Need PFMLA phone number and confused about 820 qualifying hours requirement?

The phone number for WA Paid Family & Medical Leave is 833-717-2273. They're open weekdays 8am-5pm. Regarding the 820 hours requirement - this is set by state law. You need to have worked at least 820 hours in Washington during your qualifying period (either the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters OR the last four completed calendar quarters). At 25 hours a week for 8 months, you're looking at roughly 800-850 hours, so you might just qualify. You can check your exact hours through the PFML website once you create an account.

its 833-717-2273 but good luck getting through lol i tried for 2 weeks and kept getting the busy signal or disconnected. the website works better but still confusing af

FYI IT'S NOT FMLA!!! PFML is the state program (paid) and FMLA is the federal program (unpaid job protection). They are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!! People mix them up all the time. The 820 hours is for the state Paid Family Medical Leave while FMLA requires 1,250 hours and only applies if your employer has 50+ employees. Just wanted to clarify since your post title mentions FMLA but you're asking about the state program.

You can also use the PFML benefits calculator on their website to estimate how much you'd receive if you qualify. The number of hours is what it is - it was determined when the law was passed and isn't likely to change anytime soon. The 820 hours works out to about half-time work for a year, which seems reasonable for an earned benefit. And just to be crystal clear, the full name is "Paid Family and Medical Leave" (PFML) - though some people add the A for "Act" sometimes (PFMLA). Washington's program is actually more generous than many states that don't even have paid leave.

I went through this last year helping my brother apply for PFML. So frustrating! The 820 hours requirement really hurt him because he'd been working just under 20 hours a week while going to school, and he ended up being about 40 hours short for the qualifying period. My advice - if you've worked 25 hours/week for 8 months steady, you're probably right at the edge of qualifying. Make sure you have pay stubs or some way to verify all your hours in case there's a discrepancy in what employers have reported. Also, start the application process ASAP! It can take several weeks to get approved even after you qualify. You don't want to be scrambling at the last minute when your mom has her surgery.

the reason its 820 hours is because washington state hates part time workers lol. But srsly I think it has to do with how the program is funded through payroll taxes or something. I know oregon and some other states are lower. But ur at 25hrs x 4 weeks x 8 months = 800 hours so ur close? maybe pick up some extra shifts if u can before applying

ALSO IMPORTANT: Make sure you're checking your QUALIFYING PERIOD correctly! If your mom's surgery is next month (assuming March 2025), your qualifying period would likely be either: 1. The first 4 of the last 5 completed quarters (Q4 2023, Q1 2024, Q2 2024, Q3 2024) OR 2. The last 4 completed quarters (Q1 2024, Q2 2024, Q3 2024, Q4 2024) You can use whichever gives you more hours. The ESD site has a calculator that helps determine this.