maternity leave?

uglylizzy · May 2015

hello everyone!
I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can answer.
How many months can I take maternity leave before the baby is due? And will i be getting income while I'm off of work? And still get baby bonding if I leave for maternity leave 2 or 3 months before my due date?

babyvelasquez2015 · May 2015

4wks before baby is due 55% of wage. 6wks after baby is due with 55% of wage. 6 after THAT with 55% of ur wage paid. And then I believe it's 6 (possibly 12) wks allowed unpaid after that.

babyvelasquez2015 · May 2015

Of course this is unless ur doctor sees that u need to leave earlier than 4wks. And if u have a c section u get 8wks after birth instead of 6.

dalzien · May 2015

in Canada you can take leave beforehand... but I can't remember for how long. I was placed on Disability before our DD was born because of a workplace injury. I then took off 12 months unpaid (as is allowed under the law here).

saric83 · May 2015

This totally depends on what country you live in, and, if not mandated by your country, your employer.

YummeeCookee · May 2015

saric83 said:
This totally depends on what country you live in, and, if not mandated by your country, your employer.

This. I was wondering how babyvelasquez2015 answered the OP so matter of factly. I thought maybe they knew each other?

OP, in the US you get 12 weeks of FMLA time total. So the clock starts on that when you first take leave. Its unpaid (unless you have disability insurance and/or paid leave) and you only qualify if youve been with your employer at least 12mo and worked 1250hours.
You really need to speak w your employer about the paid leave offerings and how flexible they are willing to be on if you can take more than 12 weeks.

delujm0 · May 2015

YummeeCookee said:

saric83 said:
This totally depends on what country you live in, and, if not mandated by your country, your employer.

This. I was wondering how babyvelasquez2015 answered the OP so matter of factly. I thought maybe they knew each other?

OP, in the US you get 12 weeks of FMLA time total. So the clock starts on that when you first take leave. Its unpaid (unless you have disability insurance and/or paid leave) and you only qualify if youve been with your employer at least 12mo and worked 1250hours.
You really need to speak w your employer about the paid leave offerings and how flexible they are willing to be on if you can take more than 12 weeks.

This... plus if you work part time or for a small business, they might not be required to honor FMLA. Call HR and ask about it. Generally speaking, in the US you get 12 weeks max, usually unpaid...and that includes time before and after delivery. I'm trying to work basically until my water breaks so I can take all 12 weeks afterwards.

drtaylor929 · May 2015

Dont forget to take a look at leave offered by the state (NJ and CA offer additional paid leave for example). If you qualify for fmla, you usually take your disability at the same time so you are paid while taking FMLA. Here in NJ, you get an additional 6 weeks once your disability ends for a total of 18 weeks of leave.

dchiapella · May 2015

Sit down with HR to get the answers. Laws differ depending on states and employers are all different even when abiding by the same laws. Where I am you have 12 weeks unpaid and yes, you can start the leave before baby's born. My company, however, allows me to use my short term disability to get 60% of wages up to 6 weeks plus any vacation time I've accumulated. HR is really the best way to get the correct info.

rue:D · May 2015

It all depends on your employer and your state laws, so your best bet is to talk to your HR representative. Most likely you'll at least be eligible for 12W of FMLA, which you can take before birth if you're having complications (bed rest, etc) but otherwise after. It's unpaid unless your employer offers otherwise but your job is protected as long as you return after 12W.

If you have a short-term disability insurance policy you may be able to get some of your wages while you are out; the amount differs. My company's policy pays 100% of wages while on STD, so I will only be out for the length of time I get STD as I can't afford not to get paid.

bobbiebella · May 2015

Saric83 and Rue:D are correct about FMLA in the US.

I spoke with HR and I can use 12 weeks FMLA. For me, I have enough sick time (no vacation time) for full pay for 4 of these weeks. For another 4 weeks, I get 60% of my pay from the STD company. My husband and I pay for this STD insurance separately. For the last 4 weeks of my 12 weeks, we're not getting any of my pay. We're saving right now to make sure we have enough; and we're (of course) saving for the hospital and OB GYN costs too.

I could use up to 24 weeks of maternity leave and return to work part-time; I think this may unique to my state and company. However, this is all after the baby is born (provided there are no doctor's orders for bed rest before delivery). And, the majority of this time off would not be paid. This is our first baby, and she may be our only. I gave it some thought and discussed it with my husband. Although it is tempting to take 24 weeks off, I decided to go back to work after 12 weeks.

Be sure to speak with HR, get this information in writing (an email should suffice), and speak with your STD/LTD insurance company. Have all of the information together, consider it, and then make a decision.

als8711 · May 2015

If you live in CA and pay into SDI then you can take 4 weeks before your due date, 6 weeks after (8 if you have a c section), and then 6 additional weeks of Paid Family Leave. Disability is 55% of pay. Most states do not offer this, though. It's up to you to get private disability insurance or save money to cover expenses. FMLA guarantees 12 weeks off of work but it is unpaid time off. It's nice to get disability pay, but when you really think about how much money you're paying into it versus what you get out of it it's way better to just save the money on your own (I will have paid over $56k into CA state disability and will only benefit about $10k max over 3 pregnancies).

erinnkasei · May 2015

I wish the U.S. was like other European countries and women could get 6+ paid maternity leave.

delujm0 · May 2015

erinnkasei said:
I wish the U.S. was like other European countries and women could get 6+ paid maternity leave.

I was on the phone with a work colleague in Ireland yesterday who was SHOCKED that we only get 12 weeks (unpaid for the most part unless there is STD coverage). She was like "so you have to go back to work after the 12 weeks????" Apparently most people there get and take 9 months off and start it before their due date. I'm so jealous.

KonaCoffeeBean · May 2015

Don't forget that many American women are employed by small businesses that are not covered by FMLA.

groovylocks · May 2015

erinnkasei said:

I wish the U.S. was like other European countries and women could get 6+ paid maternity leave.

Canada as well. I'm from Canada but live in the USA. I would have gotten a year at home on UI. I'm thinking of moving my family back for a few years while this baby stuff gets sorted out. A year is government. Most employers will offer a second six months to a year on top. And men get extended paternity leave.

fashiongirlsteph · May 2015

@als8711

I live in CA and work for a VERY small company. My company does not offer benefits but I do pay into SDI.

So I realize I can take the 4w prior to due date and 6w after (at 55% of pay). Can I get the "Paid Family Leave" as well? I know my company does not offer FMLA because of their size. Oh and we don't have an HR department so I am totally on my own on this one!!

Also, I am still undecided as to if I am going back to work after LO arrives, does that matter?

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