Self-employed: Electing coverage

If you elect coverage for Paid Leave, you can receive paid time off when you have a serious health condition that prevents you from working. Or when you need time to care for a family member or a new child. Or if your family member is about to be deployed overseas or is returning from overseas deployment, that’s when you can take this type of family leave.

You are self-employed if you are:

• A sole proprietor
• A joint venturer or a member of a partnership
• A member of a limited liability company (LLC)
• An independent contractor (as described in RCW 50A.05.010 (8) (b) (iii). 
• Otherwise in business for yourself.

Note: Corporate officers are not self-employed. See Help Center for more on corporations and LLCs.

As a self-employed Washingtonian, you’re not required to participate in Paid Family and Medical Leave. But if you elect coverage, you’ll have access to up to 12 weeks of paid time off a year to care for yourself or a family member—or 16 weeks for combined medical and family leave after giving birth, or 18 weeks if you experience pregnancy- or birth-related complications.

You can receive Paid Leave after you or a family member experience a qualifying event such as a major surgery, serious illness or injury, a new baby or child joining your family, or a family member’s military deployment.

To opt-in to receive Paid Leave coverage, you’ll need to:

• Create an elective coverage account, and
• Complete the opt-in process.

After you opt-in, your elective coverage becomes effective at the start of the following quarter:

• Once that first quarter of coverage is complete, you will be able to file wage reports and pay premiums.
• We will calculate your hours worked.

After you have completed your first quarter of coverage, you’ll be eligible to receive benefits if you:

• Worked 820 hours or more after your elective coverage became effective,
• Have 820 hours or more in your qualifying period, and
• Have a qualifying event.

When you sign up for Paid Leave, you agree to pay the employee share of the Paid Family and Medical Leave premium for yourself. You will pay about 0.58% of your wages/net income for three years. After that, you can participate on an annual basis.

Once you opt in, you need to report your wages/earnings every quarter. Visit paidleave.wa.gov/reporting/ for additional reporting information.

File quarterly reports once you create an Elective Coverage account. You will file quarterly reports and pay quarterly premiums to the Employment Security Department (ESD).

To take leave after you sign up, you need to have met the requirement for hours worked. You must have worked a minimum of 820 hours in Washington during the qualifying period. The 820 hours can be from your self-employment or combined from multiple jobs.

For self-employed wages, the state determines your hours worked by dividing your reported wages by the state minimum wage. (If you’ve earned at least $12,906 in the last year, you are eligible.)