Caregiving that Counts: A Guide to Earning While Supporting Your Loved Ones

The majority of families in the U.S. and many other countries, require two incomes to support the necessities of life – especially when there are children involved. Thus, it’s not unusual for a couple, having raised their children to adulthood, to now have a parent who needs caregiving. The burden this situation places on families can be onerous. However, the loved one isn’t always an elderly parent. Some adults have had to care for disabled siblings or adult children or a loved one with a long-term illness. Certainly, one option is to hire in-home care or place an elderly parent in a nursing home. However, these options can be costly and aren’t always available or financially feasible.  

Despite the resources available, many people aren’t aware that there are opportunities for caregivers to be compensated for taking care of a loved one in need. Compensation varies depending on which state you live in and there is some federal legislation that applies to all states.

The Federal Family and Medical Leave Act

In 1993, Congress passed the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which requires that employers give up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees who need to care for a loved one. This law applies to new parents, those with a spouse, a child, an elderly parent or a sibling who needs care because of serious illness or infirmity. Following the FMLA, many states have enacted paid leave programs that offer critical financial support to caregivers. In addition, many employers are required by state law to offer family leave insurance. 

Although the FMLA helped insure that employees would still have a job after their caregiving duties ended, those who are taking care of loved ones, are often on call 24 hours a day. The added burden of not receiving any compensation or salary, can really add to the stress they experience. Consequently, many states have added programs that require employers to offer compensation for family leave and others states have established state funded programs that provide compensation.

According the AARP, 16 states have established programs to offer support to caregivers of loved ones. The chart below provides an overview of each state and its program. Be sure to find out what programs are available in your state and also ask your employer what benefits are available if you are required to take family leave to care for a loved one.

Maximizing Your Earnings While Caregiving for Family

The programs offered by each state vary widely, although most benefits cover a 12-week period of caregiving within a year. Some of these programs are in effect now and some won’t go into effect for one to two years. The maximum you can be paid per week also varies, although eligibility for most programs covers caring for the same type of family members with serious health conditions – spouses, domestic partners, parents and parents-in-law, children and grandchildren, grandparents and siblings. Some states also allow caring for loved ones other than blood relatives and include anyone the employee/caregiver considers family or as close as family. In addition, some programs are mandated by the state and some are voluntary. 

The following states have mandated compensation programs:

State	Name of Program(s)	Date Available	Loved Ones with Serious Health Conditions	Details	Maximum Benefit
California	California Paid Family Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act.	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, child grandchild, sibling	As the first state to enact family leave, California has been helping family caregivers since 2004. The program gives employees 60 to 70 percent of their weekly earnings up to the maximum for any 12-week period.	$1,620 per week
Colorado	Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI)	01/01/2024	Spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, siblings and anyone that the caregiver has a “significant personal bond with.”	This program provides 90 percent of a caregiver’s wages up to half the states weekly average salary and then 50% on any earnings beyond that calculation.	$1,100 per week
Connecticut	Connecticut Paid Leave	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or anyone else with whom the caregiver has a “close association … that shows to be the equivalent of a family relationship.”	Provides compensation for up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period. Compensation is based on calculating wages against the state’s minimum wage up to a maximum of $900 per week.	$900 per week
Delaware	Delaware Paid Leave	01/01/2026	Spouse, parent or child	The compensation is calculated at 80% of the employee’s salary up the maximum per week within any 12-month period.	$900 per week
District of Columbia	DC Paid Family Leave	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, child or sibling	Provides up to 12 weeks of pay to the maximum per week within any 12 month period.	$1,049 per week
Maine	Paid Family and Medical Leave	05/01/2026	Spouse, parent or child	Pays 100 percent of Maine’s average weekly wage. Starting January 1, 2025, employers and employees – both public and private — will contribute 0.5 percent of their wages toward funding this program. Depending on how long and how much they have contributed, employees will be eligible to receive up to 12 weeks of a portion of their salary within a 52-week period up to the maximum per week.	$1,104 per week
Maryland	Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)	01/01/2026	Child of any age, spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling	This program offers employee caregivers 12 weeks of paid leave within a 12-month period. Amounts are based on employee’s average weekly wages.	$1,000 per week to start – will increase annually
Massachusetts	Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling	Pays employees for up to 12 weeks within any 52-week period. The compensation is calculated at 80 percent of weekly wages up to half the states average weekly pay, and 50 percent of anything above that.	$1,130 per week
Minnesota	Paid Family and Medical Leave	01/01/2026	Spouse or domestic partner, child, grandchild, grandparent, son-in-law or daughter-in-law, or anyone who has a relationship with the applicant that creates the expectation and reliance on the employee for care	Workers and employers will start contributing 0.35 percent of their wages to this fund. If an employee has earned enough, they can start receiving compensation for up to 12 weeks in any 52-week period.	$1,337
New Jersey	Temporary Disability or Family Leave Insurance	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, child, grandchild what is referred to as a “chosen family.” This can be anyone related by blood or someone the caregiver considers family.	This state pays employee family caregivers 85 percent of their average weekly salary up to the maximum. It covers a period of 12 consecutive weeks or 56 days of intermittent caregiving in a 12-month period.	$1,025 per week
New York	New York State Paid Family Leave	Now	Spouses, domestic partners, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, children, grandchildren or siblings	Workers can receive 67 percent of their average weekly pay to the maximum. This program pays for 12 weeks within any 52-week period.	$1,131 per week
Oregon	Paid Leave Oregon	Now	Blood relative or anyone connected to the caregiver in a “family relationship”	This program offers up to 12 weeks of compensation after a worker has been employed for at least 180 days. Companies with fewer than 25 employees are exempted from this program but they can apply for a state grant if they want to participate.	$1,523 per week
Rhode Island	Temporary Disability/Caregiver Insurance	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent or child	This state program provides up to 30 weeks of payments in any benefit year. As of July 1, 2023, employees will receive at least $121 per week up to the maximum.	$1,043 per week
Washington	Paid Family and Medical Leave	Now	Spouses, domestic partners, parents and parents-in-law, grandparents, children, grandchildren or siblings, also, anyone who has an expectation to rely on the employee for care.	Employees can receive 90 percent of their weekly salary up to the maximum for a 12-week period each year.	$1,427 per week

Some states have voluntary caregiver compensation programs:

These states don’t mandate compensation, rather they allow businesses to opt into a program. Therefore, if an employer doesn’t offer paid family leave, employees can buy a plan themselves. 

State	Name of Program(s)	Available	Loved Ones with Serious Health Conditions	Details	Maximum Benefit
New Hampshire	Paid Family and Medical Leave	Now	Spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild	Workers receive 60 percent of their weekly pay for up to six weeks of caregiving. The program’s maximum benefit is calculated at 60 percent of the Social Security taxable maximum. Employers don’t have to offer this program, but those who do receive a tax credit.	$1,848
Vermont	Parental Leave, Family Leave and Short-Term Family Leave	07/01/2024 07/01/2025 for individual program	Spouse, domestic partner, parent or child.	This program is similar to New Hampshire’s and covers caregiving for six weeks in a given year. The maximum benefit is calculated based on Social Security maximum taxable wages.	$1,848
Virginia	Paid Family and Medical Leave Program	01/01/2025	Child, spouse or parent	This voluntary program offers 12 weeks of benefits where caregivers can receive up to 80 percent of their average weekly wages capped by the maximum. Payments can be greater than 80 percent of Virginia’s average weekly wage in any given year.	$1,343

HonestMed Is Here to Help Caregivers and Their Loved Ones

We understand caregivers and their needs. Caregiving can take an emotional toll over time and often creates a financial burden. Our goal is to help caregivers provide the best care possible while easing the stress on both caregivers and loved ones with a wide range of health and wellness products that are economically priced. Visit our website at www.HonestMed.com and find the caregiver tools and products you and your loved ones need. 

Learn more by speaking to an HonestMed Care Specialist at (833) 933-2323. We’re here to provide you with product knowledge, support, and expertise to ensure you get the right products for your unique needs and budget. You can also browse our Honest Ideas for published articles with valuable tips on caregiving and more.