Introduced in January 2018, New York's Paid Family Leave (PFL) program provides workers with up to 12 weeks of job-protected, paid leave to bond with a new child, care for a loved one with a serious health condition or to help relieve family pressures when someone is deployed abroad on active military service.
Paid Family Leave does not replace disability benefits (DB) coverage. Some employees may be eligible for both paid family leave and disability benefits, although they may not be taken simultaneously.
2023 Update For Employees
In 2023, the list of family members for whom eligible workers can take Paid Family Leave to care for will include siblings with a serious health condition. This includes biological siblings, adopted siblings, stepsiblings and half-siblings.
Starting January 1, 2023, the Paid Family Leave wage replacement benefit is increasing; in 2023, employees taking Paid Family Leave will receive 67% of their average weekly wage, up to a cap of 67% of the current Statewide Average Weekly Wage of $1,688.19. The maximum weekly benefit for 2023 is $1,131.08. Please visit the state Paid Family Leave website for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
PFL is funded through employee payroll deductions. For 2023, per the Department of Financial Services, the PFL payroll contribution rate will be 0.455% of an employee's weekly wage and is capped at an annual maximum of $399.43. Employees earning less than the New York State Average Weekly Wage ($1,688.19 per week) will have an annual contribution amount less than the cap of $399.43, consistent with their actual weekly wages.
For example:
- Employees earning $519 a week ($27,000 a year) will pay about $2.36 per week: $519 x 0.455%.
- Employees earning $1,000 a week ($52,000 a year) will pay $4.55 per week: $1,000 x 0.455%.
- Employees earning the SAWW of $1,688.19 ($87,700 a year) or more will pay 0.455% x their gross wages each pay period until they reach the maximum of $399.43.
Employees with a regular work schedule of 20 or more hours per week are eligible after 26 weeks of employment. Employees with a regular work schedule of less than 20 hours per week are eligible after 175 days worked.
COVID-19 Claims
Paid Family Leave may be available in some situations when an employee or their minor, dependent child is under an order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19 and are unable to work.
| If your employer is a NYSIF policyholder and you are unable to work because: |
Then please |
|---|---|
| you contracted COVID-19 away from work and were subject to an order of quarantine or isolation for dates after 1/1/21, OR subject to an order of quarantine or isolation for COVID-19 exposure for dates after 1/1/21 | file disability benefits/PFL form SCOVID with NYSIF |
| your minor child is under an order of mandatory or precautionary quarantine or isolation for COVID-19 issued by a governmental entity (e.g. Department of Health) |
file disability benefits/PFL form CCOVID with NYSIF |
| you are caring for a family member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 | file PFL form PFL-CARE with NYSIF |
Taxability
Claimants who have received PFL benefits from NYSIF will receive a 1099-G form by January 31 each year. Box 1 of the 1099-G will provide the claimant's total PFL benefit payments for the previous year. Claimants must report this amount as income at the time of tax filing. If multiple PFL claims have been filed by the same claimant, NYSIF will issue separate 1099-Gs for each claim.
Direct Deposit
Paid Family Leave claimants are eligible to enroll in NYSIF direct deposit. First, you must register for a nysif.com online account. Further instructions can be found on our Direct Deposit page. Please note that PFL insurance is considered part of a policy's disability benefits coverage. You may notice that your claim is identified as a disability benefits (DB) claim.
When to File a PFL Claim
The best time to submit your PFL claim to NYSIF is on the very first day your leave starts. While claimants are required to notify their employer in advance of their leave, this does not mean the claim should be submitted to NYSIF in advance.
Please keep in mind that claim forms must be submitted within 30 days after the first day of leave. Failure to do so may affect benefits. Please retain a copy of each submitted form for your records.
If you anticipate that you will be requesting PFL, but the qualifying event has not yet occurred, you may pre-file your claim with NYSIF. Please carefully review the Claimant Checklist for the type of leave you are requesting and be aware that pre-filing a claim form could actually lead to the information on that form being no longer accurate. This could necessitate a refiling of the claim.
| NYSIF PFL-BONDING |
Pre-file or file a Paid Family Leave claim to Bond with a Newborn, a Newly Adopted Child or Fostered Child (included: Claimant Checklist, NYSIF PFL-1 & NYSIF PFL-2) Qualifying Event: First day taken to bond with your newborn, adopted or foster child |
| NYSIF PFL-CARE |
Pre-file or file a Paid Family Leave claim to Care for a Family Member with Serious Health Condition (included: Claimant Checklist, NYSIF PFL-1, NYSIF PFL-3, NYSIF PFL-4A & NYSIF PFL-4B) Qualifying Event: First day taken to care for a family member with a serious health condition |
| NYSIF PFL-MILITARY |
Pre-file or file a Paid Family Leave claim to Assist with Matters Arising from a Family Member's Call to Active Duty or Deployment (included: Claimant Checklist, NYSIF PFL-1, NYSIF PFL-5 & NYSIF PFL-5T) Qualifying Event: First day taken to to assist with matters arising from a family member's call to active duty or deployment |
| PFL-271S |
Statement of Rights for Paid Family Leave (This link provides this statement in other languages.) |
| PFL-Waiver |
Employee Paid Family Leave Opt-Out and Waiver of Benefits [If an employee does not expect to work long enough to qualify for PFL (a seasonal worker, for example), the employee may opt out of PFL by completing the Waiver of Benefits Form and submitting it to the employer.] |
NYSIF will accept or deny claims within 18 days of receipt of your PFL form(s). You do not need to wait for this decision to start your leave.
Please note that NYSIF is one of many insurance carriers offering DB and PFL coverage. Before submitting your claim to NYSIF, please check to be sure NYSIF is your employer’s insurance carrier. Submitting your claim to the incorrect carrier will only delay your claim.
This page was updated April 27, 2023.