Delaware Paid Leave to waive late report penalties thru March 31

The Delaware Department of Labor’s Division of Paid Leave announced that penalties and interest will be waived from all late quarterly submissions during the first year of the program.

This decision was made to ensure that business owners and third-party administrators have flexibility managing the new program. Delaware employers enrolled in Delaware Paid Leave are expected to submit Hours & Wage reports and contributions on a quarterly basis with a six-day grace period.

“We’re thrilled to see such positive momentum from businesses participating in Delaware Paid Leave so far,” said Chris Counihan, Delaware Paid Leave director. “We want to accommodate the business owners and third-party administrators who are still becoming familiar with the program. We look forward to continuing to work with these groups to ensure the process runs smoothly during the official program launch in January.”

The deadline for all late quarterly submissions will be Tuesday, March 31. If business owners and third-party administrators fail to submit reports and contributions by this date, they will begin accruing penalties and fines.

Created under the Healthy Delaware Families Act and signed into law in May 2022, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, aka Delaware Paid Leave, requires that eligible Delaware workers be allowed up to 12 weeks of paid leave to address their own serious health condition, care for a family member with a serious health condition, bond with and care for a new child or address the impact of a family member’s military deployment.

While Delaware Paid Leave doesn’t go into effect until this coming January, businesses must prepare now to be fully compliant and ready to provide this valuable benefit to their employees.

To learn more, go to de.gov/paidleave.