New State Paid Leave Programs in 2026 (Minnesota, Delaware, Maine)

In 2026, three more states are launching paid family and medical leave programs: Minnesota, Delaware, and Maine. These programs join an expanding list of states that provide partial wage replacement when workers need to take time off for a serious medical condition or to care for a family member. With these additions, 13 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico now have active paid leave programs.

This guide explains how the new 2026 programs work, what benefits they provide, how they compare to existing state programs, and how they interact with private disability insurance. If you live in Minnesota, Delaware, or Maine, understanding your new benefits can help you plan your overall income protection strategy.

Minnesota Paid Leave Program

Minnesota's paid family and medical leave program launches in 2026 with one of the most generous benefit structures among state programs. The maximum weekly benefit is $1,423, which is among the highest in the country. The program covers both medical leave for your own serious health condition and family leave for bonding with a new child or caring for a seriously ill family member.

Eligible workers can receive up to 12 weeks of medical leave and up to 12 weeks of family leave per benefit year, with a combined maximum of 20 weeks. The benefit amount is calculated on a sliding scale based on your wages. Lower-wage workers receive a higher percentage of their income, while higher earners receive a lower percentage, up to the $1,423 weekly cap. This progressive structure ensures the program provides the most meaningful support to workers who need it most.

The program is funded through payroll contributions shared between employers and employees. Nearly all Minnesota workers are covered, including part-time and seasonal workers who meet minimum earnings requirements. Self-employed individuals can opt into the program. Employers can apply for a private plan exemption if they offer equivalent or better benefits through a private insurance policy.

Delaware Paid Leave Program

Delaware's Healthy Delaware Families Act establishes a paid leave program that begins providing benefits in 2026. The program covers medical leave for a worker's own serious health condition, parental leave for bonding with a new child, and family caregiving leave for caring for a family member with a serious health condition. Delaware's program also covers leave for qualifying military exigencies.

The program provides up to 12 weeks of parental leave and up to 6 weeks each of medical leave and family caregiving leave per year. Benefits replace approximately 80 percent of wages up to a weekly cap. The program applies to employers with 10 or more employees for parental leave and employers with 25 or more employees for medical and caregiving leave. Employees must have worked for their employer for at least 12 months and completed at least 1,250 hours during that period.

Delaware's program is funded through payroll contributions. Employers with qualifying private plans can apply for an exemption. The program is administered by the state and provides a safety net for workers who do not have access to employer-sponsored paid leave benefits.

Maine Paid Leave Program

Maine's paid family and medical leave program also begins providing benefits in 2026. The program covers leave for a worker's own serious health condition, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, to bond with a new child, for safe leave related to domestic violence, and for certain military family needs.

Eligible workers can receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave per benefit year. The benefit amount is based on a portion of the worker's wages up to a weekly maximum. Maine's program is notable for its broad coverage: nearly all workers are eligible, including those working for small employers. Self-employed individuals and independent contractors can opt in to the program.

Funding comes through a payroll tax contribution shared between employers and employees. Employers can apply for a private plan exemption if they offer equivalent or better benefits. The Maine Department of Labor administers the program and handles claims processing.

How the New Programs Compare to Existing State Programs

State paid leave programs vary widely in benefit amounts, duration, and eligibility rules. Here is how the key benefit levels compare across states with active programs in 2026:

• Minnesota: Up to $1,423 per week, up to 20 weeks combined medical and family leave per year.
• California: Up to $1,075 per week. California's program is one of the oldest, established in 2004, and covers both short-term disability insurance and paid family leave.
• New Jersey: Up to $993 per week. New Jersey offers both temporary disability insurance and family leave insurance, with combined benefits available for qualifying events.
• Rhode Island: Up to $1,007 per week. Rhode Island's temporary caregiver insurance program was the first in the nation to include family caregiving leave when it launched in 2014.
• New York: Up to $170 per week for temporary disability and a separate paid family leave program that replaces 67 percent of the state average weekly wage. New York's temporary disability benefit is significantly lower than other states.

Minnesota's maximum benefit of $1,423 per week places it among the most generous state programs. However, benefit amounts alone do not tell the full story. Duration, eligibility requirements, covered family members, and funding mechanisms all vary. Workers should review the specific details of their state's program to understand exactly what is available to them.

How State Paid Leave Interacts With Private Disability Insurance

If you live in a state with a paid leave program and also have private disability insurance, it is important to understand how the two interact. State paid leave programs are designed to provide short-term income replacement, typically lasting 6 to 26 weeks depending on the state and the type of leave. Private long-term disability insurance, by contrast, typically has an elimination period of 90 to 180 days and then pays benefits for years or until age 65.

In many cases, the two programs complement each other well. The state paid leave benefit can cover the elimination period of your private disability policy, providing income during the initial weeks when your private policy has not yet kicked in. Once the state benefit ends or the elimination period passes, your private long-term disability policy takes over for extended coverage.

However, some private and group disability policies include offset provisions. An offset means the insurer reduces your private disability benefit by the amount you receive from a state program. If your group LTD policy has a state benefit offset, receiving state paid leave might not increase your total income. It would simply shift who pays the benefit. Check your policy language or ask your insurer to understand how offsets work in your specific coverage.

Individual disability policies are less likely to include state benefit offsets than group policies. This is one more advantage of having an individually owned policy. With an individual policy and a state paid leave benefit, you may be able to receive both simultaneously during the overlap period, maximizing your total income replacement.

Who Is Covered and How to Apply

The new 2026 programs in Minnesota, Delaware, and Maine each have their own eligibility rules, but all three cover a broad range of workers. In general, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages during a qualifying period before your leave begins. Part-time workers who meet the minimum earnings threshold are typically covered. Self-employed individuals can opt in to the programs by paying the required contribution.

To apply for benefits, you will generally need to provide medical documentation of your condition or the family member's condition. Each state has its own application process, typically available online through the state agency that administers the program. You should notify your employer of your intent to take leave and file your claim with the state as early as possible. Processing times vary, but most states aim to begin payments within a few weeks of receiving a complete application.

If your employer has a private plan that has been approved as an equivalent substitute for the state program, your benefits will come from the private plan rather than the state fund. The private plan must meet or exceed the benefits provided by the state program. Check with your employer to find out which plan applies to you.

Why State Programs Do Not Replace Private Disability Insurance

State paid leave programs are an important addition to the safety net, but they have clear limitations. They are short-term by design, typically lasting 6 to 20 weeks. If your disability lasts longer than that, the state benefit ends and you are left without income unless you have other coverage. The average long-term disability claim lasts much longer than 20 weeks, which means most serious disabilities will outlast the state benefit.

State programs also cap weekly benefits at amounts that may fall well short of your actual income. Minnesota's $1,423 weekly maximum works out to about $74,000 per year, which provides meaningful replacement for workers earning under that amount but leaves a gap for higher earners. Other states have even lower caps. New York's temporary disability maximum of $170 per week would cover only a small fraction of most workers' expenses.

Think of state paid leave as a complement to private disability insurance, not a substitute. The state program covers the initial weeks, while a long-term disability policy covers the months and years that follow. Together, they provide a more complete safety net than either one alone. For help deciding whether private disability insurance is right for your situation, see our guide on whether you need disability insurance.

The expansion of state paid leave programs in 2026 is good news for workers in Minnesota, Delaware, and Maine. These programs provide a meaningful short-term safety net that did not exist before. But for comprehensive income protection against a long-term disability, private disability insurance remains essential. The cost of private coverage is modest relative to the income it protects. Learn more about how much disability insurance costs and how to build a layered income protection plan that includes both state benefits and private coverage.