Great News! New York Now Offers Paid Family Leave

Learn the details about this important new benefit.

By Deborah Skolnik January 16, 2018

Being a working parent is hard. One thing that makes it even harder: worrying that your job or savings are at risk when you take time off to care for a loved one. So here’s good news—New York State now offers paid family leave for most people who work for private employers. (If you’re a public employee, your employer may choose to offer paid family leave.)

The purpose of this new leave is simple. It’s designed to give you the time you need to:

Bond with a newly born, adopted, or fostered child
Take care of a close relative with a serious health condition
Help loved ones when a family member on active military service is deployed abroad

Paid family leave benefits will be phased in over a four-year period. For 2018, the kickoff year, you can take up to eight weeks of paid family leave and receive 50 percent of your average weekly wage, capped at $652.96 (that’s 50 percent of New York State’s average weekly wage).

No, it’s not your full salary, but it’s a whole lot better than taking a total loss. And between now and 2021, both the amount of time off you can take and the amount you’ll be paid will rise.

Remember that this benefit is available to most private employees. For full-time workers (20 or more hours per week), you’re eligible after 26 consecutive weeks of employment. Part-time workers (those who work less than 20 hours weekly) qualify for paid family leave after working 175 days, regardless of whether or not those days are consecutive. Workers are eligible regardless of their immigration and/or citizenship status.

Interested in learning more? For further details, an FAQ, and downloadable forms for requesting paid family leave, click here.

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