Maternity and paternity leave, state by state
Plain-English guides to maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, and parental leave for all 51 jurisdictions: every U.S. state plus DC. Updated for 2026 with current rates, eligibility rules, claim deadlines, and how to coordinate state benefits with federal FMLA, your employer's policy, and short-term disability.
Most guides you find online cover the handful of states that pay a benefit. We write one for every state, including the 34 where there is no state program at all, because "your state has nothing" is an answer you still have to plan around. Those guides cover what you actually have instead: federal FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, PTO, and whether a neighboring state or a remote employer puts a real benefit within reach.
Program status:
Paying nowNot yet payingVoluntaryNo state programAlaska Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Alaska's own family leave act gives public employees 18 unpaid weeks, six more than FMLA, and a statewide paid sick leave law took effect July 1, 2025. But state and federal workers are exempt from the sick leave, and no Alaska employer has to pay for bonding.
Alabama Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Alabama has no general paid leave program, but state employees and teachers now get 8 weeks paid at 100% under the 2025 law. Private-sector parents: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, PTO, plus the Adoption Promotion Act. The complete 2026 guide.
Arkansas Maternity Leave 2026: Who Gets 12 Paid Weeks
Arkansas state employees get up to 12 consecutive paid weeks of maternity leave, and Act 904 of 2025 made paid maternity leave mandatory in every public school district. The full 2026 picture for everyone else: FMLA, short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy.
How Long Is Maternity Leave in Arizona? 12 Weeks in 2026
Twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under FMLA. Arizona adds Prop 206 paid sick time, and 12 fully paid weeks for state employees.
California Maternity Leave 2026: SDI and PFL
Maternity leave in California is two programs, not one: SDI for medical recovery, then PFL for bonding. Up to $1,765 a week in 2026. Check your benefit and both filing deadlines in 60 seconds.
Colorado FAMLI 2026: Maternity and Paternity Leave
Colorado FAMLI pays up to $1,448.02 a week in 2026 for 12 weeks, plus 4 more for pregnancy complications. Check your benefit in 60 seconds, with filing deadlines and how FAMLI coordinates with your employer policy.
Connecticut Paid Leave 2026: Maternity and Paternity
Connecticut pays up to $1,016.40 a week for 12 weeks of maternity or paternity leave in 2026, at 95% of wages. Check your benefit in 60 seconds, plus filing deadlines, CT FMLA job protection, and the HR questions that decide your total.
DC Paid Family Leave 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
12 weeks at 90% of wages up to $1,190/wk. Funded entirely by employers. No employee contribution. Stack with up to 12 weeks of medical leave.
Delaware Paid Leave 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
Launched January 2026. 12 weeks at 80% of wages up to $900/wk. Available at employers with 10+ employees for parental leave.
Florida Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Florida has no state paid leave program, but Florida parents are not out of options. FMLA job protection, employer short-term disability, employer policy coordination, and PTO strategy: the complete 2026 guide.
Georgia Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Georgia has no general state paid leave program, but Georgia parents are not out of options. FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, PTO, and a real paid benefit for public employees: the complete 2026 guide.
Hawaii Maternity Leave 2026: What TDI Actually Pays
Hawaii mandates temporary disability insurance: 58% of your average weekly wages, up to $871 a week in 2026, for up to 26 weeks. It covers pregnancy and childbirth recovery and pays nothing for bonding. Here is how TDI, the Hawaii Family Leave Law, and FMLA actually fit together.
Iowa Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Iowa state employees get 4 paid weeks for a birth or adoption under 2025's Families First law, and Iowa Code 216.6 guarantees up to 8 weeks of unpaid pregnancy leave at employers with just 4 employees. The full 2026 picture: FMLA, short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy.
Idaho Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Idaho executive branch state employees get 8 paid weeks at full pay, but that benefit is an executive order rather than a statute, and one statewide office cut its own version to 2 weeks on July 1, 2026. Private-sector Idaho has no state program. The full 2026 map: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
Illinois Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Illinois has no state paid family leave program, but its Paid Leave for All Workers Act confuses everyone. Here is what you actually get: FMLA, the 40-hour law, Chicago and Cook County ordinances, employer STD, and policy, for 2026.
Indiana Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Indiana has no state paid leave program for private workers. FMLA job protection, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy: the 2026 guide.
How Long Is Maternity Leave in Kansas? 12 Weeks in 2026
Twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under FMLA. Kansas state employees get 8 paid weeks as primary caregiver and 4 as secondary.
Kentucky Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Kentucky has no state paid leave program, but the Pregnant Workers Act protects you at employers with 15+ employees, and state employees get 6 weeks paid once a decade. The complete 2026 guide.
Louisiana Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Louisiana has no state paid leave program, but its pregnancy disability law protects your job at employers with more than 25 employees, and state employees get 6 weeks paid. The complete 2026 guide.
Massachusetts PFML 2026: Maternity and Paternity
Massachusetts pays up to $1,230.39 a week in 2026, with 12 weeks bonding plus up to 20 weeks medical. Roughly 1 in 3 parents never file the second claim. Check your benefit and both deadlines in 60 seconds.
Maryland FAMLI 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
Maryland's FAMLI program was delayed. Premiums now begin January 2027, benefits January 2028. Plan around the new launch date.
Maine Paid Leave 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
Paying benefits since May 2026. Bend formula capped at $1,249.12/wk for 12 weeks, combined across all leave reasons. Cap resets every July 1.
How Long Is Maternity Leave in Michigan? 12 Weeks in 2026
Twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under FMLA. Michigan's Earned Sick Time Act adds paid hours usable for prenatal visits and recovery.
Minnesota Paid Leave 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
Launched January 2026. Combined medical + bonding cap of 20 weeks at up to $1,423/wk.
Missouri Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Missouri has no state paid leave program, and the Prop A sick time mandate was repealed effective August 28, 2025. What Missouri parents actually get in 2026: FMLA job protection, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy.
Mississippi Maternity Leave 2026: Who Gets 6 Paid Weeks
Mississippi's first paid parental leave law took effect January 1, 2026: six weeks at 100% pay for state employees who are the primary caregiver. What HB 1063 covers, who it leaves out, and how everyone else builds a 2026 leave from FMLA, short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
Montana Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Montana has no paid family leave program and pays nothing even to its own state workforce. What it does have is a 1975 law that guarantees a reasonable, job-protected maternity leave at employers with as few as one employee, with no tenure requirement, plus the four pieces every parent builds from: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
North Carolina Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
North Carolina has no general state paid leave program, but a 2026 law just expanded paid parental leave to 12 weeks for state employees. Here is what every NC parent actually gets: FMLA, employer STD, policy, PTO, and the public-employee benefit.
North Dakota Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
North Dakota has no paid leave program and pays its own state workforce nothing either, but its pregnancy accommodation law reaches employers with a single employee, and Minnesota Paid Leave starts across the river from Fargo.
Nebraska Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Nebraska added paid sick time (up to 56 hours a year) on October 1, 2025, and birth mothers on the state payroll now get 6 paid weeks. There is still no general paid leave program. The full 2026 map: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
New Hampshire Paid Family Leave 2026: Who Qualifies
Voluntary insurance program through MetLife. Employers earn a 50% state tax credit for participating; individuals can also purchase coverage directly.
New Jersey FLI 2026: Maternity and Paternity Leave
New Jersey pays up to $1,119 a week in 2026 at 85% of wages. Combine TDI for recovery with FLI for bonding, up to 20 weeks. Check your benefit in 60 seconds, plus filing windows and NJ FLA job protection.
New Mexico Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
New Mexico has no state paid family leave program, but it is not a nothing state: every private employee earns paid sick leave (up to 64 hours a year, no small-employer exemption), and state employees under the governor get 12 weeks fully paid. The full 2026 map: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
How Long Is Maternity Leave in Nevada? 12 Weeks in 2026
Twelve weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under FMLA. Nevada adds about 40 paid hours a year at larger employers, and 8 weeks at 50% pay for state workers.
New York PFL 2026: Maternity and Paternity Leave
New York PFL pays up to $1,228.53 a week in 2026 for 12 weeks, plus NY DBL for medical recovery. Check your benefit in 60 seconds, with filing steps, DBL coordination, and what NYPFL on your W2 means.
Ohio Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Ohio has no state paid leave program, but Ohio parents are not out of options. FMLA job protection, employer short-term disability, employer policy coordination, and PTO strategy: the complete 2026 guide.
Oklahoma Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Oklahoma has no state paid family leave program, but state employees and public school teachers get 6 weeks of paid maternity leave. Here is what everyone else actually gets in 2026: FMLA, short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy.
Oregon Paid Leave 2026: Maternity and Paternity
Oregon pays up to $1,692.16 a week, second only to California, and uniquely replaces 100% of wages for lower earners. 12 weeks plus 2 for pregnancy conditions. Check your benefit in 60 seconds.
Pennsylvania Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Pennsylvania has no state paid leave program yet, but a statewide bill is moving and PA parents have more options than they think. FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy coordination, and the border-state advantage: the complete 2026 guide.
Rhode Island TCI 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
8 weeks of bonding via TCI in 2026, plus TDI for postpartum medical recovery. Cap $1,150/wk from July 1.
South Carolina Maternity & Paternity Leave: What You Get
South Carolina has no general paid family leave program, but public employees get 6 weeks paid at 100%, and a new law effective October 1, 2026 expands who qualifies. Here is what private-sector parents actually get: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy.
South Dakota Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
South Dakota has no paid leave program for private employees, but it pays its own state workforce 12 weeks at 100% for bonding, and unusually, both parents qualify. Everyone else builds from FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
Tennessee Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Tennessee has no paid leave program for private workers, but a 4-month job protection law and state-employee paid leave exist. The complete 2026 guide.
Texas Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Texas has no state paid leave program, but Texas parents are not out of options. FMLA job protection, employer short-term disability, employer policy coordination, and PTO strategy: the complete 2026 guide.
Utah Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Utah state employees who give birth now get up to 9 paid weeks under HB 329, effective July 1, 2026. Private-sector workers get no state benefit. Here is the full 2026 picture: FMLA, short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO strategy.
Virginia Parental Leave 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
No statutory state program. Federal FMLA + employer policy + STD + voluntary private PFML insurance fill the gap. We map your options.
Vermont Paid Family Leave 2026: Who Qualifies and How Much
Voluntary public-private program with The Hartford. Coverage depends on whether your employer has opted in; some plans offered to individuals.
Washington PFML 2026: Maternity and Paternity Leave
Washington pays up to $1,647 a week in 2026. Parents who take medical pregnancy leave then bonding average 15.6 weeks, against a 9.9-week overall average. Check your benefit and both filing deadlines in 60 seconds.
Wisconsin Maternity & Paternity Leave 2026: What You Get
Wisconsin has no paid leave program, but its own state FMLA adds 6 weeks of job-protected leave at 50+ employers with easier eligibility than federal law. Here is how the pieces fit in 2026.
West Virginia Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
West Virginia has no paid family leave program, and the 2026 pilot bill died when the session ended. What does exist: a 12-week unpaid guarantee for state and county school employees under the 1989 Parental Leave Act, plus the four pieces every private-sector parent builds from: FMLA, employer short-term disability, employer policy, and PTO.
Wyoming Maternity Leave 2026: What You Actually Get
Wyoming has no paid family leave program and no state sick leave law. State employees get six paid weeks, but that benefit is not in the personnel rules, and the state antidiscrimination act reaches employers with two employees where the federal law needs fifteen.
Quick state overviews
Shorter summaries for states with a paid leave program. Start here if you want the headline numbers, then open the full guide for filing deadlines, coordination rules, and the HR questions to ask.
Educational guides only. Not legal, tax, HR, or financial advice. Confirm your specific eligibility with the applicable state agency, your employer, or a qualified advisor.