Paid Leave Calc
Figures verified 2026 program values · 2027 where publishedIndependent · not a government site

District of Columbia · Paid Family Leave

District of Columbia Paid Family Leave Calculator

DC Paid Family Leave pays 90% of your wage up to 1.5 times the DC minimum wage for a 40-hour week ($1,104) and 50% above — but no more than $1,100 a week for claims filed from October 1, 2026.

DC Paid Family Leave estimate

Reason for leave
All jobs covered by the program, before tax and deductions.
Pay changed recently? Enter it quarter by quarter

Programs look at the wages paid in specific calendar quarters. Leave a box empty to use your pay above for that quarter.

Parental leave: up to 12 weeks; no waiting week. 12 weeks combined across leave types (14 if pregnant).
Sets which year's maximum and rules apply.

Estimated weekly benefit · Parental leave (new child)

$1,100/week

Total for 12 weeks: $13,200Replaces 76% of your weekly wage

  • Verified figures · Oct 2026 – Jun 2027
  • Capped at the weekly maximum
Your average weekly wage (four highest of the last five quarters ÷ 52)$1,442.31
90% of wages $0–$1,104$993.60
50% of wages $1,104–$1,442.31$169.15
Limited to the weekly maximum$1,100
Weekly benefit$1,100
Weeks paid × weekly benefit12 × $1,100
Total benefit for this leave$13,200

DC Paid Family Leave is funded entirely by employers (0.75% of wages), so nothing is deducted from your pay.

What this leaves out: the 2 weeks of prenatal leave, the combined 12-week cap across leave types, partial weeks, and how DOES treats wages from employers outside DC.

Rule window: Oct 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027. Source: Council of the District of Columbia · checked · all sources

Your leave, week by week

  • Benefit
  • Usual pay
  • Unpaid waiting week
  • Waiting week paid back
  • Weekly maximum

Your benefit hits the weekly maximum: the dashed line. Pay above it is not replaced.

How DC Paid Family Leave works out your benefit

DOES takes the four highest-paid of the five quarters before your qualifying event, adds them and divides by 52.

The 90% band ends at 150% of the DC minimum wage times 40 hours: $1,104 since the minimum wage rose to $18.40 on July 1, 2026 ($1,077 before). Because the new $1,100 cap now sits below what 90% of that band would pay, anyone with an average weekly wage above about $1,222 receives the maximum.

The Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Support Act cut the maximum from $1,190 to $1,100 and shortened two leave types for claims filed on or after October 1, 2026: medical leave from 12 to 10 weeks and family leave from 12 to 6. Parental leave stays at 12 weeks and prenatal leave at 2.

District of Columbia figures by date

Figures for leaves (claims) whose first day falls in each window. Sources are numbered below.
WindowWeekly maximumOther figuresYour contribution
Jan 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026 $1,190 Minimum wage used: $17.95
 See note below
Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026 $1,190 Minimum wage used: $18.40
 See note below
Oct 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 $1,100 Minimum wage used: $18.40
 See note below

DC Paid Family Leave is funded entirely by employers (0.75% of wages), so nothing is deducted from your pay.

After the last window, the calculator switches to an explicit “enter the official figure” mode rather than reusing an old maximum.

Worked example

Take a worker paid $75,000 a year with steady pay, taking 12 weeks off (parental leave (new child)) from Oct 5, 2026, when the figures for Oct 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2027 apply. DC Paid Family Leave uses the four highest of the last five quarters ÷ 52: $1,442.31.

The formula gives 90% × $1,104 = $993.60 + 50% × $338.31 = $169.15, limited to the $1,100 maximum: a weekly benefit of $1,100, or 76% of their usual weekly pay. 12 paid weeks come to $13,200.

At $200,000 a year, the same leave pays $1,100 a week — the maximum, 29% of that worker’s weekly pay.

What catches people out in District of Columbia

  • Nothing comes out of your paycheck. Employers fund the program at 0.75% of wages.
  • No waiting week for claims filed since July 25, 2022.
  • One combined ceiling: 12 weeks across parental, family and medical leave in a year, 14 if you are pregnant.
  • The filing date decides the rules. Claims filed before October 1, 2026 kept the $1,190 maximum and 12-week family and medical leave.
  • The cap may move each October 1 with inflation, if the Chief Financial Officer certifies the fund can afford it.

Official District of Columbia resources

Related programs

Neighbors: Maryland starts paying benefits in 2028.

Sources for this page

  1. Council of the District of Columbia: D.C. Code §32-541.04 (benefits). Supplies: 90% up to 150% × 40 × DC minimum wage, plus 50% above; waiting week eliminated for claims from July 25, 2022. Checked .
  2. DC Paid Family Leave (DOES): Program updates. Supplies: Maximum weekly benefit $1,100 for claims filed from Oct. 1, 2026 (was $1,190); FY2027 Budget Support Act. Checked .
  3. DC Paid Family Leave (DOES): Frequently asked questions. Supplies: Leave weeks 12-10-6-2 for claims from Oct. 1, 2026 (12-12-12-2 before); 12-week combined cap. Checked .
  4. DC Department of Employment Services: 2026 minimum wage increase notice. Supplies: DC minimum wage $18.40 from July 1, 2026 ($17.95 before). Checked .
  5. DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer: Fiscal impact statement: Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Support Act of 2026. Supplies: Maximum capped at $1,100 for all benefit types, inflation increases each Oct. 1 subject to solvency certification. Checked .
  6. Council of the District of Columbia: D.C. Code §32-541.01 (definitions). Supplies: Average weekly wage = four highest of the last five quarters ÷ 52. Checked .
  7. DC Paid Family Leave (DOES): Tax calculators. Supplies: Employer contribution 0.75% in every quarter of 2026. Checked .

Figures on this page verified . Spotted a difference from your agency’s notice? Report a correction.