What benefits can servers get in Washington?
The short answer
The rule in Washington
| Paid Family and Medical Leave | Up to 12 weeks for your own serious health condition, caring for a family member, bonding with a new child, or a family member’s military deployment; up to 16 weeks combined for more than one event, 18 with a pregnancy complication. |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | 820 hours worked in your qualifying period, at one job or several. Full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal work count, and you don’t need to still be employed. Apply online through a SAW account. |
| Weekly benefit, 2026 | Up to 90% of your weekly pay, figured from wages your employers report, up to $1,647 a week. Most claims have a one-week waiting period. |
| Premium and tips | In 2026 the premium is 1.13% of gross wages, not including tips, and employees can be charged up to 71.43% of it. |
| Job protection | Since January 1, 2026, at an employer with 25 or more people in Washington, after at least 180 days on the job. |
| Paid sick leave | At least 1 hour per 40 worked, paid at your normal hourly compensation, usable 90 days after you start. Up to 40 unused hours carry over. |
| Working Families Tax Credit, 2025 | $335 to $1,330 depending on children, at least $50 if you qualify. You need a federal EITC (or would qualify but file with an ITIN) and 183 days living in Washington. |
| Apple Health for Adults | Washington’s Medicaid: free or low-cost health and dental coverage for ages 19 to 64 with income up to $1,835 a month. Apply any time. From January 1, 2027, renewal every six months. |
| Cascade Care Savings | A state premium discount on Cascade Silver or Gold plans through Washington Healthplanfinder, for households under 250% of the poverty level ($39,900 a year for one person). |
| WA Cares Fund | Workers pay 0.58% of wages toward a long-term care benefit of up to $36,500. Benefits became available July 1, 2026. |
“When you take Paid Leave, you can receive up to 90% of your weekly pay, up to the maximum, which is updated yearly.” (Washington Paid Leave: how Paid Leave works)
What’s different in Washington
The test here is hours, not dollars: 820 in the qualifying period, which works out to about 16 hours a week over a year (our arithmetic). A server splitting shifts between two restaurants can add both jobs together. Unlike most state programs, you can file even after leaving the job.
Tips are the catch. The premium is charged on wages “not including tips,” and the benefit is figured from wages your employers report, so your leave pay may reflect your hourly wage more than your real take-home. Washington’s higher wage floor softens that. Health help runs through Washington Healthplanfinder, where Cascade Care Savings sits on top of the federal credits. Plus the federal programs.
Official sources
- Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave
- Washington Paid Leave: how Paid Leave works
- Washington Paid Leave: employer roles and responsibilities
- Washington Paid Leave: apply now
- Washington L&I: paid sick leave
- Washington Working Families Tax Credit: eligibility
- Washington HCA: Apple Health for individual adults
- Washington HCA: apply for or renew coverage
- Washington Healthplanfinder: Cascade Care Savings
- WA Cares Fund: how it works
- WA Cares Fund: benefits now available (July 1, 2026)
Last verified
. Checked the agency pages linked above.
Still open: Paid Leave’s pages exclude tips from premiums but don’t say outright whether tips count in the wages used for your benefit. Ask Paid Leave before relying on a number. Apple Health income limits change every April.