Connecticut maternity leave and paid family leave
How paid leave works in Connecticut when you have a baby: weeks for pregnancy and bonding, how much it pays in 2026, whether your job is protected, and how to apply.
Checked October 2026 · 15 sources
Short answer
12 wk
of paid leave to bond with your baby
Connecticut Paid Leave Authority
$1,016
the most it pays per week in 2026, a ceiling, not a typical benefit
Connecticut Paid Leave Authority
Apply for paid leave
Claims go to Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Tell your employer early.
The rules in Connecticut
YesConnecticut Paid Leave (CT Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program)
| Pregnancy and recovery, typical | CT Paid Leave covers prenatal appointments, pregnancy complications, childbirth and the post-delivery 'recovery period' your provider certifies. It sets no standard number of weeks. Pregnancy, recovery and bonding all come out of the same 12 weeks, plus up to 2 extra weeks (14 total) if you have a serious health condition during pregnancy. |
|---|---|
| Legal maximum, your own health | 14 weeks |
| Bonding with your baby | Up to 12 weeks |
| Medical and family leave combined | Up to 14 weeks a year |
| Pay | 95% of your average weekly wage up to 40 times the CT minimum wage ($677.60 in 2026), plus 60% of the amount above that. Capped at 60 times the minimum wage: $1,016.40/week in 2026. |
| 2026 weekly maximum | $1,016 (a ceiling, not a typical benefit) |
| Waiting period | None. |
| Job protection | CT Paid Leave itself does not protect your job; it only replaces income. Job protection comes from the CT Family and Medical Leave Act, which covers almost all employers with 1+ employee in CT (not municipalities or the federal government). You qualify after 3 months with your employer, with no hours requirement. It gives 12 weeks plus 2 for pregnancy incapacity. Federal FMLA (50+ employees, 12 months, 1,250 hours) may also apply. You request job-protected leave from your employer separately from your CT Paid Leave claim. |
| Who qualifies | You must be working for a covered CT employer now, or have worked for one in the last 12 weeks, and have earned at least $2,325 from covered employers in your highest-earning quarter of the base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). Most private employers with 1+ CT employee are covered. Self-employed people and sole proprietors can enroll. Bonding must be used within 12 months of the birth. |
| Paying since | January 1, 2022 |
Checked October 2026. Benefit amounts usually change January 1 and July 1, so confirm with Connecticut Paid Leave Authority before you plan. Job protection often comes from a different law than the pay; the job protection row says which.
The 12 weeks is a rolling 12-month look-back from your first day of benefits, and pregnancy/childbirth leave and bonding leave share it. So a mom who uses 6 weeks for delivery recovery has 6 bonding weeks left. The 2 extra weeks apply only to a serious health condition that causes incapacity during pregnancy, not to bonding. Apply through ctpaidleave.org (CT.gov account, Aflac claims portal), ideally 30 days before leave. Bonding is block leave unless your employer approves intermittent or reduced-schedule leave. A spouse or equivalent partner can take caregiver leave during the pregnancy and recovery, and either parent can take bonding. The weekly cap rises automatically with the CT minimum wage each January 1. The 2027 cap depends on the 2027 minimum wage, which hadn't been posted as of October 2026. No 2026 benefit-level or duration changes were found.
Sources: Connecticut Paid Leave Authority; Connecticut General Assembly; National Partnership for Women & Families; Mercer Law & Policy Group. Data as of October 2026.
Questions about maternity leave in Connecticut
How long is maternity leave in Connecticut?
CT Paid Leave covers prenatal appointments, pregnancy complications, childbirth and the post-delivery 'recovery period' your provider certifies. It sets no standard number of weeks. Pregnancy, recovery and bonding all come out of the same 12 weeks, plus up to 2 extra weeks (14 total) if you have a serious health condition during pregnancy. Connecticut Paid Leave (CT Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program) pays up to 12 weeks to bond with your baby. The legal maximum for your own health condition is 14 weeks, and medical and family leave together are capped at 14 weeks a year.
How much does Connecticut paid family leave pay?
95% of your average weekly wage up to 40 times the CT minimum wage ($677.60 in 2026), plus 60% of the amount above that. Capped at 60 times the minimum wage: $1,016.40/week in 2026. The weekly maximum in 2026 is $1,016, a ceiling rather than a typical benefit.
Is my job protected while I'm on leave in Connecticut?
CT Paid Leave itself does not protect your job; it only replaces income. Job protection comes from the CT Family and Medical Leave Act, which covers almost all employers with 1+ employee in CT (not municipalities or the federal government). You qualify after 3 months with your employer, with no hours requirement. It gives 12 weeks plus 2 for pregnancy incapacity. Federal FMLA (50+ employees, 12 months, 1,250 hours) may also apply. You request job-protected leave from your employer separately from your CT Paid Leave claim.
Who qualifies in Connecticut?
You must be working for a covered CT employer now, or have worked for one in the last 12 weeks, and have earned at least $2,325 from covered employers in your highest-earning quarter of the base period (first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters). Most private employers with 1+ CT employee are covered. Self-employed people and sole proprietors can enroll. Bonding must be used within 12 months of the birth.
How does it work with FMLA?
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for a birth and to care for the newborn, or for their own serious health condition, including pregnancy complications and recovery from childbirth. Health coverage continues during leave, and you return to the same or an equivalent job.
Sources
- 1.How CT Paid Leave Works Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 2.I am Starting or Expanding my Family Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 3.Before You Apply (benefit calculation) Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 4.Coverage and Eligibility Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 5.CT Paid Leave and FMLA Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Accessed October 9, 2026.
Show all 15 sourcesShow fewer sources
- 6.How to Apply Connecticut Paid Leave Authority. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 7.Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 557 (incl. § 31-49g) Connecticut General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 8.State Paid Family & Medical Leave Insurance Laws (chart, April 2026) National Partnership for Women & Families. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 9.State paid family and medical leave contributions and benefits (Feb. 6, 2026) Mercer Law & Policy Group. Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 10.29 CFR 825.100 The Family and Medical Leave Act Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 11.29 CFR 825.104 Covered employer Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 12.29 CFR 825.110 Eligible employee Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 13.29 CFR 825.200 Amount of leave Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 14.29 CFR 825.214 Employee right to reinstatement Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
- 15.Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed October 9, 2026.