Massachusetts workers who start a paid family or medical leave in 2027 can receive up to $1,284.61 a week, the state’s new maximum. That is up from $1,230.39 a week for leaves that start in 2026, an increase of $54.22 a week at the top of the scale.
The state’s Department of Family and Medical Leave, known as DFML, announced the 2027 figures on October 1, 2026, according to a Holland & Knight summary of the announcement. The agency’s own benefit page was updated October 9.
How the 2027 maximum is set
The Massachusetts benefit-amount page says that for 2027 the state average weekly wage is $2,007.20 and the maximum weekly benefit rate is $1,284.61. For 2026 it lists an average weekly wage of $1,922.48 and a maximum of $1,230.39.
The rate that applies to a claim is fixed by the calendar year in which the benefit year starts. A worker whose benefit year begins on December 28, 2026 is paid under the 2026 maximum. A worker whose benefit year begins January 4, 2027 is paid under the 2027 maximum.
Who feels the higher ceiling
A maximum only matters to people whose regular pay is high enough to reach it. Workers with smaller paychecks receive a share of their own wages, so their weekly check is lower than the ceiling. The new cap lifts what the best-paid workers on leave can collect, and the state ties it to the average weekly wage, so it moves up when wages do.
What changed this year: Social Security and Medicare change every year, and nobody sends you a memo. The Retirement Money Brief breaks down what changed and what to do. Bonus when you subscribe: our 2026 Government Check Reality Tracker.
Get the Brief and the check tracker →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
For anyone planning a leave that begins after January 1, 2027, whether to care for a newborn, a seriously ill spouse or their own recovery, the practical question is how much of the paycheck the benefit replaces. The state’s PFML benefits guide is the place to run the numbers for a specific wage, and the $1,284.61 figure is the ceiling no claim can exceed.
The paycheck side did not rise
The total contribution stays at 0.88% of eligible wages, according to HR Morning. What changes is who carries which piece. A 2026 law, Chapter 101 of the Acts of 2026, moves employer contributions from medical leave to family leave starting January 1, 2027.
The state’s contribution page spells out the split for employers with 25 or more covered individuals. Family leave carries a 0.70% contribution, and up to 40% of it, or 0.28% of eligible wages, can be withheld from a worker’s pay. Medical leave carries 0.18%, and up to 100% of it can be withheld.
That means an employee can be charged up to 0.28% plus 0.18%, a combined 0.46% of eligible wages, while employers cover the remaining 0.42% of the family contribution. Smaller employers with fewer than 25 covered individuals pay an effective 0.46% of eligible wages, because they do not pay the employer share of medical leave.
What the law is meant to do
The state’s contribution page says Chapter 101 is meant to soften the effect of recent IRS guidance on how Massachusetts PFML benefits are taxed. Moving employer money from the medical side to the family side changes where the dollars sit, while the 0.88% total stays where it was.
Employers decide how much of the allowed share to withhold, so paycheck stubs may differ from one company to the next. Anyone who wants to know their own deduction can ask payroll for the family and medical percentages that will apply from January 1.
Where paid leave stops and other help begins
A weekly leave benefit replaces part of a paycheck for a limited stretch. It does not cover rising bills for the rest of the year, and it is separate from programs that help with food, heat, medicine and property taxes. Those programs have their own applications and income limits, and many go unclaimed.
The state benefits guide remains the route for a Massachusetts leave claim itself, and the sources above are the ones to check for the final 2027 figures.
Weighing the cost of a 2027 leave?
A leave check tops out at $1,284.61 a week, and a household that loses part of a paycheck still has food, heat and prescription costs running. Several benefit programs help with those costs, and they usually have to be applied for.
The Benefits Checklist scans 11 benefit programs that retirees and older households often miss, and it lists the 2026 income limits and a 50-state phone directory. It does not cover paid leave itself, which runs through the Massachusetts guide linked above.
Scan the 11 benefit programs with the Benefits Checklist before the leave check shrinks the budget →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 17 Medicare Money Moves Now That Part D Caps at $2,400
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
