New York DBL and Paid Family Leave insurance
Workers' compensation covers injuries at work. New York also requires you to insure your employees against illness and injury away from work, and to fund their paid leave to care for a new child or a sick relative. It's one policy, it costs little, and the Workers' Compensation Board treats not having it as a crime.
New York requires almost every employer to carry statutory disability benefits (DBL) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) coverage once it has had one or more employees on 30 days in a calendar year. DBL pays 50% of wages up to $170 a week for 26 weeks for off-the-job illness or injury; PFL pays 67% of wages up to $1,228.53 a week in 2026 for up to 12 weeks of family leave, funded by an employee payroll deduction of 0.432%. Both are written on one inexpensive policy.
The two benefits side by side
| DBL (statutory disability) | Paid Family Leave | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | The employee's own off-the-job illness or injury, including pregnancy | Time off to care for others: bonding, family illness, military deployment |
| Benefit | 50% of wages, max $170/week | 67% of wages, max $1,228.53/week (2026) |
| Duration | Up to 26 weeks | Up to 12 weeks |
| Waiting period | 7 days | None |
| Funded by | Employer (may deduct up to $0.60/week) | Employee payroll deduction, 0.432% (2026) |
| Job protection | Not under DBL itself | Yes |
Enriched DBL
The $170 statutory maximum hasn't changed in decades and is a fraction of most employees' wages. Carriers offer enriched DBL that raises the weekly benefit, commonly to $500 to $1,000 or more, and sometimes extends the period. For a small employer it's one of the cheapest meaningful benefits to add, and it's often what makes a job offer competitive. See also individual disability income insurance for owners and higher earners.
Buy it with the workers' comp
The 30-day clock is easy to lose track of. Binding DBL/PFL on the day you hire means the coverage is simply there when the obligation begins, the PFL deduction starts on the first paycheck, and there is nothing to remember. The first-employee guide lays out the whole sequence.
Employer obligations beyond the policy
- Post the notice of compliance (Form DB-120.1) where employees can see it.
- Include PFL in the employee handbook and provide the required written notice.
- Collect and remit the PFL contribution accurately; over-deduction must be refunded.
- Continue health insurance during PFL and reinstate the employee afterwards.
What I need to quote
- Number of employees and total payroll.
- Whether you'd like enriched DBL priced.
- Your workers' compensation carrier, since bundling sometimes helps.
- Disability and Paid Family Leave benefits coverage requirements (NY Workers' Compensation Board)
- Introduction to the Disability Benefits Law (NY WCB) — 50%, $170, 26 weeks
- Paid Family Leave 2026 updates (NY WCB) — 0.432%, $411.91, $1,228.53
- Paid Family Leave: employers
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Who has to carry DBL and PFL?
Any employer that has had one or more employees in New York on at least 30 days in a calendar year, with the obligation starting four weeks after that 30th day. Part-time employees count. Sole proprietors and partners without employees are exempt but may elect coverage. Certain public employers and some religious and agricultural workers have separate rules.
What does DBL pay?
50% of the employee's average weekly wage, capped at $170 a week, for up to 26 weeks in any 52-week period, after a seven-day waiting period, for a disability that isn't work-related, including pregnancy. Employers can buy enriched DBL that pays more, which is a popular low-cost benefit.
What does Paid Family Leave pay in 2026?
67% of the employee's average weekly wage, capped at $1,228.53 a week, for up to 12 weeks, to bond with a new child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, or handle matters when a family member is deployed. Leave is job-protected and health insurance continues. Combined DBL and PFL is limited to 26 weeks in a 52-week period.
Who pays for it?
DBL is employer-paid, though the employer may deduct up to 60 cents a week from employees. PFL is funded entirely by an employee payroll deduction, 0.432% of wages in 2026 up to an annual maximum of $411.91, which the employer collects and remits through the policy premium. The employer's cost is the DBL portion plus administration.
What are the penalties for not having it?
Failing to provide DBL/PFL coverage is a misdemeanor, with fines of $100 to $500 or up to a year's imprisonment for a first offence and higher fines for repeat violations, plus liability for the benefits themselves and Board penalties. The Board cross-checks unemployment insurance filings to find uncovered employers.
Let's talk it through
A phone call or a message is all it takes. The first conversation is just a conversation.
Where I work
I'm based in Clifton Park and work across four Capital Region counties, in person or by phone.