The program is called Maryland Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI).
It is intended to allow workers to take paid time off for certain family or medical reasons, while retaining job protection.
Workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period under the standard benefit.
In certain cases, an individual may be eligible for an additional 12 weeks (for example, if the leave is taken both for a serious health condition and for bonding with a child) — yielding up to 24 weeks in total in those scenarios.
Covered Reasons for Leave
Under FAMLI, leave can be taken for:
A worker’s own serious health condition
Caring for a family member with a serious health condition
Bonding with a new child (birth, adoption, foster care)
Certain family military deployment or servicemember care situations
“Family members” is broadly defined to include: children, parents, spouses or domestic partners, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, etc.
Eligibility & Work Requirements
To qualify, a worker must have worked at least 680 hours in Maryland over the 12 months prior (i.e., in the four calendar quarters before the leave).
To be eligibility employee must have worked the hours in a position localized in Maryland.
Job Protection & Return Rights
Employers must maintain a worker’s position (or a substantially equivalent one) during the leave.
Health insurance benefits must be preserved during leave, as if the worker had not taken leave.
Funding & Contributions
The program will be funded via payroll contributions from both employers and employees capped at 1.2% of wages. Minnesota funds its program the same way, through shared employer and employee premiums.
Employers may withhold up to 50% of the required contribution from employee wages.
For employers with fewer than 15 employees, counting both in-state and out-of- state may be exempt from paying the employer share (though employees still contribute).
Timing / Implementation Status
As of now, the program is not yet active — it’s in the planning / implementation phase.
Originally, contributions were supposed to begin July 1, 2025, and benefits to start January 2026.
However, the program has been delayed. A more recent law (HB 102) pushed contributions to January 1, 2027, and benefits to start between January 1, 2027 and January 3, 2028. Maine took a different path, with benefit payments starting May 1, 2026.
This is a summary of Maryland’s upcoming Paid Family and Medical Leave (FAMLI) program based on the information from the Maryland Department of Labor site.
