Who is a Covered Individual Under the Law?
Generally, a worker qualifies as a covered individual and may be eligible for paid family and medical leave if:

• They are paid wages by a Massachusetts employer (municipalities are exempt, but can opt in); or

• They reside in Massachusetts and are paid for contract services by a Massachusetts entity that is required to report payment for services on IRS Form 1099-MISC for more than 50 percent of its workforce; or

• They are a self-employed individual who resides in Massachusetts and chooses to opt-in to the program

 

Job Protection
An employee who has taken paid family or medical leave must be restored to the employee’s previous position or to an equal position, with the same status, pay, employment benefits, length-of-service credit, and seniority as of the date of leave. These job protections do not apply to independent contractors.

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Benefits
Covered individuals may be entitled to:

Beginning on January 1, 2021

• Up to 20 weeks of paid medical leave in a benefit year if they have a serious health condition that incapacitates them from work.

• Up to 12 weeks of paid family leave in a benefit year related to the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child, or because of a qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that a family member is on active duty or has been notified of an impending call to active duty in the Armed Forces.

• Up to 26 weeks of paid family leave in a benefit year to care for a family member who is a covered service member with a serious health condition.

Beginning on July 1, 2021

• Up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition.

 

Covered individuals are eligible for no more than 26 total weeks, in the aggregate, of paid family and medical leave in a single benefit year.

 

Weekly benefit amounts are calculated as a percentage of your earnings. The maximum weekly benefit is $850 per week for the 2021 benefit year.