Key Takeaways
- Only five states - California (CA), Hawaii (HI), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), and Rhode Island (RI) - run a traditional State Disability Insurance (SDI) program funded through employee payroll deductions.
- A separate and growing group of states run Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) programs, which also replace wages for your own serious health condition, not just for bonding with a new child or caring for a family member.
- California's 2026 maximum weekly SDI benefit is $1,765, the highest in the country, while New York's decades-old $170 cap is the lowest - and hasn't increased in years.
- Most states - roughly two-thirds of the country - still have neither program, leaving unpaid federal FMLA leave (job protection, no wage replacement) as the only option for workers there.
- Delaware and Minnesota both launched new paid leave programs on January 1, 2026, joining a list that keeps growing most years.
Only five states run a true State Disability Insurance (SDI) program: California (CA), Hawaii (HI), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), and Rhode Island (RI). If you get sick or injured and can’t work — for reasons unrelated to your job — these are the only states with a mandatory, payroll-funded benefit built specifically for that.
A separate, faster-growing group of states run Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) programs instead, which typically cover both your own serious health condition and time off to bond with a new child or care for a family member, usually at a higher wage-replacement rate than the older SDI programs. Below is where every state that has either program stands for 2026, plus which states still have neither.
Traditional State Disability Insurance (SDI) — 2026 Maximum Weekly Benefit
| State | Max Weekly Benefit | Funded By | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California (CA) | $1,765 | Employee payroll deduction | Up from $1,681 in 2025; also covers Paid Family Leave |
| Rhode Island (RI) | $1,150 | Employee payroll deduction | Effective July 2026 benefit year |
| New Jersey (NJ) | $1,119 | Employee/employer payroll deduction | Up to 85% of average weekly wage |
| Hawaii (HI) | $871 | Employer-provided (employee contribution capped) | 58% of average weekly wage, up to the cap |
| New York (NY) | $170 | Employer/employee payroll deduction | Unchanged for years; a bill (S3235) would raise it toward the PFL rate over four years |
New York’s $170 maximum is the clearest outlier on this list — it hasn’t kept pace with wages in any meaningful way, and Albany lawmakers have introduced legislation to phase it up toward the state’s much higher Paid Family Leave maximum over several years. I’ll update this section if that bill moves.
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State Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) Programs — 2026 Maximum Weekly Benefit
| State | Max Weekly Benefit | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Washington (WA) | $1,647 | Active; up from $1,542 in 2025 |
| Oregon (OR) | $1,636.56 | Active |
| Colorado (CO) | $1,381.45 | Active (FAMLI program) |
| Minnesota (MN) | $1,423 | New for 2026 — first state to launch contributions and benefits simultaneously |
| Massachusetts (MA) | $1,230.29 | Active |
| Washington, D.C. | $1,190 | Active |
| New Jersey (NJ) | $1,119 | Same program funds both TDI and family leave |
| New York (NY) | $1,228.53 | Separate from the $170 DBL cap above — this is the PFL side of NY’s program |
| Delaware (DE) | $900 | New for 2026 — capped at $900/week through 2027 under the Healthy Delaware Families Act |
| Connecticut (CT) | $1,016.40 | Active |
Maryland has a program on the books, but it doesn’t start collecting contributions until 2027 and won’t pay benefits until 2028, so it isn’t live yet for 2026. A handful of other states have proposals under discussion but nothing enacted.
What About the Rest of the Country?
If your state isn’t on either table above, it doesn’t run a state disability or paid leave program — you’re generally limited to unpaid job-protected leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), plus whatever short-term disability coverage your employer voluntarily offers. That’s still the majority of states as of 2026, though the list of states adding programs has grown steadily over the past decade.
Two Examples
Elena, a graphic designer in New Jersey, is out of work for eight weeks after surgery. NJ’s TDI program replaces up to 85% of her average weekly wage, capped at $1,119/week — a meaningful cushion most of the country doesn’t have access to.
Tom, an accountant in a state with neither SDI nor PFML, needs six weeks off after a medical procedure. His only guaranteed protection is unpaid FMLA leave — job security, but no wage replacement — so he relies entirely on whatever short-term disability policy his employer chose to offer, if any.
Common Issues to Watch Out For
I hear from readers confused about this topic more than almost any other government benefit question.
Confusing SDI/PFML with unemployment insurance. These are entirely separate programs with separate funding, separate agencies, and separate eligibility rules — disability and paid leave programs pay you while you’re employed but temporarily unable to work; unemployment pays you after you’ve lost a job.
Assuming your state has a program because a nearby state does. Coverage is genuinely a patchwork — two neighboring states can have completely different benefits, or none at all.
Not realizing “disability” here means short-term, not permanent. These state programs are for temporary conditions with an expected return to work — long-term or permanent disabilities are generally handled through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) instead.
Missing the base-period earnings requirement. Most programs require a minimum amount of earnings during a “base period” (usually the prior 12 months) before you qualify for the maximum benefit — check your specific state’s formula rather than assuming you’ll get the listed maximum automatically.
Looking Ahead: 2027 Outlook
Expect most of the states above to announce modest increases to their 2027 maximum weekly benefits late in 2026, typically tied to that state’s average weekly wage growth. Delaware and Minnesota, both brand new for 2026, are the ones most likely to see their caps adjust meaningfully once a full year of claims data comes in. I’ll also be watching New York’s DBL reform bill — if it passes, it would be the biggest single change to any state’s SDI benefit in years.
Related reading:
- Max State Unemployment Benefits by State
- Can You Afford to Start a Family in 2026?
- 2027 COLA Social Security Raise
