How to file for PFML

Last updated: August 11, 2026

This page applies to all staff, faculty, academic personnel, and student employees performing work in Washington state.

Overview

Employees can apply for paid leave benefits online through the Employment Security Department’s Paid Family & Medical Leave webpage. Filing a claim for paid leave benefits with ESD is a separate process from taking a leave of absence from the University. Employees should begin a leave of absence by following the appropriate UW process, including completing medical or other supporting documentation (e.g., a FMLA Health Care Provider Statement). ESD and UW cannot share medical documentation, but ESD may accept a copy of the medical documentation already provided to UW as part of the PFML claim.

Filing a claim

Generally, ESD’s process looks like this:

Step 1: Employees will create a Benefit Account (not an employer account) with ESD, provide contact information, confirm Washington state employment (UW’s UBI #: 178019988), leave type requested, dates of the leave, date notice was provided to the UW, and documentation supporting the leave of absence.

Step 2: ESD will use hours and wage information they receive quarterly from all employers in Washington to determine eligibility. ESD will contact UW to confirm details of the employee’s claim.

Step 3: Once ESD approves the claim, employees will submit weekly claims to ESD for the paid benefit. To best support employees utilizing PFML, the UW allows employees the option of using an approved time off during the same time they are receiving the PFML benefit. This is called a “supplemental benefit.” Neither employees nor UW report supplemental benefits.

Individuals have 12 months from the date of a child’s birth or placement (foster or adoption) to take family leave. There is a waiting period of up to 7 days before an employee will be eligible for PFML benefits except for leaves for birth or placement of a child, leave for reasons related to a qualified military exigency, or for PFML covered leaves following the loss of a child. These exceptions are described at ESD’s What is family leave? webpage.

Supplemental benefits

A supplemental benefit payment is a payment offered by an employer to an employee who is taking leave under the PFML program. UW has designated certain types of paid time off as supplemental benefits. This means employees can choose to use paid time off (as described below) to supplement the money they receive as partial wage replacement from the ESD while on a PFML leave. Employees can receive both paid time off from the UW and the PFML benefit from ESD for the same period.

Shared Leave may not be designated as a supplemental benefit.

Time off that can be designated as supplemental benefits

Supplemental benefit time off usage during a PFML leave

Employees are not required to take accrued or awarded time off before, in place of, or at the same time as PFML benefits. Employees decide whether to use supplemental benefits.

Employee reporting requirements during a PFML leave

When employees use accrued or awarded paid time off designated as a supplemental benefit during an approved PFML leave, they do not report that time off to ESD on the weekly application for benefits. The employee receives the full amount of paid time off from the UW and the PFML benefit from ESD.

Impact of supplemental benefits usage

Because the use of paid time off that is designated as a supplemental benefit is excluded from the definition of wages in RCW 50A.05.010, the PFML premium deduction will not be taken from supplemental benefits used during a PFML leave of absence. Likewise, UW does not report supplemental benefit payments or associated hours to ESD.

Example:
When a 100% FTE employee uses 40 hours of sick time off during an approved PFML leave, if the sick time off is designated as a supplemental benefit and not reported to ESD, the employee receives their full pay from UW and the full benefit amount from ESD.

Choose how to use your PFML benefit

You can choose any of the following options for receiving pay and/or partial wage replacement while on an approved PFML leave of absence (LOA):

1. Get paid by UW and receive the PFML partial wage replacement
2. Get paid by UW only
3. Receive the PFML partial wage replacement

Option 1: Get paid by UW and receive the PFML partial wage replacement

You can get paid by UW and additionally receive the PFML partial wage replacement for the same pay period when you use your UW paid time off as a “supplemental benefit.”

What to report to ESD
When choosing this option, do not report paid time off taken as a supplemental benefit (e.g., Vacation Time Off – PFML) to ESD on your weekly claim.

What to record in Workday
Use the PFML time off types in Workday to ensure that paid time off will be converted to a supplemental benefit. You have the option to enter partial paid time off in a single day and enter the remaining hours as Unpaid Time Off.

Option 2: Get paid by UW only

You have the option to only be paid by UW when on an approved PFML leave of absence. This allows you to retain your accrued paid time off such as sick time off or vacation time off.

What to report to ESD
When choosing this option, report your use of paid time off to ESD on the weekly claim.

What to record in Workday
Use available paid time off (i.e., Vacation Time Off, Sick Time Off, Personal Holiday) in Workday. For example, use “Sick Time Off” for each PFML covered absence.

Option 3: Receive only the PFML partial wage replacement

You have the option to receive only the PFML partial wage replacement from ESD during an approved PFML leave of absence.

What to report to ESD
If you choose this option, do not report hours worked to ESD on the weekly claim.

What to record in Workday
Salaried staff should use “Unpaid Time Off” in Workday for each PFML covered absence; hourly employees do not report hours worked.

Correcting previously entered time offs in Workday after PFML approval

(you only need to complete this step if you followed option 1 above)

Employees approved for PFML may want to change previously entered non-PFML time offs to PFML supplemental benefit time offs or unpaid time off so that those entries aren’t considered paid wages by ESD. For example, you may want to replace a “Sick Time Off” with “Sick Time Off – PFML.”

To make the corrections in Workday:

1. Go to your Profile > Manage Absence
2. Use the calendar to find and select the time off entry you wish to update
3. Click “Edit” and select the desired PFML time off type to be used (these have “- PFML (hours)” at the end)
4. Select Submit Request

Do not delete/remove the non-PFML Time Off entry or update the Quantity per Day to zero (0) hours and then enter a new PFML Time Off in its place. Doing so may result in an error. Additional information about updating absence requests can be found in the Manage Absence (Time Off) User Guide: https://hr.uw.edu/time-absence/your-time-and-absence/manage/

*For changes more than 90 days in the past, you will need to submit a ticket to Employee Workday Help at hrhelp@uw.edu.