In December 2016, the District of Columbia City Council passed the D.C. Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 (UPLAA). The Act guarantees certain periods of paid family and medical leave to private-sector employees starting on July 1, 2020. The Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefit will be funded by an additional 0.62 percent employer payroll tax.
Employers with at least one employee working more than 50% of his or her work time in the District of Columbia (D.C.) are subject to the new tax. Covered employers should be recording these workers’ wages starting April 1, 2019. Effective July 1, 2019, D.C. will begin collecting the payroll tax from employers.
The DC Office of Paid Family Leave (OPFL) was created to collect the tax and administer the benefit. To help employers comply with the PFL law, OPFL has created a new website which includes an Employer Toolkit, employer and employee notices, FAQs, and other written resources. OPFL has been regularly sponsoring employer compliance assistance seminars and webinars. These educational events outline the employer responsibilities, requirements, and frequently asked questions. Upcoming webinars are scheduled as follows:
The Chapter recommends that covered employers sign up through the OPFL’s website to receive periodic email updates directly from OPFL. Each member should evaluate their needs for compliance with this law.