WA PFML in 2026: 25+ employee employers must now provide job protection.
Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave program provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave (more for serious medical conditions), administered by the Employment Security Department. HB 1213 takes effect January 1, 2026 and brings the most significant program expansion since launch: job protection now extends to employers with 25+ employees (down from 50+), eligibility requires only 180 days of service (down from 12 months/1,250 hours), minimum claim duration drops from 8 to 4 consecutive hours, and employers can now require FMLA to run concurrently with PFML to prevent stacking. Wage replacement is up to 90% of the worker's average weekly wage, capped at $1,647/week in 2026.
PFML Coordination + Job Protection Workflow
Tracks 180-day PFML eligibility per worker. Surfaces job protection obligations for 25+ employee employers. Manages FMLA-PFML concurrency notice (5 business days). Maintains health benefits during qualifying leave.
What those rules do as PFML claims surface.
The hero card configuration: Critical on job protection, Flag on FMLA concurrency notice, Avoid on benefits-continuation gaps.
When a worker eligible for PFML (180+ days, 820+ hours qualifying period) requests leave from a 25+ employee employer, Teambridge surfaces a Critical indicator: this leave is job-protected. The system blocks termination during leave and requires position restoration on return.
When an employee uses or requests FMLA leave, Teambridge auto-generates the written notice required by HB 1213 to count FMLA toward PFML job protection (must be sent within 5 business days, then monthly during leave year). Without the notice, leaves stack consecutively.
During PFML leave, the employer must maintain health insurance as if the worker were still working. If the worker stops paying their share or premium remittance lapses, Teambridge surfaces an Avoid indicator before coverage is at risk.
Deploy WA PFML in your Teambridge.
Tell us about your Washington workforce. We'll spin up PFML eligibility tracking, FMLA concurrency, and 27 other Washington policies in a sandbox tenant.
HB 1213 reshapes the program for 2026.
WA PFML is administered by ESD (Employment Security Department) — separate from L&I (which handles wage and hour). Employees and employers each pay premiums; employees with 820+ hours in the qualifying period are eligible for benefits. The 2026 expansion focuses on job protection.
HB 1213 expansion (effective Jan 1, 2026)
The most significant changes: (1) Employer size threshold for job protection drops from 50+ to 25+ employees in 2026, then to 15+ in 2027 and 8+ in 2028. (2) Eligibility for job protection drops from 12 months + 1,250 hours to 180 calendar days, regardless of hours. (3) Minimum claim duration drops from 8 consecutive hours to 4. (4) Health benefit continuation extends to any period of job-protected leave, not just FMLA-concurrent. (5) Employers can now require PFML and FMLA to run concurrently with proper written notice.
Premium structure
Workers pay 71.43% of total premium; employers pay 28.57%. Total premium for 2026 is approximately 0.92% of wages up to the Social Security cap. Employers with fewer than 50 employees pay only the worker portion (no employer share). Employer remits both portions to ESD quarterly.
Teambridge tracks 180-day eligibility, generates concurrency notices, and maintains benefits.
PFML is enough complexity that most employers handle it manually or with leave-management software. The 2026 changes make it operationally heavier: the FMLA-concurrency notice must go out within 5 business days, and missing it means stacking is preserved.
Per-worker job protection status.
Each worker's start date drives a 180-day countdown. After day 180, job protection eligibility flips to active for 25+ employee employers. The status displays in the worker profile.
PFML application + FMLA notice.
When a worker requests leave that qualifies for both FMLA and PFML, Teambridge generates two artifacts: the PFML application packet for ESD, and the FMLA-concurrency notice required for stacking prevention (within 5 business days).
Health insurance continues.
Throughout PFML leave for job-protected workers, health benefits maintain at the same level as during active employment. The worker continues paying their share; employer remits as normal. Lapse triggers an Avoid indicator before COBRA-style consequences.
Same or equivalent role.
On return from PFML, the worker must be restored to the same position or an equivalent one (same pay, benefits, terms). Teambridge surfaces the restoration obligation 14 days before the expected return date.
Still evaluating? Get a free Washington compliance audit.
Send us your existing Washington scheduling and pay configuration. Our compliance team returns a written audit within 5 business days — every Washington-specific exposure ranked by risk and back-pay liability.