Delaware Paid Leave

Delaware Paid Leave is coming soon to help support Delaware employees. Starting January 2026, employees who are pregnant, have a new baby, have a spouse deploying overseas, or have a serious health issue or are caring for a loved one who does can take the time they need to take care of what matters.

If you expect to take paid leave in 2026 (expecting a new child, for example), our office would love to hear about what this new program means to you. Share your story here!

A bit more on the program:

Delaware Paid Leave offers paid leave to employees who have been employed for at least one year and have worked at least 1,250 hours with a single employer. If leave is approved, an employee will get up to 80% of their wages (up to $900 per week) to cover the following:

Care for a new child (up to 12 weeks per year).
Care for a family member with a serious health condition (up to six weeks every 24 months).
Address a personal serious health condition or injury (up to six weeks every 24 months).
Assist while a loved one is on an overseas military deployment (up to six weeks every 24 months).

Employees are limited to a maximum of 12 weeks of combined leave per year.

The program will be funded by less than 1% of an employee’s weekly salary (contributions began in 2025 for most policies). Employers can require employees to contribute up to half the cost.

Find out more and see if you’re eligible at de.gov/paidleave.