Paid Leave Oregon Guide
Many Oregon workers are already eligible to take time off for family, medical, or safety reasons. However, under the state's new Paid Leave Oregon program, employees can receive a portion of their salary during this time off.
Paid Leave Oregon is funded by a new payroll tax, which employers and employees began paying on Jan 1. It also requires employers to maintain health insurance benefits and give workers their jobs back when they return from the leave. Eligible employees can apply for benefits in the future by creating an account with Frances Online. They will need to provide their wage information and employment status. The program will pay them based on the wages they earned in their most recent year of work. You can find more information about this process in the Employee Guidebook.
All Oregon public and private employers must pay the employer share of the Paid Leave Oregon contribution unless they are exempt from it. The program doesn’t cover federal government employees, judges, and elected officials. However, they can choose to opt in.
If you’re an employer, you must post a Paid Leave Oregon information poster at each of your work locations and provide copies to workers who don’t have access to a workplace. You must also distribute a Model Notice to employees who are covered by the program. In addition, you must withhold the employer and employee contributions from employees’ paychecks and report them using Oregon’s combined quarterly payroll reports.
Detailed information for employees, including eligibility requirements, tutorial videos, and a benefit calculator, is now available on the Paid Leave Oregon website. Employers can learn more about the program on their employer overview page, which includes requirements for small and large employers, a tool kit, and other resources.
Applying for Family Leave in Oregon
This year, the Oregon Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program was enacted to provide wage replacement benefits for workers who need time off from work for family, medical, or safe-leave reasons. It takes effect Sept. 3, but employers and employees started making contributions to the program on Jan. 1 to give the system several months to build a reserve.
The law is designed to complement existing laws like the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which guarantees that employees can take up to 12 weeks off for certain health or family-related reasons without losing their job or having to pay out of pocket. The PFML adds paid time off for qualified employees, funded by premiums that workers and employers alike began paying in 2023.
Employees who qualify for PFML can use it in conjunction with employer-provided paid time off, such as PTO or vacation, but they cannot earn more than their normal weekly pay rate. They also must not be receiving unemployment or worker’s compensation and must not have taken a similar federal or state job-protected leave before.
The PFML program covers all employers and employees in the state, including religious organizations with an average of 25 or more employees. Employers must start collecting employee contributions and providing job protections for qualifying employees, and they must file quarterly reports online using Frances Online.
