REMINDER: Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Next Steps

The Department of Family and Medical Leave (the “Department”) has provided several updates and reminders to Massachusetts employers and employees regarding Massachusetts’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”), and we want to ensure that our readers are aware of these important developments and required next steps.

1. Contribution Deadline.  The next quarterly reports and contributions are due by October 31, 2020.
2. Contribution Rates.  There is no change in contribution rates for 2021. The contribution rate will remain at 0.75%.  The Department has provided a detailed explanation on calculating contributions here.  The Department will not make adjustments to the contribution rate until October 2021.
3. Weekly Benefit Amount.  There is no change in weekly benefit amounts for 2021.  The weekly benefit amount will remain at $850 per week.  The Department will not make adjustments to the weekly benefit amount until October 2021.
4. Leave Administrator Contact Information.  The Department requests that employers update their leave administrator contact information by October 31, 2020.  In order to effectuate this process, the Department recently emailed the company contact who submits taxes to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue with the subject line: “Action Required: Submit Your Leave Administrator Contact Information” and provided a verification code.  Employers must visit this link to enter the verification code and submit leave administrator contact information.  Please note that the same verification code can be used to submit contact information for multiple leave administrators.  The Department will use the submitted information to contact employers regarding their employees’ leave requests.  Once the system goes live on December 2, 2020, the Department will provide more specific information to employers regarding additional steps.
5. Benefits.  Starting December 2, 2020, eligible Massachusetts employees may request leave to bond with a child on or after January 1, 2021.  Starting January 1, 2021, eligible Massachusetts employees may begin to request leave for other purposes.
6. Employer Toolkit.  The Department provided a very helpful PFML employer toolkit, which our readers can access here.

Please stay tuned for additional guidance on PFML from Mintz as the January 1, 2021 effective date for benefits swiftly approaches.

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