No more than 26 weeks total/year for combined family and medical leave
• Maximum weekly benefit is up to $850 in 2021

Contributions:

Contributions for the state program are 0.75% up to a state maximum based on the social security wage index and can be a combination of payroll deductions and employer contributions.

• Paid Family Leave: contributions can be 100% employee-paid
• Medical Leave: contributions can be split between the employee (40%) and the employer (60%)

Key Dates:

• January 1, 2021: Benefits started
• July 1, 2021: Caring for a seriously ill family member benefit starts

As of January 1, 2021