Paternity Leave in Connecticut: Two Programs, Apply to Both

Connecticut splits paternity leave into two programs: one pays you, the other protects your job. You apply to them separately. Get both right and you’re set. Forget one and you’re either broke or nervous.

Do you qualify for paternity leave in Connecticut?

Will you get paid?

Probably. CT Paid Leave covers most private-sector workers, and you’ve likely been paying for it already: look for a 0.5 percent deduction on your pay stub. To qualify, you need $2,325 in your best quarter of roughly the last year. Wages from more than one job count.

Is your job protected during paternity leave in Connecticut?

Not by CT Paid Leave itself. Job protection comes from the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CT FMLA), which is generous: it covers employers with just one employee or more, and you qualify after 3 months on the job. No minimum hours.

The catch: you request CT FMLA from your employer, separately from your Paid Leave claim. Two forms, two inboxes.

Not sure how to bring it up at work? Our guide on how to ask for paternity leave has a script.

How much is paid family leave in Connecticut, and for how long?

CT Paid Leave pays 95 percent of your wage up to $677.60 a week, plus 60 percent of anything above that. The maximum in 2026 is $1,016.40 a week. Both numbers are tied to the minimum wage, so they go up each January.

You get up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period, to use in the baby’s first year. There’s no waiting week. Splitting your bonding leave into pieces needs your employer’s OK.

How to file a paid family leave claim in Connecticut

1. Request CT FMLA from your employer about 30 days ahead. That’s the job protection part.
2. Apply for CT Paid Leave at ctpaidleave.org about 30 days before your leave starts. That’s the money part.
3. Add proof of the birth once you have it.
4. Stuck? The claims line is 877-499-8606.

If your employer has its own approved private plan, HR will tell you where to apply instead.

What does your employer have to do?

• Give you your job back, or an equivalent one, after CT FMLA leave.
• Keep your health insurance going during CT FMLA leave, as long as you keep paying your share. Adding the baby to the plan is a separate step with its own short deadline.
• Not punish you for asking for or taking leave.

Connecticut paid family leave deadlines

• 30 days before your leave: request CT FMLA from your employer and tell them your dates.
• 30 days before your leave: apply for CT Paid Leave.
• Within 30 days of the birth: add the baby to your health plan. Federal rules give you at least 30 days.
• Baby’s first birthday: all bonding leave has to be used by then.

Before you lock in dates, take our free paternity leave HR questions to HR and write the answers down. Rather ask by email? Our free HR email template is ready to copy: fill in the blanks and hit send.

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General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures are for 2026 and change every January. Check with HR and ctpaidleave.org before you plan dates.

Sources: CT Paid Leave: how it works, before you apply, starting or expanding your family, CT Department of Labor: FMLA FAQs, US Department of Labor.