A maternity leave application may seem far off if you’re expecting your first child, but it’s best to get everything as soon as possible.
All pregnant employees are eligible to undertake maternity leave for one year. Although you are not required to take the full 52 weeks off, you must take at least two weeks off following your child’s birth or four weeks if you work in a factory.
Ensure that your employer knows when you plan to start your maternity leave. You must inform your employer at least 15 weeks before the week in which your baby is due.
What is Maternity Leave Application?
The maternity leave application is available to all pregnant workers and lasts 52 weeks.
Maternity leave is a typical working term for promotion, seniority, and length of service. Additionally, it would help if you continued to be eligible for contractual advantages like wage increases (upon your return to work), bonuses, pension rights, paid time off, private health insurance, and use of a company vehicle.
When you return to work following maternity leave, you have the right to keep the same position.
You must give your employer at least eight weeks’ notice if you don’t plan to take the whole 52 weeks of maternity leave—for example, if you wish to return when your statutory maternity pay expires.
If you are not reasonably possible to return to your previous employment, such as if the position has been eliminated, you are still entitled to your contractual rights and benefits while on leave. However, in this situation, your employer must provide you with acceptable alternative employment with at least the same terms and circumstances as your prior position.
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When can you submit your Maternity Leave Application?
Under normal circumstances, your maternity leave cannot begin earlier than 11 weeks before your child’s due date.
You might need to start your maternity leave earlier if your baby is early or if you need to miss work for another pregnancy-related cause.
Your maternity leave will begin the day following your kid’s birth and arrive early. Your maternity leave will start immediately if you miss work during the final four weeks before the due date owing to a pregnancy-related sickness. You can carry on with your regular work duties if your illness is unrelated to pregnancy.
Are maternity leaves paid?
Not all states or employers provide paid parental leave. However, some do. Because the FMLA does not mandate that employers pay their employees while they are on leave, this is the case.
These people may provide paid leave:
Varying Employers
Many businesses—both big and small—have voluntarily chosen to provide paid leave. Some kinds of policies grant several months or more.
However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only 17% of American workers have access to paid family leave through private businesses. Ask the company’s human resources department for further information about family leave policies offered by your present or potential employers.
States that offer paid leave
Several states provide paid family leave, including California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia. Typically, this benefit is paid for by employee payroll taxes and disability insurance programmes. However, some states, like Michigan, give paid family leave to people who satisfy specific conditions and apply for it. Programs in states like Colorado and Oregon have not yet gone into effect.
Government agencies
Following implementing the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act in October 2020, federal employees now have access to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
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