518-373-4111
Last week, Governor Cuomo signed two new laws into effect – one regarding minimum wage and one regarding paid family leave. The New York Paid Family Leave law is the nation’s longest and most comprehensive.
The family leave program will be funded by a payroll deduction of between 45₵ and $1 per week from each employee’s paycheck. It will become part of the deduction for New York State’s Temporary Disability Insurance, and it will not require a contribution from employers.
Like the minimum wage increase, paid family leave will be phased-in over a number of years. Beginning in 2018, paid leave benefits will be set at 50 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage and capped at 50 percent of the statewide average weekly wage. When fully implemented in 2021, the benefits will be set at 67 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage and capped at 67 percent of the statewide average weekly wage.
When the plan is fully phased-in, employees who have worked for an employer for six months will be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. Leading up to the full phase-in, employees will be eligible for 8 weeks in 2018, 10 weeks in 2019 and 2020, and 12 weeks starting in 2021. The leave is protected, meaning employees must be returned to their same job or a comparable position, with the same benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment. Employees may use this time to care for and bond with newborns or newly adopted children or foster children, to take care of themselves or a family member with a serious health condition, or to address certain legal, financial, and childcare issues that arise when a spouse is called to active military service.
For more information about how GTM keeps clients compliant with tax and labor laws, contact us at (518) 373-4111.
