Beginning on January 1, 2022, paid leave benefits under the Connecticut Paid Leave program (CPL) will be available for certain qualifying events under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA), and the Connecticut Family Violence Leave Act.  In the meantime, employers are responsible for complying with certain key dates in advance of January 2022.  On January 1, 2021, employers began withholding employee contributions (0.5% payroll tax) from each employee’s paycheck for ultimate remittance to the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority trust fund, which will fund the payment of CPL benefits.

The first quarterly payment to the CPL Authority is due at the end of this month (March 2021).  After that it’s pretty much smooth sailing (except for remaining quarterly payments) until paid benefits become available to employees next January.

One more thing: The Connecticut Department of Labor will publish guidance on or before January 2022 under the vastly expanded CT FMLA, which together with the CPL will provide nearly all private sector employees with some form of leave benefit, including paid or unpaid leave, and job protection. We’ll follow up to get you the information you need once that guidance is issued.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t update you before then.

In the meantime, you can call on Murtha Cullina’s Labor and Employment Group with any questions about this or any other employment issue.