Manage FAMLI for clients

Third-Party Agents (TPAs), including Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), payroll administrators, HR and/or benefits administrators, and other entities play an important role in helping employers fulfill their responsibilities under FAMLI. The registration, contribution remittance, and reporting processes were all designed with the TPA and employer relationship in mind. This page provides an overview of the processes and actions for TPAs who wish to manage FAMLI tasks for clients.

Before you can manage FAMLI tasks for a client

An Authorized Officer for the TPA must first register with FAMLI. During the registration process, you will be asked to indicate that you represent a TPA. This is the only way to unlock unique functions, including the ability to:

• invite your clients to register themselves; 
• invite your clients to link your profiles so you can help clients with their FAMLI tasks like submitting QWHRs, remitting contributions, and responding to claims;
• invite team members to join your profile so they can invite additional clients;
• and manage FAMLI tasks related to employees of the TPA.

An Authorized Officer is a person who is legally permitted to act in an official capacity on behalf of an employer. This can include roles like owner or partner, executive director, CEO, CFO, COO, president, secretary, household employer or another designated individual with equivalent legal authority as specified by the employer’s bylaws.

Your clients must register themselves with FAMLI. You cannot register clients on their behalf. This helps prevent unauthorized enrollment and ensures employers maintain ownership over the account and related implementation decisions.

You can then log in to your profile and invite your clients to connect with you, so you can manage FAMLI tasks on their behalf. 

Invite your clients

In the “Clients” section, you will be able to upload a spreadsheet (CSV) file with your client information. You can also invite multiple clients at once using the same spreadsheet. For each client you are inviting to grant you access to manage FAMLI tasks on their behalf, you will provide an: 

• EIN 
• Email address

The email address you enter can belong to any client contact, but only an Authorized Officer can sign the Power of Attorney. 

Download the client CSV file template for help formatting a CSV file to invite multiple clients. 

Client accepts your invitation by signing a Power of Attorney within 30 days

If your client has not yet registered with FAMLI, they will receive an email that directs them to first register. After your client’s Authorized Officer registers, they will be prompted to sign a Power of Attorney. They must sign within 30 days of your invitation. 

If your client has registered with FAMLI already, the client’s Authorized Officer can log in and sign a Power of Attorney within 30 days of your invitation. 

By signing the Power of Attorney, your client authorizes you to manage certain FAMLI tasks on their behalf. 

If a client fails to respond to your invitation to sign a Power of Attorney within 30 days, you will have to invite them again via the same process (upload a CSV file, and the employer will receive another email reminder). 

Working with your clients to manage FAMLI tasks

Once your clients register and sign a Power of Attorney, you will receive an email notification. At that point, you will see your clients start to populate under the list of “Active Clients.” 

You can now help clients with their FAMLI tasks like submitting QWHRs, remitting contributions, and responding to claims.

Download the Quarterly Wage and Hour Report File Guide to learn more about the file specifications and submission process.

Resources for you

Email templates you may use to help clients understand the process 

Before sending invitations to connect FAMLI accounts by signing a Power of Attorney: 

Paid family and medical leave–also known as FAMLI–is coming to Maryland, and we are reaching out to make sure you are ready! 

FAMLI is an insurance program. Starting January 1, 2027, employers are responsible for withholding contributions that will be paid into a fund administered by the State. Up to half of the contributions can be withheld from employees via payroll deductions. Alternatively, employers may apply to use a private plan. Starting January 1, 2028, FAMLI will make it possible for eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid, job-protected leave to welcome a new child, tend to a serious health condition, care for a loved one, or manage urgent family needs related to deployment. 

All employers with at least one employee localized in Maryland are now required to register with FAMLI. There are no exceptions under state law. 

After you register you can sign a Power of Attorney so [TPA NAME] can help you manage FAMLI tasks. We’ll be sending out invitations to connect in the next few days.

In the meantime, we recommend you register with FAMLI now. Please note that an Authorized Officer must complete the initial registration, and [TPA NAME] cannot register on your behalf. Learn more about the registration process.

Please keep an eye out for our invitation. If you have questions about FAMLI, visit paidleave.maryland.gov or contact the FAMLI Customer Care team at (410) 525-4010 or paid.leave@maryland.gov. 

After sending invitations to connect FAMLI accounts by signing a Power of Attorney: 

Paid family and medical leave–also known as FAMLI–is coming to Maryland, and we are reaching out to make sure you are ready! 

All employers with at least one employee localized in Maryland are now required to register with FAMLI. There are no exceptions under state law. 

While [TPA NAME} cannot register on your behalf, you should have just received an invitation from us to sign the Power of Attorney, so we can manage other FAMLI tasks. The invitation will expire after 30 days.

Here are your next steps:

• If you have not already registered, please have your Authorized Officer complete the registration process so they can view and sign the Power of Attorney. 
• If you have already registered, please have your Authorized Officer log in so they can view and sign the Power of Attorney.

Please keep an eye out for our invitation. If you have questions about FAMLI, visit paidleave.maryland.gov or contact the FAMLI Customer Care team at (410) 525-4010 or paid.leave@maryland.gov. 

Questions your clients may ask:

Question: I registered as an employer. Do I need to do anything else to give my TPA access to manage FAMLI tasks for me?

Answer: Yes. [TPA NAME] will send you an invitation to sign a Power of Attorney which will allow us to manage FAMLI tasks for you. Your Authorized Officer will receive the invitation and need to be the one to sign it. 

Question: Why can’t I see the invitation to sign the Power of Attorney?

Answer: There could be several reasons why you don’t see the invitation:

1. It’s possible your TPA has not yet sent the invitation. Please check with your TPA to confirm.
2. The invitation expires after 30 days. Please check with your TPA and request a new invitation, if it expired.
3. The invitation is only visible after registration. If you are an Authorized Officer, be sure you register with FAMLI. 
4. Only an Authorized Officer will see and accept the invitation to sign the Power of Attorney. If you are not an Authorized Officer (but have another role on the FAMLI account), you will not be able to see the invitation. 
5. If you are the Authorized Officer and still do not see the invitation, please check your spam folder.

Question: What does the Power of Attorney screen look like? 

Answer: An Authorized Officer of an employer will see a pending request to connect from a TPA upon logging into their FAMLI account. They may also see an alert if a request expired, in which case they will have to contact the TPA directly to request another invitation. 

Employers can visit the Manage Third-Party Agents page to view any of the pending requests they have from TPAs, or see the other TPAs that they have managing their account. 

• From this page, employers will have the option to either designate Power of Attorney to that TPA, or to deny them access to manage their FAMLI tasks. 

Question: I have the option to add an end date for the Power of Attorney. What date should I choose?

Answer: You can leave this field blank or add a future date–perhaps based on when your contract with the TPA ends. If you add a future date and it passes, the Power of Attorney process will need to start again.

Question: What happens if I didn’t accept the invitation before it expired?

Answer: The TPA will need to send another invitation.

Question: What permissions should I grant to the TPA?

Answer: The access levels on the signed Power of Attorney should match the contract with the TPA. The available options on the FAMLI Power of Attorney that can be designated to TPAs include the following: 

• Submit original and amended quarterly reports on behalf of the employer
• Submit payments on behalf of the employer
• Review and manage leave requests and notifications on behalf of the employer
• Receive communications from FAMLI on behalf of and in addition to the employer 
• All of the above

Question: Can I have more than one TPA?

Answer: Yes. You will have to accept invitations from all TPAs that you want to manage FAMLI tasks.

Question: Why do I have to complete identity verification to complete registration?

Answer: FAMLI partners with Login.gov to provide all Maryland employers with secure, private access to their FAMLI accounts. All FAMLI users must create an account via Login.gov in order to create and then sign in to their FAMLI account. Only users who are assigned the Authorized Officer access role for their employer will be required to also verify their identity via Login.gov. 

Login.gov uses personal information, such as your Social Security number or driver’s license, to verify your identity and authenticate your account. This verification is required before any Authorized Officer can create/access the employer’s FAMLI account.

Your personal information, such as your Social Security number and driver’s license, is used to authenticate your account but will not be stored in your FAMLI account.

Question: Why can’t my TPA register for me?

Answer: FAMLI requires that all employers register directly, so you have maximum control over the security of and access to your account. Registration is a one-time action. After that, you can sign a Power of Attorney so the TPA can manage FAMLI tasks (as long as the Power of Attorney is current).