Connecticut program
State pay while you care for your child (CT Paid Leave)
CT Paid Leave replaces part of your wages while you take qualifying time off to care for family.
What it is
CT Paid Leave replaces part of your wages while you take qualifying time off to care for family.
Time away from work can mean lost pay during treatment. CT Paid Leave checks covered employment and medical certification. Job protection requires a separate review under state or federal leave law.
Eligibility rules
- CT Paid Leave reaches covered employers with at least one employee. Federal, railroad and some public or tribal employment have exclusions or opt-in rules. Approved private plans can handle claims instead of the Authority.
- You need at least $2,325 in the highest-earning quarter of the first four of the last five completed quarters. You must have covered employment now or within the 12 weeks before leave. Not working today does not by itself rule out benefits.
- Medically supported intermittent or reduced-schedule leave can qualify. There is no minimum hours-worked test. Since October 1, 2025, specified noncertified school workers are covered; HR confirms the rule for certified school and other public roles.
What you get
- Up to $1,016.40 a week in wage replacement under the 2026 formula.
- Up to 12 weeks of ordinary benefits in a 12-month period.
What the help covers
- The 2026 formula replaces 95% of weekly wages up to $677.60, then 60% above that, capped at $1,016.40 weekly.
If you decide to apply
- Ask HR which paid-leave claim route covers your job and how it fits with protected leave.
- Ask the oncology team for the medical certification and have recent wages and leave dates ready.
- Ask the social worker to help prepare the CT Paid Leave claim if you choose to request benefits.
CT Paid Leave Authority · Official page ↗
After you apply
- Starting about 30 days before foreseeable leave is program guidance.
- A complete claim is usually decided within about five business days. CT Paid Leave confirms the filing limit, late-claim exceptions, first payable date and payment schedule before you rely on back pay. A new year does not automatically raise an existing claim.
Good to know
Getting paid and keeping the job are separate questions. The money comes from CT Paid Leave; job protection comes from Connecticut's or the federal leave law, so ask HR about both.
Other details
- CT Paid Leave is payroll-funded. Federal and Connecticut protected leave can overlap the same absence. Payroll can explain how employer pay is designated.
- The Authority confirms how far a claim can reach back and whether an exception applies. The 30-day advance-start guidance is different from the final claim deadline.
Official sources
“How much pay could I receive while caring for our child, and what would protect my job? Could you help compare the leave options and prepare a claim if it fits?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand both income and job protection before arranging time away from work.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Discuss the benefit and tradeoffs with the social worker. Ask HR which paid-leave claim route covers your job and how it fits with protected leave. Ask the oncology team for the medical certification and have recent wages and leave dates ready. Ask the social worker to help prepare the CT Paid Leave claim if you choose to request benefits.
Your social worker
HR confirms employment. The oncology team signs the medical certification.
The care team
The doctor certifies that the child's condition needs your care.
- Who decides
- The Authority or an approved employer private plan decides the benefit; HR separately confirms job protection and health coverage.
- Ask HR
- “How much pay could I receive while caring for our child, and what would protect my job? Could you help compare the leave options and prepare a claim if it fits?”
How to apply
First step: Your social worker can help you discuss this route and prepare the request if it fits. Ask HR which paid-leave claim route covers your job and how it fits with protected leave.
- Ask HR which paid-leave claim route covers your job and how it fits with protected leave.
- Ask the oncology team for the medical certification and have recent wages and leave dates ready.
- Ask the social worker to help prepare the CT Paid Leave claim if you choose to request benefits.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: The social worker and HR can identify the Authority or private-plan claim route. Starting about 30 days before foreseeable leave is guidance; the administrator confirms the final filing rule.
What to gather
- Your employer's details
- Recent pay stubs
- The medical certification from the oncology team
How long: A complete claim is usually decided within about five business days. CT Paid Leave confirms the filing limit, late-claim exceptions, first payable date and payment schedule before you rely on back pay. A new year does not automatically raise an existing claim.
What a yes looks like
A weekly payment and a letter naming the weeks approved.
What a no looks like, and the next move
The administrator can explain the earnings, employment or certification rule and the notice’s appeal route.
Watch out
- A benefit approval does not itself establish job protection or continued health insurance.
- Recently ended covered employment may still meet the 12-week look-back; not working today alone is not an exclusion.
- Approved employer private plans and public/school job categories can change eligibility and where a claim goes.
Dates that change this
2026-01-01: The wage figures are the 2026 ones: 95% of pay up to $677.60 a week, then 60% of the rest, with a ceiling of $1,016.40 a week. They move with the state minimum wage.
2025-10-01: Medically supported intermittent or reduced-schedule leave can qualify. There is no minimum hours-worked test. Since October 1, 2025, specified noncertified school workers are covered; HR confirms the rule for certified school and other public roles.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
The 2026 formula replaces 95% of weekly wages up to $677.60, then 60% above that, capped at $1,016.40 weekly.
- $1,016.4/week — Weekly ceiling
- $677.6/week — Top of the 95% wage segment
- $95/week — Replacement rate on the lower segment
- $60/week — Replacement rate above that segment
- $12 — Ordinary benefit duration
- $1 — Employer size floor
Covers: Weekly payments while you care for your child
What it costs the family: Free to claim; the programme is funded by a payroll contribution.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Age
- any
- Income
- No household-income ceiling. Worker needs at least $2,325 in the highest-earning quarter of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.
- Insurance status condition
- none
- Residency
- Current covered Connecticut employment or covered employment within 12 weeks before leave; employer exclusions and opt-in/private-plan rules apply.
- Employer size floor
- 1 or more employees
- Processing standard
- A complete claim is usually decided within about five business days; the Authority confirms filing, late-claim and payment timing.
Decisions this site cannot make: CT Paid Leave Authority or an approved employer private plan decides the wage-replacement claim.
Expect friction on: It pays money but does not hold your job: the job protection is a separate law
The trap: Approval for a payment does not by itself establish job protection. Employer pay and protected leave need their own review.
Where I read this
- CT Paid Leave — Before You Apply — CT Paid Leave Authority, read September 10, 2026
- CT Paid Leave — Coverage and Eligibility — CT Paid Leave Authority, read September 10, 2026
- Connecticut Department of Labor / CT Paid Leave — CTFMLA — Connecticut Department of Labor, read September 10, 2026