District of Columbia Maternity Leave Calculator
How much leave do you actually get? See your DC Paid Family Leave benefit, the 14-week effective max for birthing parents, and how the unique 2-week Prenatal Leave benefit fits in.
DC Paid Family Leave is the only US state PFML that's 100% employer-funded — workers pay zero payroll contributions. It also has no eligibility threshold (no tenure, no hours, no earnings minimum), making it the most accessible state PFML in the country. The wage replacement formula is 90% up to $1,077/week + 50% above, capped at $1,190/week. The distinctive feature: a 2-week Prenatal Leave benefit that's SEPARATE from the 12-week combined cap on Parental/Medical/Family Leave — birthing parents get 14 weeks total. Job protection comes from a separate law (DCFMLA) that's narrower (20+ employees, 12 months, 1,000 hours).
About you · step 1
so far: DC
What state do you work in?
Are you covered?
- Worked for a DC private-sector employer in the past 12 months
- DC PFL is 100% employer-funded — workers contribute $0
- No employer-size threshold and no tenure threshold — broadest eligibility in the US
- Federal employees use the federal Paid Parental Leave program instead
What a typical District of Columbia birthing parent gets
For an employee earning $75,000 per year, vaginal delivery, working 12+ months at a 50+ employee company:
14 weeks total · 14 paid · 0 unpaid · $16,127 wage replacement
- Pre-birth disability $2,304
- Recovery (vaginal) $6,912
- Bonding leave $6,912
District of Columbia's programs
- DC PFL Medical
- Any private DC employer + recent work; medical recovery
- DC PFL Family
- Same eligibility; 12 weeks bonding + 6 weeks caregiving
- DC FMLA
- 20+ employee employer + 12 months tenure + 1,000 hours; state job protection
- FMLA
- 50+ employee employer + 12 months tenure + 1,250 hours; federal job protection
DC runs Paid Family Leave (DC PFL) through the Department of Employment Services (DOES), Office of Paid Family Leave.
The program has four leave types:
- Parental Leave (bonding with a new child, up to 12 weeks per 52-week period)
- Medical Leave (own serious health condition including pregnancy and childbirth recovery, up to 12 weeks)
- Family Leave (caring for a family member, up to 12 weeks)
- Prenatal Leave (prenatal medical care, 2 weeks)
Parental + Medical + Family share a 12-week combined annual cap — but Prenatal Leave is on top, giving birthing parents an effective max of 14 weeks.
The wage replacement formula is two-tier piecewise:
- 90% replacement on weekly wages up to $1,077 (1.5 × full-time DC minimum wage of $17.95/hour)
- 50% replacement on the portion above
- Capped at $1,190/week
- A typical $80,000 earner hits the $1,190 cap
DC PFL has no waiting period — workers paid from day 1.
Eligibility and how to apply
Eligibility (the most permissive of any state PFML). DC PFL has NO earnings, tenure, or hours requirement. You just need to be currently employed at a covered DC employer (any size) and perform 50%+ of your work physically in DC. A worker hired yesterday is eligible from day one — assuming a qualifying event. Federal employees and DC government employees are not covered (separate benefits structures). Employers DC cannot tax under federal law or treaty (e.g., certain embassies) are also excluded. Self-employed workers (sole proprietors, independent contractors, members of partnerships) can opt in if they earn SE income from work performed 50%+ in DC.
How to apply. Claims filed at does.pflbas.dc.gov.
Job protection (DCFMLA). DC PFL itself does NOT provide job protection. Job protection comes from the separate DC Family and Medical Leave Act (DCFMLA), which requires employers with 20+ employees, 12 months tenure, and 1,000 hours in the last 12 months. Workers at smaller DC employers (or shorter-tenured) collect PFL benefits but have no statutory job protection.
State-specific things worth knowing
Three DC-specific things worth knowing.
DC PFL is 100% employer-funded — you pay $0 in payroll contributions. This is unique among the 13 state PFML programs in the US. Every other state requires some employee share: Connecticut, California, and Rhode Island are 100% employee-funded; Massachusetts, Washington, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Delaware, and New Jersey are split; only DC has employers cover everything.
DC's 2-week Prenatal Leave is a separate benefit that doesn't count against the 12-week combined cap on Parental + Medical + Family Leave. So a birthing parent gets 14 weeks total (2 prenatal + 12 combined). Less aggressive bonding squeeze than Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon, or Delaware (which all have hard 12-week single buckets with no prenatal carve-out).
DC's eligibility threshold is the most permissive of any state PFML — no tenure, no hours, no earnings requirement. Even a worker hired yesterday at a covered DC employer is eligible for benefits. But DCFMLA's job protection has FMLA-like thresholds (20+ employees, 12 months, 1,000 hours), so workers at smaller employers or shorter-tenured can collect PFL pay but lack statutory job-return rights. Anti-retaliation protections still apply.
Frequently asked questions
Does my employer have to pay me during DC maternity leave?
DC employers don't pay you directly during DC PFL leave — but DC Paid Family Leave pays you through the state-administered program, which is uniquely 100% employer-funded (0.75% of wages, paid entirely by the employer; workers pay $0). For 2026, the wage replacement formula is 90% of weekly wages up to $1,077 (1.5 × full-time DC minimum wage), then 50% on the portion above, capped at $1,190/week. A typical $80,000 earner hits the $1,190 cap. A $50,000 earner gets ~$865/week (entirely in the 90% tier). A $25,000 earner gets ~$433/week.
What is DC Paid Family Leave and how does it differ from FMLA?
DC PFL is the District's paid family and medical leave program, in effect since July 2020. It pays partial wage replacement during four types of qualifying leave: Parental, Medical, Family (caregiving), and Prenatal. Federal FMLA is unpaid, requires 50+ employee employers, 12 months tenure, and 1,250 hours. DC PFL pay covers virtually every DC private-sector worker — no tenure or hours requirement, any employer size. The two programs run concurrently. DC also has a separate state-level FMLA (DCFMLA) for job protection, but its eligibility is narrower than DC PFL pay (20+ employees, 12 months, 1,000 hours — slightly less restrictive than federal FMLA's 1,250 hours).
How much does DC Paid Family Leave pay?
DC PFL pays a tiered weekly benefit based on your average weekly wage (AWW) and the DC minimum wage. For 2026 with DC minimum wage of $17.95/hour, the tier-1 threshold is $1,077 (= 1.5 × full-time minimum wage): the first $1,077 of your weekly wage is replaced at 90%; the portion above is replaced at 50%; capped at $1,190/week. Examples: $25,000 earner ($480.77/week) gets ~$433/week (all tier 1). $50,000 earner ($961.54/week) gets ~$865/week. $80,000 earner ($1,538.46/week) is capped at $1,190. $200,000 earner is also capped at $1,190. The cap binds at AWW ≈ $1,518 (~$79,000 annual salary).
What is the 2-week Prenatal Leave benefit and how does it work?
DC PFL includes a unique 2-week Prenatal Leave benefit that's SEPARATE from the other leave types. It covers prenatal medical care during pregnancy (appointments, monitoring, related medical needs). The key distinction: Prenatal Leave does NOT count against the 12-week combined cap that applies to Parental + Medical + Family Leave. So a birthing parent can use 2 weeks of Prenatal Leave during pregnancy AND up to 12 weeks of combined Medical/Parental Leave for recovery and bonding — totaling 14 weeks per 52-week period. This is more generous than every other state with a single-bucket combined cap (Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon, Delaware all cap birthing parents at 12 weeks total with no prenatal carve-out).
Does DC have job protection during paid leave?
DC Paid Family Leave does NOT provide job protection on its own. Job protection comes from a separate law: the DC Family and Medical Leave Act (DCFMLA), which requires your employer to have 20+ employees and you to have worked 12 months AND 1,000 hours in the last 12 months. DCFMLA gives you up to 16 weeks of unpaid family leave plus 16 weeks of unpaid medical leave per 24-month period (32 weeks max). Critically: DC PFL pay covers any DC worker regardless of employer size or tenure, but DCFMLA's narrower eligibility means workers at smaller employers can collect PFL pay without having job-return rights. Anti-retaliation protections still apply. Confirm your employer size and tenure with HR.
Who pays for DC Paid Family Leave?
DC is the only US state PFML program where workers pay $0. The 0.75% premium is paid entirely by employers — there's no employee payroll deduction. Compare to other states: California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are 100% employee-funded; Massachusetts, Washington, Minnesota, Colorado, Oregon, Delaware, and New Jersey split the premium between employer and employee. DC is uniquely structured so that workers receive paid leave coverage at no cost to themselves.
Can I get DC PFL if I just started a new job?
Yes — DC has the most permissive eligibility of any state PFML. There's no tenure requirement, no hours requirement, and no earnings threshold for DC PFL benefits. A worker hired yesterday at a covered DC employer is eligible from day one (assuming a qualifying event arises). You just need to be currently employed at a covered DC employer (any size) and perform 50%+ of your work physically in DC. However: job protection through DCFMLA still requires 20+ employees, 12 months tenure, and 1,000 hours — so a newly-hired DC worker can collect PFL pay but may not have statutory job-return rights.