What benefits can servers get in Maryland?
The short answer
The rule in Maryland
| FAMLI (paid family and medical leave) | Up to 12 weeks of benefits for family care or bonding, your own serious health condition, or a family member’s military deployment. Contributions begin January 1, 2027; benefit claims begin on a date the Secretary of Labor sets between January 1, 2027 and January 3, 2028. |
|---|---|
| FAMLI weekly benefit | Based on your average weekly wage, from $50 to $1,000 a week; the maximum isn’t indexed to inflation until January 1, 2029. Employers may withhold up to half of the contribution from your pay. |
| Earned sick and safe leave | At least 1 hour per 30 worked, up to 40 hours earned a year. Paid at employers with 15 or more employees, unpaid below that. Usable after your first 106 days. Doesn’t apply if you regularly work under 12 hours a week for the employer. |
| Sick pay for tipped workers | Your employer doesn’t have to pay a tipped employee more than the applicable minimum wage for sick and safe leave. |
| Maryland EITC | Up to $4,000. Everyone who qualifies for the federal EITC qualifies, plus ITIN filers and childless adults 18 to 24. Without a qualifying child, it can equal the full federal credit, up to $649. File a Maryland return to claim it. |
| Maryland Premium Assistance, 2026 | Through Maryland Health Connection, the state replaces 100% of the lost enhanced federal premium credits below 200% of the poverty level, phasing to 50% up to 400%. |
| Young adult subsidy | Extra state premium help for ages 18 to 37 with income between 138% and 400% of the poverty level. |
“In calendar 2026, the Maryland Premium Assistance program will replace 100% of eAPTCs for those with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), phase subsidies from 100% down to 50% for those with incomes between 200% and 250% FPL and replace 50% of eAPTCs for those with incomes between 250% to 400% FPL.” (Maryland Department of Legislative Services: SB 987 fiscal and policy note (2026), health insurance subsidies)
What’s different in Maryland
Maryland passed paid family leave in 2022, and the start has moved back three times. Don’t count on FAMLI benefits for a leave in 2026; the law now sets contributions for 2027 and leaves the first claim date to the Secretary of Labor.
The sick leave law has a line written for tipped staff: your employer only owes the minimum wage for those hours, not your tip average. On the plus side, the state EITC reaches 18- to 24-year-olds with no kids, who get nothing federally, and the state premium program covers younger workers with an extra discount. Plus the federal programs.
Official sources
- Maryland Department of Legislative Services: HB 102 fiscal and policy note (2025), FAMLI revisions
- Maryland Department of Legislative Services: Maryland Department of Labor FY 2027 budget analysis
- Maryland Code, Labor and Employment § 3-1304 (earned sick and safe leave)
- Maryland Code, Labor and Employment § 3-1303 (who is covered)
- Comptroller of Maryland: Earned Income Tax Credit
- Comptroller of Maryland: 2025 Earned Income Tax Credit memo
- Maryland Department of Legislative Services: SB 987 fiscal and policy note (2026), health insurance subsidies
Last verified
. Checked the agency pages linked above.
Still open: The Maryland Department of Labor and Maryland Health Connection sites blocked our fetch on 2026-09-23, so these rows come from the state code and Department of Legislative Services analyses. The FAMLI claim start date hadn’t been announced in those documents.