Understanding the Paid Parental Leave Ordinance

In California, employees can get paid family leave for up to 8 weeks to bond with a new child.

San Francisco’s Paid Parental Leave law offers an added benefit.

If you have a new child, you might be able to get a weekly payment from your employer in addition to the California family leave benefit. This extra payment is called "supplemental compensation.”

The amount depends on your salary. Here’s how it works:

• State family leave benefits + additional employer payment (Paid Parental Leave benefits) = your full salary before taxes (up to $2,700 per week in 2023)

With both payments, most employees will get their full salary for the 8 weeks they’re on leave. 
 

The law only applies to employees at businesses with 20 or more employees worldwide. If you work at smaller businesses you can’t get this benefit. 

There are a few other requirements. You must also:

• Be currently getting paid family leave from the state to bond with a new baby, adopted child, or foster child
• Have been working for an employer for at least 180 days before leave starts
• Work for the employer in San Francisco for at least 8 hours a week
• Work at least 40% of their total hours for the employer in San Francisco

If you have any questions or want to report a problem, contact us for a confidential conversation. You can't get in trouble with your employre for asking about your rights. 

• Phone: 415-554-4190
• Email: pplo@sfgov.org

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the Paid Parental Leave Ordinance on April 12, 2016.

• The full Paid Parental Leave, article 33H of the San Francisco police code
• Paid Parental Leave amendment (updated April 2020)
• Paid Parental Leave rules
• Frequently Asked Questions

• Paid Parental Leave poster (employers are required to print on 8.5 x 14 inch paper)
• Step-by-Step Guides for the PPLO process:
  • English: Employee's Step-by-Step Guide and Employer's Step-by-Step Guide    
  • Spanish: Employee's Step-by-Step Guide and Employer's Step-by-Step Guide    
  • ​Chinese: Employee's Step-by-Step Guide and Employer's Step-by-Step Guide    
• San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Calculator 2023
• San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Calculator 2022
• Videos about SF labor laws