1. Key points

  • Eligible employees can take up to 12 workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for qualifying reasons.
  • Reasons include a serious health condition, birth or adoption of a child, and caring for a spouse, child or parent with a serious health condition.
  • Eligibility generally requires 12 months with the employer and 1,250 hours worked in the past 12 months, at a location with 50 or more employees within 75 miles.
  • Group health coverage continues on the same terms during leave.

2. Paid leave

FMLA itself is unpaid; some states and employers offer paid family or medical leave.