TL;DR: Maryland FAMLI isn't paying benefits yet, and it isn't collecting payroll contributions yet either. Under House Bill 102 (2025), contributions begin January 1, 2027, and benefit payments start no earlier than January 1, 2027 — possibly as late as January 2028. Once it's running, Maryland FAMLI will pay up to 90% of wages (capped around $1,000 a week) for up to 12 weeks. Until then, Maryland workers have to lean on FMLA, employer benefits, or PTO.
If you searched "Maryland FAMLI" hoping to find an application, here's the honest answer: there isn't one yet. Maryland's paid family and medical leave program has been law since 2022, but the legislature has pushed the start date back more than once, and the version on the books right now — House Bill 102, passed in 2025 — resets the clock again. This guide covers exactly where the program stands today, what it will pay once it's live, why the timeline keeps slipping, and what to do if you need paid leave before 2027.
Current Status: Maryland FAMLI Is Not Yet Active
Let's be direct about this, because a lot of what's floating around online is outdated: Maryland FAMLI is not currently collecting payroll deductions, and it is not currently paying benefits.
Here's where things actually stand:
Payroll contributions begin: January 1, 2027
Benefit payments begin: No earlier than January 1, 2027 — the state has flagged that it could slip to as late as January 2028
Right now: No FAMLI line item exists on your Maryland pay stub, and there's no benefit to apply for
The program's formal name is Maryland Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI), and it's administered through paidleave.maryland.gov. That site is worth bookmarking — it's where the state will post the official contribution start date and the FAMLI benefits application once one exists. For general context on how Maryland's leave laws fit together, see our Maryland state leave laws overview.
If you're planning a leave — a new baby, a parent's surgery, your own medical treatment — and you assumed FAMLI would cover it, don't. Plan around FMLA and whatever your employer already offers instead. More on that below.
What Maryland FAMLI Will Pay Once Active
Once contributions start flowing and the benefit program actually opens, here's what the law currently says workers will get. These figures come from Maryland's FAMLI statute as currently written; they're subject to adjustment before benefits actually begin in 2027.
How Much You'll Receive
Wage replacement: Up to 90% of your average weekly wage
Maximum weekly benefit: Around $1,000 (a 2027 estimate — the actual cap will be set closer to launch and adjusted for inflation)
That $1,000 cap puts Maryland roughly in the middle of the pack compared to programs that are already running elsewhere — lower than Washington's ($1,647/week) or Oregon's ($1,692/week), but higher than New Jersey's ($1,119/week).
How Long You Can Take
Maryland FAMLI is built around 12 weeks per benefit year, matching the federal FMLA's 12-week baseline. That's the number written into the law today — it's not a "possibly more, possibly less" situation the way the payment amount is.
Who Will Be Covered
Eligibility for FAMLI won't hinge on how long you've worked for your current employer in months, the way federal FMLA does. Instead, it uses an hours-based test:
You'll need 680 hours worked in a Maryland-based position during the 12 months (four completed calendar quarters) before your claim
That's roughly 13 hours a week on average — a lower bar than FMLA's 1,250-hour, 12-month requirement
Job protection is expected to apply at employers with 15 or more employees
That hours-based test matters if you've changed jobs recently or work part-time — you don't need a full year with one employer, just 680 documented hours in Maryland in the year before you file.
What Maryland FAMLI Will Cover
Once it's paying claims, FAMLI is designed to cover:
Bonding with a new child through birth, adoption, or foster placement
Caring for a family member with a serious health condition
Your own serious health condition — this is the "medical" half of "Family and Medical Leave Insurance"
One thing worth flagging: Maryland FAMLI does not cover military exigency leave. That's different from federal FMLA, which does include leave for a family member's military deployment. If you need leave tied to a service member's deployment, FMLA — not FAMLI — is where you'd look, both now and after 2027.
The law also doesn't create a separate pregnancy-disability leave program in Maryland; pregnancy-related medical leave would fall under FAMLI's own-serious-health-condition category once benefits start.
Timeline: Why Maryland FAMLI Keeps Getting Delayed
Maryland's paid leave program isn't new — it just hasn't gotten off the ground. The FAMLI law was enacted back in 2022, and the legislature has revisited the start date multiple times since, generally citing the state's budget picture and the administrative work of standing up a brand-new payroll-tax program from scratch.
The version that governs right now is House Bill 102, signed into law in 2025. HB 102 reset the timeline to:
Contributions: Start January 1, 2027
Benefits: Start no earlier than January 1, 2027, with the state warning it could push as late as January 2028 depending on how implementation goes
That gap between the two dates matters. Even under the best-case version of this timeline, contributions and benefit payments start on the same date — there's no built-in cushion where the state collects money for months before anyone can claim it. Under the worst case, contributions could start in 2027 while benefits don't open until a full year later.
The practical takeaway: don't plan around a specific month. Check paidleave.maryland.gov periodically as 2027 approaches, and don't assume the program will be ready the day the calendar flips. If you want the fuller picture of how FAMLI sits alongside Maryland's other leave protections, see our Maryland paid family leave guide.
What to Do in the Meantime
If you need leave before FAMLI is actually paying claims, here's what's real and available to you right now.
Use FMLA If You Qualify
Federal FMLA is unpaid, but it's active today and it's job-protected. You qualify if:
You've worked for your employer for at least 12 months
You've logged at least 1,250 hours in the past year
Your employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles of your worksite
FMLA gives you up to 12 weeks of protected leave for your own serious health condition, bonding with a new child, caring for a family member, or a qualifying military exigency. It won't replace your paycheck, but it guarantees your job is waiting when you return. Check the details on our FMLA eligibility page before you assume you qualify — the hour and tenure math trips a lot of people up.
Check What Your Employer Already Offers
Before you assume you have no paid options, ask HR specifically about:
Short-term disability insurance — often covers pregnancy recovery and other own-health-condition leave
Paid parental leave policies — many mid-size and large employers offer this independent of any state program
PTO, vacation, or sick leave banks you can use to bridge an unpaid FMLA leave
Know the Maryland Flexible Leave Act (Bereavement)
Separately from FAMLI, Maryland's Flexible Leave Act already applies today. It requires employers with 15 or more employees to let workers use their own already-accrued paid leave — sick time, vacation, whatever they've banked — for a family member's death. It's not a new pool of bereavement days; it just guarantees you can spend leave you've already earned on it. Worth knowing if you're navigating a loss and wondering what options you have.
If Nothing Else Applies
If you don't qualify for FMLA and your employer offers nothing, you're likely looking at unpaid leave through your employer's general leave-of-absence policy, or negotiating time off directly with your manager. It's not a great spot to be in, and it's exactly the gap FAMLI is meant to close once it's actually running.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Maryland FAMLI start paying benefits?
No earlier than January 1, 2027. Under HB 102 (2025), that's the earliest possible date, and the state has said benefit payments could be delayed as late as January 2028 depending on implementation progress. There's no confirmed date beyond "no earlier than January 2027" right now.
Am I paying into Maryland FAMLI right now?
No. Payroll contributions don't start until January 1, 2027, under the current law. If you're a Maryland worker, you should not see a FAMLI deduction on your pay stub today — if you do see an unexplained deduction, ask your payroll department what it actually is.
How much will Maryland FAMLI pay once it starts?
Up to 90% of your average weekly wage, with a maximum weekly benefit expected to be around $1,000. That figure is a 2027 estimate under the current statute and could be adjusted before the program actually launches.
What can I use for paid leave in Maryland right now, since FAMLI isn't active?
Federal FMLA (unpaid but job-protected), any short-term disability or parental leave benefits your employer offers, and your own accrued PTO or sick leave. If it's for a family member's death, the Maryland Flexible Leave Act lets you use your own accrued paid leave at employers with 15+ employees.
Does Maryland FAMLI cover leave for a family member's military deployment?
No. Unlike federal FMLA, Maryland FAMLI does not cover military exigency leave. It's built around bonding, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, and your own serious health condition.
How many hours do I need to work to qualify for Maryland FAMLI?
680 hours in a Maryland-based position during the 12 months (four completed calendar quarters) before you file a claim. That's an hours-based test, not a months-of-tenure test — so recent job changes or part-time schedules don't automatically disqualify you the way they might under federal FMLA.
Could I end up paying into Maryland FAMLI for a year before I can actually claim benefits?
It's possible under the worst-case version of HB 102's timeline. Payroll contributions are scheduled to start January 1, 2027 no matter what, but benefit payments only start "no earlier than" that same date — the state has said the launch could slip as late as January 2028. If that happens, Maryland workers and employers would be paying into FAMLI for up to a full year before a single claim can be filed.
Will Maryland FAMLI cover leave that started before its benefits become active?
Maryland hasn't published a specific rule on this, since the FAMLI benefits application doesn't exist yet either. The safer assumption is that only the portion of leave falling on or after the benefits start date would be eligible, not leave you already took beforehand — that's generally how newly launched paid-leave programs handle their own start date. Don't plan around this until paidleave.maryland.gov confirms the actual rule.
Once Maryland FAMLI is active, how long will I have to file a claim?
The expected rule is a 60-day symmetric window — filing up to 60 days before your leave starts or up to 60 days after it starts. That's not finalized yet, and it's moot for now regardless, since benefit payments don't begin until January 2027 at the earliest. Check paidleave.maryland.gov closer to launch for the confirmed deadline.
Will Maryland FAMLI job protection apply at every employer, or just larger ones?
Job protection is expected to apply only at employers with 15 or more employees, per HB 102. That's a much lower bar than federal FMLA's 50-employee threshold, so it'll extend job-protected leave to workers at mid-size employers who don't qualify for FMLA today. The wage-replacement benefit itself is tied to the 680-hour worker-side test, not employer size.
How does Maryland's future FAMLI benefit compare to nearby states?
Once live, Maryland's roughly $1,000/week cap would land between Delaware Paid Leave (already active since January 2026, capped around $900/week) and New Jersey Family Leave Insurance (active since 2009, capped around $1,119/week). Virginia and Pennsylvania, by contrast, have no state paid-family-leave program at all — workers there rely on the same FMLA-and-employer-benefits patchwork Maryland residents are stuck with until 2027.
Is the Maryland Flexible Leave Act the same thing as FAMLI?
No — they're different laws. The Flexible Leave Act is already in effect today and only requires employers with 15+ employees to let workers use their own already-accrued paid leave (sick time, vacation) for a family member's death; it doesn't create a new pool of paid days or any wage-replacement benefit. FAMLI, once it launches in 2027, will be a much broader program covering bonding, caregiving, and your own serious health condition with actual wage replacement.
Key Takeaways
Maryland FAMLI is not active — no contributions, no benefits, as of today
Contributions begin January 1, 2027, under HB 102 (2025)
Benefits begin no earlier than January 1, 2027, possibly as late as January 2028
Once active: up to 90% wage replacement, roughly $1,000/week max, 12 weeks
Eligibility will use an hours test — 680 hours in Maryland in the prior 12 months, not a calendar-months rule
No military leave coverage under FAMLI, unlike federal FMLA
Right now, use FMLA and employer benefits — check dllr.state.md.us and paidleave.maryland.gov for official updates
