As per the original legislation for the NYS Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, New York has announced a rate change and benefit increase for NYS PFL to go into effect January 1, 2021 to $.511First introduced in 2017 as a mandatory benefit written as a rider to statutory short-term disability in NY, Paid Family Leave in NY will be fully phased in by January 1, 2021. At that time, the benefit will provide 67% of an employee’s Average Weekly Wage (up to the NYS PFL maximum amount) for up to 12 weeks to:
- Bond with a newborn, adopted or foster care child joining their family in the past 12 months
- Care for a seriously ill family member
- Manage the home while a spouse is deployed
The Department of Labor has calculated the New York State Average Weekly Wage (NYSAWW) to be $1,450.17 for 2021.
That means employees can collect up to $971.61 through NYS PFL benefits. This increase completes the phased introduction of the Paid Family Medical Leave in New York that took place over the past three years.
