What changed
New laws, announced rates and moved deadlines, newest first. RSS feed.
November 9, 2026 · Vermont · Rate announced
Vermont sets its 2027 minimum wage at $14.91
The Vermont Department of Labor announced that the state minimum wage will rise from $14.42 to $14.91 an hour on January 1, 2027. The tipped minimum wage will rise from $7.21 to $7.46 an hour.
Affects: Vermont minimum wage
November 5, 2026 · Federal · Rate announced
IRS sets the 2027 Form 1099 reporting threshold at $2,100
Revenue Procedure 2026-35 raises the threshold for reporting payments to contractors on Form 1099-NEC (and most Form 1099-MISC payments) to $2,100 for payments made in 2027, the first inflation adjustment after this year’s jump from $600 to $2,000.
Affects: 1099 reporting thresholds
Source: Revenue Procedure 2026-35, IR-2026-133: IRS releases tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2027
October 25, 2026 · Minnesota · Took effect
Minnesota Paid Leave maximum weekly benefit rises to $1,475.09
Minnesota Paid Leave’s maximum weekly benefit rose from $1,423 to $1,475.09 on October 25, 2026, following the state’s average weekly wage. A worker who first applied before that date keeps the $1,423 maximum for one year from that first application.
Affects: Minnesota Paid Leave
Source: Estimate your payments (2026 and 2027 benefit rates, change on October 25)
October 16, 2026 · Washington · Rate announced
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave premium rises to 1.2% for 2027
The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) set the 2027 premium at 1.2% of wages, up from 1.13% and the most state law allows. Employees pay 70.7% of it and employers with 50 or more Washington employees pay 29.3%, on wages up to $192,300.
Affects: Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave
Source: News release, October 16, 2026: Paid Family & Medical Leave premium rate increases to 1.2% in 2027, RCW 50A.10.030: total premium rate must not exceed 1.20 percent; wage cap equals the Social Security maximum; employers with fewer than 50 employees, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027, 91 FR 67380 (October 26, 2026): contribution and benefit base of $192,300
October 14, 2026 · Federal · Rate announced
Social Security wage base rises to $192,300 for 2027
Employers withhold the 6.2% Social Security tax, and pay their matching 6.2%, on each employee’s wages up to $192,300 in 2027, up from $184,500 in 2026. Medicare tax still applies to all wages.
Affects: Social Security wage base
Source: Social Security Announces 3.6 Percent Benefit Increase for 2027 (October 14, 2026), Contribution and Benefit Base
October 6, 2026 · Colorado · Rate announced
Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) premium drops to 0.86% for 2027
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) set the 2027 Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) premium at 0.86% of wages, down from 0.88%, split evenly between employer and employee on wages up to $192,300. Employers with fewer than 10 employees still pay only the employee half.
Affects: Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)
Source: Press release, October 6, 2026: Colorado’s FAMLI announces lower premium rate starting in 2027 (0.88% to 0.86%), FAMLI Business Brief, September 30, 2026 (employer notice ahead of the announcement: 0.86% in 2027, down from 0.88%), CDLE Compliance Quarterly, October 27, 2026 (2027 premium 0.86%), FAMLI for employers: premium split between employers and employees; premiums paid on wages up to the Social Security wage cap, Small Business Corner: employers with fewer than 10 employees do not owe the employer share, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027, 91 FR 67380 (October 26, 2026): contribution and benefit base of $192,300
October 1, 2026 · District of Columbia · Took effect
DC Paid Family Leave cuts benefit weeks and the weekly maximum
For claims filed from October 1, 2026, DC Paid Family Leave pays up to 10 weeks of medical leave (was 12) and 6 weeks of family leave (was 12), with a maximum weekly benefit of $1,100 (was $1,190). Parental and prenatal leave are unchanged, and so is the employer-paid 0.75% premium. The change is in the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Support Act of 2026 (D.C. Law 26-189, effective October 2, 2026). The shorter medical and family leave limits apply to claims filed before October 1, 2030.
Affects: DC Paid Family Leave
Source: 2026 Program Changes: What You Need to Know, B26-0661, Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Support Act of 2026: D.C. Law 26-189, effective October 2, 2026, D.C. Code 32-541.03: employer contribution of 0.75% of wages, D.C. Code 32-541.04: benefit durations for claims filed from October 1, 2026 and before October 1, 2030; $1,100 maximum weekly benefit
September 30, 2026 · Washington · Rate announced
Washington sets 2027 minimum salaries for overtime-exempt workers
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced that from January 1, 2027, salaried workers must earn at least $1,595.70 a week at employers with 1 to 50 employees, and at least $1,773.00 a week at employers with 51 or more, to be exempt from overtime. Those are 2.25 and 2.5 times the 2027 state minimum wage of $17.73 an hour.
Affects: Washington minimum wage
Source: News release 26-17, September 30, 2026: Washington’s minimum wage rises to $17.73 an hour in 2027, Changes to Overtime Rules
September 28, 2026 · California · New law
California widens the military reason for Paid Family Leave
Assembly Bill 2054 expands California Paid Family Leave’s definition of covered active duty beyond deployment to a foreign country. It adds training, deployment elsewhere and, for reserve members including the National Guard, a call or order to federal or state active duty. It starts on July 1, 2028, or sooner once specified changes are made to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) claims system.
Affects: California State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave
Source: Assembly Bill 2054, Chapter 729, Statutes of 2026 (Unemployment Insurance Code section 3302.1)
August 31, 2026 · New York · Rate announced
New York Paid Family Leave rises to 0.452% of wages for 2027
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) set the 2027 Paid Family Leave premium at 0.452% of an employee’s wages, up from 0.432% in 2026, with a maximum of $451.81 per employee for the year. Employers deduct it from employees’ pay unless they choose to cover it.
Affects: New York Paid Family Leave
Source: Decision on Premium Rate for Paid Family Leave Benefits and Maximum Employee Contribution for Coverage Beginning January 1, 2027 (dated August 31, 2026), New York Paid Family Leave Updates for 2027
July 31, 2026 · Minnesota · Rate announced
Minnesota Paid Leave premium stays at 0.88% for 2027
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) kept the 2027 Paid Leave premium at 0.88% of wages, the same as 2026. Employers pay at least half and may deduct up to half from employees, on wages up to the Social Security wage base ($192,300 in 2027). Qualifying employers with 30 or fewer employees pay a lower total rate.
Affects: Minnesota Paid Leave
Source: Paid Leave Premium Rate Unchanged for 2027 (press release, July 31, 2026), Minn. Stat. 268B.14, subdivision 4 (premium wage cap equals the Social Security maximum) and subdivision 5a (small employers with 30 or fewer employees), Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027, 91 FR 67380 (October 26, 2026): contribution and benefit base of $192,300
July 1, 2026 · Colorado · Took effect
Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) maximum weekly benefit rises to $1,448.02
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) set the state average weekly wage for Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) benefits at $1,608.91, effective July 1, 2026. That puts the maximum weekly benefit at $1,448.02, or 90% of the state average weekly wage.
Affects: Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)
July 1, 2026 · Tennessee · Took effect
Tennessee sets a later due date for piece-work and commission pay
Tennessee Public Chapter 617 took effect July 1, 2026, for wages earned on or after that date. For employers that pay once a month, piece-work and commission pay is now due by the last day of the next month instead of the 5th. The same pay owed to an employee who quits or is fired is due by the last day of the month after they leave.
Affects: Tennessee minimum wage
Source: Public Chapter 617 (Senate Bill 2024), effective July 1, 2026, House Bill 1958 / Senate Bill 2024: bill summary
June 23, 2026 · Rhode Island · New law
Rhode Island amends RISavers: who can enroll at small employers, and which payroll IRAs exempt an employer
Rhode Island Public Law 2026, chapter 397, effective on passage, changed the RISavers law so that employees of employers with fewer than 5 employees may enroll, where the law previously had those employers enroll. An employer offering any payroll deduction individual retirement account (IRA) that qualifies for favorable federal tax treatment is now exempt, not only one with automatic enrollment.
Affects: RISavers
Source: P.L. 2026, ch. 397 (2026-S 3086), enacted June 23, 2026, effective on passage
May 19, 2026 · Philadelphia · New law
Philadelphia voters approve the board that will run PhillySaves
Voters approved a Home Rule Charter amendment creating the Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board. The board must open PhillySaves so workers can contribute by July 1, 2027, and will set the employer registration dates.
Affects: PhillySaves
Source: Philadelphia voters approve the creation of the PhillySaves program during the May 19 Pennsylvania primary, Ballot Question #1, May 19, 2026 primary: Home Rule Charter amendment creating the Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board, Bill No. 250651-A, certified copy, section 19-4710 (contributions no later than July 1, 2027)
January 20, 2026 · New Jersey · New law
New Jersey extends RetireReady NJ to employers with 10 or more employees
A law approved January 20, 2026 (P.L.2025, c.379) lowered the RetireReady NJ threshold from 25 employees to 10. Employers without a qualified retirement plan that have 20 to 24 employees must register by December 1, 2026, and those with 10 to 19 by February 17, 2027.
Affects: RetireReady NJ
Source: P.L.2025, c.379 (Assembly Bill 5358), approved January 20, 2026, New Jersey Legislative Digest, January 28, 2026: P.L.2025, c.379 is A5358, approved January 20, 2026, Program Details for Employers (deadlines by size)
January 20, 2026 · Philadelphia · New law
Philadelphia creates PhillySaves, a city retirement savings program
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed the PhillySaves ordinance (Bill No. 250651-A, Philadelphia Code chapter 19-4700). Once the program opens, Philadelphia employers in business in the city for at least 24 months that don’t offer a qualified retirement plan will have to offer payroll deductions into an auto-enroll individual retirement account (IRA). No employer deadlines have been set yet.
Affects: PhillySaves
Source: Bill No. 250651-A, certified copy (Philadelphia Code chapter 19-4700)
January 1, 2026 · Rhode Island · Took effect
Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance now covers bone marrow and living organ donors
Starting January 1, 2026, Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) benefits also cover employees taking part in a bone marrow transplant or living organ donation as the donor, in addition to bonding with a new child and caring for a family member with a serious health condition (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-41-35(a)(3)).
Affects: Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI)