PFML Update: What you need to know (March 2025)
Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) is here to help.
The Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) reaches out periodically provide you with news on recent updates and enhancements to ensure you have access to the most current information about PFML.
Announcements of New PFML Features
New: Leave Allotment View for Leave Administrators: A leave allotment page has been added to the employer portal to provide further insight into each employee’s leave details, including the amount of leave an employee has taken and how much they may be eligible for in their current benefit year. The leave allotment view allows Leave Administrators to better anticipate their organization’s needs and provide support to employees. Leave Administrators can access the leave allotment view from the applications tab in the employer portal—simply select the “View leave allotment” hyperlink below the employee’s name.
New: Prepaid Debit Cards: Employees can now choose to receive approved paid family or medical leave benefits on a U.S. Bank ReliaCard®, which is a prepaid Visa® debit card. Learn more about payment options and how PFML payments work.
Important Reminders for Employers and Leave Administrators
Reminder: Best Practices for Leave Administrator Accounts: Each Leave Administrator should have their own account. For security and accuracy, user accounts should not be shared between coworkers. Learn how to add and remove Leave Administrators from your organization.
Reminder: Employer Notifications: Verified Leave Administrators receive email notifications when action is needed, such as review of an employee’s submitted leave application. Leave Administrator notifications are also sent to keep employers informed of various events throughout the leave process, including:
- when a leave application is approved or denied,
- when intermittent leave hours are reported,
- and when an employee files an appeal.
Note that Leave Administrators may have access to view employee notices. If the applicant selected a language other than English, the preferred language will be first on the notice, but the English translation will always be below that.
Reminder: 2025 Updates: 2025 contribution and maximum benefit amounts were released by DFML on October 1, 2024 and should be distributed to all employees and eligible 1099-Misc workers before January 1, 2025.
PFML 2025 Employer Contribution Rates and Calculator – DFML released the rates for both employers with fewer than 25 eligible workers and employers with 25 or more eligible workers.
2025 workplace poster and workforce notifications - DFML updated the workplace poster and workforce notifications with the maximum benefit amount, minimum earnings requirement and employer contribution rates. All Massachusetts employers (including employers with private or self-insured benefits plans) are required to distribute certain information to their employees under the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law.
