Sample plan
See what you get before you pay.
Below is a complete sample plan generated for a synthetic Connecticut household. A birthing parent earning $1,500/week with a partner taking 4 weeks of bonding leave. The structure, the math, and the HR email below are exactly what you receive after intake. Your numbers depend on your state, wages, partner, and employer policy.
Free 60-second check. No email, no credit card.
Eligibility across every program
The first thing we show you: every leave program that applies to your situation, with a plain-English status.
Connecticut Paid Leave
Likely eligible12 weeks at $1,016.40/week (CT 2026 cap, indexed to $16.94 minimum wage). Plus 2 weeks if pregnancy complications apply.
Federal FMLA
Likely eligibleEmployer ≥ 50 employees within 75 miles, 12+ months tenure, 1,250+ hours.
Connecticut FMLA
Likely eligibleAny CT employer with 1+ employee, 3+ months tenure.
Short-term disability (employer-provided)
Likely eligible6–8 weeks at 60% of wages for postpartum medical recovery.
Employer parental leave policy
Needs HR confirmationYour handbook references 8 weeks paid bonding leave. Coordination (stacked / supplemental / offset) not stated.
Weekly benefit estimate. With the math shown
We use your state's actual bend-point formula. Every assumption is surfaced so you can verify it.
Total wage replacement
$13,298
STD + CT Paid Leave combined
Weeks of leave
14
8 STD + 6 CT Paid Leave bonding
Peak weekly rate
$1,016
CT Paid Leave 2026 cap
How we got there
- • Your average weekly wage: $1,500
- • STD weeks 1–8 (postpartum medical recovery): $900/wk × 8 = $7,200. Employer policy is stacked on top, bringing those 8 weeks to 100% of pay.
- • CT Paid Leave weeks 9–14 (bonding): your CT weekly benefit is 95% of the first $677.60 + 60% of wages above that, capped at $1,016.40 (60× CT's 2026 minimum wage of $16.94). At $1,500/wk you hit the cap. 6 weeks × $1,016.40 = $6,098.
- • Combined wage replacement: $7,200 + $6,098 = $13,298 (before employer top-up).
- • Note: CT permits filing CT Paid Leave for your own serious health condition during medical recovery, which would extend total CT Paid Leave benefits. The simpler sequential model above is the most common and defensible pattern.
What filing one claim instead of two costs
The biggest dollar difference in most plans is not the benefit rate. It is whether you file both the medical-recovery claim and the bonding claim. They are separate claims, on separate forms, filed weeks apart. Most parents file one and miss the other.
Bonding claim only
Files the 6-week Connecticut Paid Leave bonding claim, but never files the separate short-term disability claim for the 8 weeks of postpartum medical recovery. Those recovery weeks go unpaid or burn PTO.
- Weeks paid
- 6
- Wage replacement
- $6,098
Both claims filed
Files short-term disability for the 8 weeks of medical recovery, then Connecticut Paid Leave for the 6 weeks of bonding that follow. Each claim filed on time, on the right form.
- Weeks paid
- 14
- Wage replacement
- $13,298
Difference between filing one claim and filing both
$7,200 and 8 weeks
This is not a hypothetical. Washington State program data shows customers who took medical pregnancy leave followed by bonding averaged 15.6 weeks of paid leave over a 12-month period, against a 9.9-week average across all customers. In Massachusetts, roughly 31% of parents who took childbirth medical-recovery leave never filed the bonding leave that follows. Coordinating the two claims is the single thing Parental Leave Pro is built to catch.
Figures use the same synthetic Connecticut household shown above, before any employer top-up. Your own gap depends on your state, wages, and which programs apply.
How your leaves stack
Stacking is where the dollars are. STD and employer top-up cover postpartum medical recovery; CT Paid Leave covers the bonding period that follows; partner overlaps your last four weeks. This is the visual you act on.
Weeks 0–7. STD + employer top-up
Short-term disability pays $900/wk for postpartum medical recovery. Employer policy is stacked, bringing total pay to 100% of full wages during recovery.
Weeks 8–13. CT Paid Leave bonding
STD has ended. CT Paid Leave begins at $1,016.40/wk for 6 weeks of bonding. Primary parent returns to work at week 14.
Weeks 10–13. Partner joins
Partner's 4 weeks of CT Paid Leave start. Four full weeks of household overlap before primary returns.
Coming soon: calendar export
You'll be able to download an .ics file and push every milestone. File dates, leave start/end, return. Into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook for both parents.
Your week-by-week timeline
Every milestone from notice through return. With dates, who you contact, and what to file.
Notify HR of leave intent
12 weeks before due dateWritten notice protects FMLA eligibility. Don't disclose specifics yet.
Contact: Email HR
Request your employer's leave-policy document
6 weeks before due dateYou need to know if it stacks with CT Paid Leave or offsets.
Contact: HR
File Connecticut Paid Leave claim
30 days before anticipated startEarliest filing date. The system rejects earlier filings. Don't wait.
Contact: ctpaidleave.org
File short-term disability claim
2 weeks before due dateSTD covers postpartum medical recovery (6–8 weeks). Stack before CT bonding leave.
Contact: STD carrier
Submit birth certificate to CT Paid Leave portal
Birth + 1 weekTriggers benefit payment. Direct deposit arrives within 7–10 business days.
Contact: ctpaidleave.org
Receive ~$900/week from STD
STD weeks 1–8Tax-free if employee-paid premium. Federally taxable if employer-paid premium.
Contact: STD carrier
Receive $1,016/week from CT Paid Leave
Weeks 9–146 weeks of bonding leave at $1,016.40/wk = $6,098 total. STD and employer top-up have ended.
Contact: CT Paid Leave
File 2-week reinstatement notice with employer
Week 12Federal FMLA protects your same-or-equivalent role. Confirm position in writing.
Contact: HR
Return to work
Week 14Bring back-to-work medical clearance. Update direct deposit if STD payouts changed.
Contact: You
HR email. Generated, pre-filled, ready to send
The six questions every parent should ask HR. Polite, precise, non-confrontational.
Hi HR team,
I'm planning for an upcoming parental leave around late August 2026 and want to confirm a few things so I can file my Connecticut Paid Leave claim and short-term disability claim correctly. Could you confirm:
- What does our employer-provided paid parental leave policy provide. Weeks and percentage of pay?
- How does our paid parental leave coordinate with Connecticut Paid Leave: stacked, supplemental, or offset?
- Are our payroll contributions to the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority being withheld correctly (0.5% of wages)?
- Does the company offer short-term disability for the postpartum medical recovery period? What carrier and what percentage of wages?
- Will my health insurance continue uninterrupted during leave, and what is the premium-payment arrangement?
- What documentation do you need from me (anticipated leave dates, medical certification, birth certificate, etc.) and by when?
I want to make sure everything is filed on time. Could you reply in writing so I have a record for the claim portal? Thank you.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Your actual HR email is filled with your employer name, anticipated dates, state, and any short-term disability carrier already confirmed in intake.
Couples optimizer. Four scored strategies
If both parents are taking leave, we score four different sequencing strategies so you can pick the one that fits your household.
Max household weeks of coverage
Top pick- Total leave
- 18 weeks combined
- Household $
- $17,364 household
- Early overlap
- 4 weeks early
- Unpaid gap
- 0 weeks unpaid
Birthing parent: 14 weeks (8 STD + 6 CT bonding) at $13,298. Partner: 4 weeks bonding at $4,066, starting week 10. 4 weeks of household overlap.
Max household dollars
- Total leave
- 26 weeks combined
- Household $
- $25,490 household
- Early overlap
- 0 weeks early
- Unpaid gap
- 0 weeks unpaid
Primary takes the full 14 weeks ($13,298). Partner takes the full 12 weeks of bonding at $1,016/wk = $12,192. No overlap; total time at home is split sequentially.
Max early overlap (both home at first)
- Total leave
- 18 weeks combined
- Household $
- $17,364 household
- Early overlap
- 4 weeks early
- Unpaid gap
- 0 weeks unpaid
Same household dollars as the top pick, but partner takes their bonding leave earlier (weeks 4–7) instead of weeks 10–13. Maximum early-bonding overlap.
Min unpaid gaps
- Total leave
- 18 weeks combined
- Household $
- $17,364 household
- Early overlap
- 4 weeks early
- Unpaid gap
- 0 weeks unpaid
Identical to the top pick in this scenario. When employer policy is stacked through STD and CT Paid Leave runs continuously, there are no gaps to optimize away.
The mistakes that cost real money
The risks your plan flags so you can avoid them.
Employer policy coordination is unconfirmed
Your handbook references 8 weeks paid bonding leave but does not specify whether it stacks with, supplements, or offsets CT Paid Leave. Difference can be $7,800+ over 8 weeks. Confirm in writing before filing.
STD filing must precede leave start
STD claims have a 30-day pre-filing window. Filing late can result in retroactive benefit denial for the affected weeks.
Health-insurance premium during unpaid weeks
If your plan has any unpaid weeks, confirm with HR whether you continue paying the employee portion of health-insurance premiums and how (payroll deduction vs. direct payment).
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