How Paid Leave Oregon works out your benefit
Oregon spreads your whole base year over 52 weeks: total base-year wages divided by 52. The base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters; if you do not qualify on it, the last four quarters are used instead.
Wages up to 65% of the state average weekly wage are replaced in full — up to $916.58 a week, 65% of $1,410.13 — and half of the rest is added. The maximum is 120% of the state average and the minimum 5%. That makes Oregon the most generous program in the country for lower earners.
The figures are locked in when your benefit year begins. Benefit years starting June 28, 2026 or later use $1,410.13; those that began earlier in 2026 used $1,363.80 (a $1,636.56 maximum and $68.19 minimum).
Oregon figures by date
| Window | Weekly maximum | Other figures | Your contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2026 – Jun 27, 2026 | $1,636.56 | State average weekly wage: $1,363.80 Minimum weekly benefit: $68.19 | Paid Leave Oregon (employee 60%): 0.6% up to $184,500 |
| Jun 28, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 | $1,692.16 | State average weekly wage: $1,410.13 Minimum weekly benefit: $70.51 | Paid Leave Oregon (employee 60%): 0.6% up to $184,500 |
| Jan 1, 2027 – Jun 26, 2027 | $1,692.16 | State average weekly wage: $1,410.13 Minimum weekly benefit: $70.51 | Not yet published |
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 $62,000 a year with steady pay, taking 12 weeks off (bonding with a new child) from Oct 5, 2026, when the figures for Jun 28, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 apply. Paid Leave Oregon uses the base-year wages ÷ 52: $1,192.31.
The formula gives 100% × $916.58 = $916.58 + 50% × $275.72 = $137.86: a weekly benefit of $1,054.45, or 88% of their usual weekly pay. 12 paid weeks come to $12,653.40.
Over a year, their own payroll contribution is $372 — about $7.15 a week.
At $200,000 a year, the same leave pays $1,692.16 a week — the maximum, 44% of that worker’s weekly pay, for a yearly contribution of $1,107.
What catches people out in Oregon
- No waiting week. Benefits are paid from the first day of approved leave.
- Pregnancy adds two weeks: up to 14 in a benefit year for pregnancy, childbirth or a related condition, including lactation.
- The earnings bar is low: $1,000 in base-year wages.
- You pay 60% of a 1% contribution — 0.6% of wages up to $184,500 in 2026, at most $1,107. Employers with fewer than 25 employees do not pay the other 40%.
- Next change: the state average resets for benefit years starting around early July 2027. We stop our verified window at June 26, 2027 rather than guess the exact date.
Official Oregon resources
Related programs
West Coast neighbors with their own programs.
Sources for this page
- Oregon Legislature: ORS Chapter 657B (Paid Leave Oregon). Supplies: 100% up to 65% of state AWW plus 50% above; max 120%, min 5% of state AWW; 1% contribution split 60/40; 12 + 2 weeks; $1,000 eligibility. Checked .
- Oregon Secretary of State: OAR 471-070-1000 (definitions). Supplies: Employee AWW = base-year wages ÷ 52; state AWW applies for benefit years from the week of July 4. Checked .
- Oregon Employment Department: Minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts (June 3, 2025). Supplies: Benefit years from July 6, 2025: max $1,636.56, min $68.19 (state AWW $1,363.80). Checked .
- Oregon Employment Department: Minimum and maximum weekly benefit amounts (May 29, 2026). Supplies: Benefit years from June 28, 2026: max $1,692.16, min $70.51 (state AWW $1,410.13). Checked .
- Oregon Employment Department: 2026 tax rates press release (Nov. 18, 2025). Supplies: 2026 contribution rate 1%; taxable wage maximum $184,500. Checked .
- Paid Leave Oregon: Common questions. Supplies: No waiting week; rate announced by November 15 each year. Checked .
Figures on this page verified . Spotted a difference from your agency’s notice? Report a correction.