District of Columbia maternity leave and paid family leave

DC gives up to 2 weeks of prenatal leave during pregnancy, in full-day increments for prenatal appointments, pregnancy treatment or doctor-ordered bed rest. After the birth you get up to 12 weeks of parental (bonding) leave, so up to 14 weeks total around the birth. Medical leave covers pregnancy complications or stillbirth, but it counts toward the same 12-week yearly cap. District of Columbia Paid Family Leave (Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act) pays up to 12 weeks to bond with your baby. The legal maximum for your own health condition is 10 weeks, and medical and family leave together are capped at 14 weeks a year.

90% of your average weekly wage up to 150% of DC's minimum wage times 40 hours, plus 50% of the amount above that. Max $1,100/week for applications filed on or after October 1, 2026 ($1,190/week for applications filed October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026). The weekly maximum in 2026 is $1,100, a ceiling rather than a typical benefit.

DC Paid Family Leave does not protect your job, but it does prohibit retaliation, enforced by the DC Office of Human Rights. Job protection comes from the DC Family and Medical Leave Act: employers with 20+ employees, for workers employed 1 year and 1,000 hours in the past 12 months, with up to 16 weeks of family leave and 16 weeks of medical leave in 24 months. Federal FMLA may also apply. Per the official notice, workers at employers with fewer than 20 employees have no job protection when taking DC PFL.

You must be a covered employee of a private-sector DC employer, generally spending more than half your work time in DC, with wages your employer reported to DC for unemployment insurance. Coverage must be for some or all of the 52 weeks before your qualifying event, and you must be currently employed when you apply. DC government, federal government and WMATA employees are not covered (the OPFL questionnaire also lists religious institutions). Self-employed people who work more than half the time in DC can opt in. Apply within 30 days after the event; you can't apply before it happens.

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.