Benefit Guide - Washington State's Paid Family and Medical Leave Kaiyi (EN)

Benefit Guide Washington’s Paid Family & Medical Leave Program Here for you. This guide will help you prepare for and use the Paid Family and Medical Leave program. It will also help you understand your rights and responsibilities. Stay informed: The most recent version of this guide is at paidleave.wa.gov/benefit-guide . We update this guide to reflect legislative and procedural changes. December 2025 paidleave.wa.gov

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Contents About Paid Leave .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Two types of leave ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Qualifying family members ........................................................................................................................................................................

3 Eligibility requirements ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Employment .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Job protection ...............................................................................................................................................................................

5 Interaction with other types of leave ............................................................................................................................................. 6 When to apply ............................................................................................................................................................................... 6 How to apply .................................................................................................................................................................................

7 After you apply ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 File weekly claims to receive payments ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Weekly claims ...............................................................................................................................................................................

9 Payments ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Taxes ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Adjustments to your payments .......................................................................................................................................................

11 Unemployment insurance and Paid Leave benefits ........................................................................................................................ 11 Overpayments ................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 To file a complaint .......................................................................................................................................................................

11 The Office of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Ombuds ............................................................................................................. 11 Unlawful acts ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Fraud ...............................................................................................................................................................................................

11 Definitions .................................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Claim year ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Postnatal period ..............................................................................................................................................................................

12 Qualifying event .............................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Qualifying period ............................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Serious health condition .................................................................................................................................................................

12 Supplemental benefit ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Typical workweek hours .................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Weekly benefit amount .................................................................................................................................................................. 13 BENEFIT GUIDE V.18.2 UPDATED DECEMBER 2025 Page 2 of 15

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Qualifying family members

About Paid Leave We know the most important things in life happen outside the workday. People we care about become ill. Families welcome new members. Big moments that need extra attention come along for all of us. Support in these times means we can be stronger both at home and at work. Paid Family and Medical Leave is a benefit that offers paid time off to Washingtonians when they need it most and is available to almost everyone working in Washington. Paid time off when you have a serious health condition that prevents you from working, need to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or are bonding with a new baby or child in your family.

Military family leave allows you to spend time with a family member who is about to be deployed overseas or is returning from overseas deployment. Job protection while you’re on leave may be guaranteed if you’ve worked for an employer with 25 or more employees for at least 180 days (6 months). Check with your employer to see if you’ll qualify for job protection when you return from leave. Review the Job Protection section on Page 5. Health insurance continuation while you’re on leave may be guaranteed if you qualify for job protection. Review the requirements in the Interactions with Other Types of Leave section on Page 6. Paid Family and Medical Leave is not the same as paid sick leave.

Paid sick leave is usually paid directly by the employer and is available for minor illnesses and preventative health care, as well as more serious health conditions. Washington law requires your employer to provide you with the ability to accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours you work. It is enforced by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. For more information on paid sick leave, visit lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/leave/paid-sick-leave . Two types of leave Medical Leave: Family Leave: Medical leave for yourself – for recovery or treatment for your own serious health condition or injury.

Prenatal leave – for prenatal care during your pregnancy, can include complications. Postnatal leave – for recovering from childbirth, can include complications. Bonding after the birth of your child. Bonding after the adoption of your child. Bonding after the placement of your foster child. Military exigency – leave related to a family member’s military deployment. Leave to care for a family member who has a serious health condition or injury. Qualifying family members Siblings Parents Grandparents Someone who has an expectation to rely on you for care, whether you live together or not.

Spouse Domestic Partner Children Children-in-law Grandchildren BENEFIT GUIDE V.18.2 UPDATED DECEMBER 2025 Page 3 of 15

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Eligibility requirements

Eligibility requirements You are eligible when you have: 1. Experienced a "qualifying event” : the thing that happened for which you need to take leave, like a serious illness or injury, birth of a baby, adopting or fostering a child, or your family members’ military exigency. at your employment history for a 12-month period. Full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal work counts. If you work more than one job or switch employers, all the reportable hours you work in Washington count toward eligibility.

Qualifying periods always start on the first day of a calendar quarter, and it usually starts about 15 months before the day you apply for leave or your leave start date, whichever is earlier. You do not have to currently be employed to be eligible for Paid Leave benefits . Certain types of employment are excluded from Paid Leave by law: 2. Worked 820 hours (about 16 hours a week) in employment in Washington during your “ qualifying period ”. We look Take a short eligibility quiz Federal employees. Individuals who perform “casual labor” ( RCW 50A.05.010 ). Federally recognized tribes , unless the tribe has opted in.

Self-employed individuals, independent contractors and rideshare drivers , unless opted in. on our website paidleave.wa.gov/quiz You don’t have to take your leave all at once. You can use leave intermittently throughout your approved leave dates. If you need to take leave for more than one qualifying event in the same claim year, you will fill out an application for each event. You can do the second application online in your Paid Leave account. We may need you to provide additional information or forms for the new claim. For example, you had a baby on July 24, 2025.

You apply for, and take, six weeks of medical leave for your recovery during the “postnatal period.” You then want to use up to 12 weeks of family leave to bond with your baby. You will need to fill out a second application for family leave. BENEFIT GUIDE V.18.2 UPDATED DECEMBER 2025 Page 4 of 15 How much time: Within your “claim year” (approximately one year after you apply), you can take: Up to 12 weeks of: • Medical leave to recover from or get treatment for a “serious health condition,” or • Family leave to take care of a qualifying family member who is ill or injured with a “serious health condition” or to bond with a new child or for certain military events. Up to 16 weeks of:

combined medical and family leave if you have events covered by both in the same claim year. Any medical leave designated as the “postnatal period” is included in the total amount of leave available to you. Up to 18 weeks of combined medical and family leave if you experience a complication related to pregnancy or birth, like being put on bedrest or experiencing postpartum depression, and then take bonding leave. Any medical leave designated as the “postnatal period” is included in the total amount of leave available to you.

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