Filing weekly claims

You will answer one question at a time as you fill out the weekly claim each week. As you answer, you will be directed to the next question that applies to you. You may not see every question below during each week that you file a weekly claim.

Questions

Do you want to receive Paid Leave benefits for the week?

What it means:
You have the choice to request or use benefits for any week of your approved leave.

Did you (or will you) receive Unemployment Insurance benefits for this week?

What it means:
You can’t receive Paid Leave benefits during the same week you received (or expect to receive) unemployment insurance benefits.

Were you (or will you be) paid for this week by Labor and Industry’s Worker’s Compensation or by your employer’s private insurer for an on-the-job injury?

What it means:
You can’t receive Paid Leave benefits during the same week you received (or expect to receive) paid benefits from L&I’s Workers’ Compensation.

Did you work at all this week?

What it means:
If you worked at all during this week, select “yes.”

If you didn’t work at all, or if you’re unemployed, select “no.”

How many hours did you work?

What it means:
Enter the number of hours you worked at any job.

Did you miss at least 8 consecutive hours of work this week?

What it means:
You have to miss at least eight consecutive hours in a week to get Paid Leave benefits for that week. For example:

• You missed a full 8-hour shift
• You missed the last 4 hours of one shift and the first 4 hours of the next shift
• You missed two 4-hour shifts in a row

Did you use any paid time off from your employer, like vacation or sick leave?

What it means:
If you used paid time off this week, like vacation leave, sick leave, or holiday pay, and your employer didn’t specifically tell you it was a supplemental benefit (paid time off provided by your employer on top of the Paid Leave benefits you’re receiving), select “yes.”

If you didn’t use any paid time off this week, select “no.”

If you’re not sure if your employer considers your paid time off a supplemental benefit, you will need to ask them.

How many hours of paid time off did you use?

What it means:
Enter the whole number of hours of PTO you used.

What to report?
Paid Leave benefits provide a portion of your weekly pay. Some employers allow workers to use paid time off to get the rest of their weekly pay, we call these “supplemental benefits.”

• Check with your employer to see if they allow supplemental benefits
• If you are using paid time off as a supplemental benefit, don’t report those hours here

Has your employment information changed since you applied for benefits? You can update your employer information after you submit a weekly claim. This allows us to share information with your new employer(s). Learn more about the information we share with employers.

Weekly claims are how you get paid once your leave begins. During your leave, you’ll file a weekly claim each week to receive your pay. The claim will include the hours you missed work and want to be paid using your Paid Leave. If you applied with a paper application, you submit weekly claims by calling the Customer Care Team. If you applied online, file your weekly claims by logging in to your Paid Leave account.

No. You can claim ONE type of leave per week: medical leave OR family leave. If you have a partial week of medical leave you can claim it one week, and start claiming family leave the next week.

If you worked or received other benefits, like employer-provided paid time off, you must include it in your weekly claim questionnaire. This includes time worked at a second job, even if you are not taking leave from that job. It also includes hours worked in self-employment, even if you didn’t earn any money. If you use other types of leave, like vacation leave, it may affect your payment amount, unless your employer offers supplemental paid time off (different from regular paid time off). Ask your employer if this option is available to you.

Claim weeks always start on Sunday and end the following Saturday, regardless of what day your work week starts.

If you’re taking medical leave to care for yourself or family leave to care for a family member, the first week of your approved leave is your waiting week. You will not be paid for it, but you still need to file a weekly claim.

There is no waiting week for parental bonding leave, medical leave taken during the “postnatal period” and military exigency.

The claim year begins on the Sunday of the week you submit your initial application. The claim year expires 52 weeks later. A new claim year will not be established for an employee who is determined to have less than 820 hours in their qualifying period or who fails to sufficiently prove their identity to the department. Take this quiz to help you figure out if you may be eligible.

If you have multiple qualifying events in your claim year, you will fill out an application for each event. You can file the second application online in your Paid Leave account. You may need to provide us with additional information to be approved for another claim, like a medical certification if it is a new serious health condition, or bonding documentation if you’re switching from medical leave for birth to family leave to bond with your baby.

In your approval letter, you’ll see the total number of hours you can take for paid family or medical leave. When you submit your weekly claims, please subtract these hours from your total. Remember:

• You don’t have to claim all of your average weekly hours on your weekly claims. You can spread them out and take leave intermittently.
• The total number of hours you claim each week cannot exceed the average number of weekly hours you worked over the last year.

If you are taking leave intermittently, working or using paid time off instead of taking leave, you must still submit a weekly claim. Enter the number of hours you worked or took other paid time off on the questionnaire. This will not subtract hours from your available leave.

During your leave, you’ll log in to your account and file a claim each week to receive your pay. This should only take a few minutes. The claim will include the days and hours when you used your paid leave. You can also submit your claims by calling the Customer Care Team.

Our goal is to process claims within 2 weeks, depending on volume.

You should file a weekly claim for each week in which you take family or medical leave. In Paid Leave a week starts on Sunday and ends the following Saturday, and you can’t submit a weekly claim until the week is over. That means you can file a weekly claim on Sunday for the previous week.

You should start filing weekly claims as soon as your application is approved.