How Washington Paid Leave works out your benefit
The Employment Security Department takes the two quarters with your highest wages in your qualifying period — usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters — adds them, divides by 26 and rounds down to the dollar. That is your average weekly wage.
You receive 90% of that average up to half of the state average weekly wage ($915 of the $1,830 state figure for 2026 claims), plus 50% of anything above it, rounded down. The maximum is 90% of the state average: $1,647 for claims filed in 2026, $1,727 for claims filed in 2027 (state average $1,919). Nobody gets less than $100 unless they earn under $100 a week, in which case they receive their full wage.
The figures that apply are fixed by the date you file the claim, not the date the leave ends.
Washington figures by date
| Window | Weekly maximum | Other figures | Your contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 | $1,647 | State average weekly wage: $1,830 | Paid Leave premium (employee share): 0.807% up to $184,500 |
| Jan 1, 2027 – Dec 31, 2027 | $1,727 | State average weekly wage: $1,919 | 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 $72,000 a year with steady pay, taking 12 weeks off (bonding with a new child) from Oct 5, 2026, when the figures for Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 apply. Washington Paid Leave uses the two highest quarters ÷ 26, rounded down: $1,384.
The formula gives 90% × $915 = $823.50 + 50% × $469 = $234.50: a weekly benefit of $1,058, or 76% of their usual weekly pay. 12 paid weeks come to $12,696.
Over a year, their own payroll contribution is $581.15 — about $11.18 a week.
At $200,000 a year, the same leave pays $1,647 a week — the maximum, 43% of that worker’s weekly pay, for a yearly contribution of $1,489.21.
What catches people out in Washington
- The waiting week depends on the reason. Medical leave and caregiving start with 7 unpaid days; bonding after a birth or placement does not.
- You need 820 hours of work in the qualifying period — about 16 hours a week over a year.
- Pregnancy adds weeks: incapacity during pregnancy can extend medical leave by two weeks, and the combined limit to 18.
- Hourly workers are counted in hours. Your entitlement is 12 times your typical workweek hours, so part-time and intermittent leave is paid in hours.
- The 2026 premium is 1.13% of wages up to $184,500, of which employees pay 71.43% (about 0.807%). ESD announces the 2027 rate by mid-November 2026.
Official Washington resources
Related programs
West Coast neighbors with their own programs.
Sources for this page
- Washington Employment Security Department: News release: 2026 maximum weekly Paid Leave benefit. Supplies: 2026 state AWW $1,830; maximum $1,647; minimum $100. Checked .
- Washington Employment Security Department: News release, June 10, 2026: 2027 benefit amounts. Supplies: 2027 state AWW $1,919; maximum $1,727; minimum $100. Checked .
- Washington State Legislature: RCW 50A.15.020 (benefits). Supplies: 90% up to half the state AWW plus 50% above; $100 minimum; maximum = 90% of state AWW; round down; waiting week rules; durations. Checked .
- Washington State Legislature: RCW 50A.05.010 (definitions). Supplies: AWW = two highest quarters of the qualifying period ÷ 26, rounded down. Checked .
Figures on this page verified . Spotted a difference from your agency’s notice? Report a correction.