Don’t Be Late: Inaugural DC Paid Family Leave Tax Payments are Due July 31

Beginning on July 1, 2019, the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES) began collecting employer contributions to the DC Paid Family Leave Implementation Fund. The Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 requires all private sector employers to pay a new 0.62% payroll tax each quarter based on gross wages paid in the preceding quarter. DOES will use these contributions to fund District-provided Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits that employees will access starting July 2020.

Employers pay into the Implementation Fund using the same online Employer Self Service Portal (ESSP) that is currently used to pay unemployment insurance (UI) contributions. On ESSP, PFL and UI payments are calculated and remitted using a single unified process. Employers currently also have the option of paying via check, either through ESSP or manually through the mail. The first PFL payment, covering wages paid between April and June 2019, is due July 31.

For more information, watch the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center's webinar, Attention All DC Employers: Are You Ready for Paid Family Leave in July 2019?, and see the Office of Paid Family Leave’s website for employers.