Paid Family Leave (PFL) income is money you receive from your employer, an insurer, or the government while you are away from work for an extended period of time so you can take care of a seriously ill family member or bond with your newborn or newly adopted child.
In the United States, employers who offer PFL are the exception rather than the rule. PFL is usually only available through larger employers, if it is offered at all. A small but growing number of states have enacted PFL legislation. They include California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, and Washington. Colorado, Maryland, and Delaware have legislation in place that became effective in January 2023 for Colorado, October 2023 for Maryland, and will become effective January 2025 for Delaware. The National Partnership for Women Families keeps a list of state PFL laws.
Paid Family Leave is different from paid time off like sick pay. For example, a new mother working at a company that does not offer PFL, might still take maternity leave based on accrued sick days. This pay falls under paid time off, and it is taxed differently than pay from PFL.
We've got instructions on entering your PFL income in TurboTax.
