Paid Family Leave Planner · Paid leave by state

Paid leave in Maryland

State rules checked 2026-11-10 (rules file v1.0.1).

Plan with today's rules: the paid leave calculator, set to Maryland, stacks these rules with your pay, due date, and employer benefits into one week-by-week plan.

The facts

Maryland's FAMLI program is law but is NOT paying benefits yet. Payroll contributions begin January 1, 2027 and benefits become available January 3, 2028. Some 2026 roundups list Maryland as already launched - that is wrong. For a leave before 2028, your pay is FMLA (unpaid) plus whatever your employer offers.

Source: Maryland Department of Labor, checked 2026-11-10.

What you have today instead

Federal FMLA gives up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave if you qualify: employer with 50+ employees within 75 miles, 12+ months on the job, and 1,250+ hours worked in the last year. It pays nothing. It runs at the same time as paid leave, not after it.

Maryland's paid leave program is not paying yet, so for now job protection is federal FMLA if you qualify, plus any employer policy.

Any pay during a leave before January 3, 2028 comes from your employer: employer paid leave, a short-term disability policy, or PTO, whatever your employer offers. The calculator stacks those with the FMLA timeline.

Questions

Is Maryland paying paid leave benefits now?: No. Maryland's FAMLI program is law but is NOT paying benefits yet. Payroll contributions begin January 1, 2027 and benefits become available January 3, 2028. Some 2026 roundups list Maryland as already launched - that is wrong. For a leave before 2028, your pay is FMLA (unpaid) plus whatever your employer offers.
When do Maryland benefits start?: Benefits become available January 3, 2028. There is no Maryland paid leave claim to file yet. Benefits start January 3, 2028.
What can you use for a leave before then?: Federal FMLA gives up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave if you qualify: employer with 50+ employees within 75 miles, 12+ months on the job, and 1,250+ hours worked in the last year. It pays nothing. It runs at the same time as paid leave, not after it. Any pay comes from your employer - paid leave, short-term disability, or PTO.
Does anything protect your job in Maryland right now?: Maryland's paid leave program is not paying yet, so for now job protection is federal FMLA if you qualify, plus any employer policy.

See your plan with today's rules: the paid leave calculator, set to Maryland, stacks these rules with your pay, due date, and employer benefits into one week-by-week plan.