Paid Parental Leave FAQs
Effective July 1, 2025
FMLA-eligible UNI employees may now request up to four weeks of paid leave for the birth of a child, placement of a child with you for adoption, or if your spouse or partner gave birth to your child. Less than full-time employees who are eligible for FMLA leave will also be eligible for pro-rated paid parental leave based on their position appointment.
Paid parental leave does not require use of accrued time off and may be taken on a continuous, intermittent, or reduced schedule basis within 12 months from your child's date of birth or placement as long as you have a balance of FMLA leave entitlement remaining.
Questions regarding paid parental leave and FMLA eligibility may be directed to hrs-leaves@uni.edu.
FMLA Qualifying Events
Birth of a Child
- Up to four weeks of leave (160 hours) when you give birth to a child.
- Up to one week of leave (40 hours) when your spouse or partner gives birth to a child.
Adoption of a Child
- Up to four weeks of leave (160 hours) when a child is placed with you for adoption.
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1Q: How do I know if I am eligible for paid parental leave?
1A: You have to be eligible for FMLA leave entitlement in order to utilize paid parental leave. If you haven't already connected with Human Resource Services regarding your leave plans, you should email hrs-leaves@uni.edu or submit a leave of absence request in UNI Works so they can review your FMLA eligibility and inform you of next steps.
- 2Q: How much time off do I get to take if I am adopting a child?
2A: You are eligible for up to four weeks (160 hours) of paid parental leave. If your spouse works for UNI, they are also eligible for up to four weeks (160 hours). You may also be able to take additional time off utilizing up to 40 hours of Sick time off with Adoption as the reason. Additionally, if you have a balance of Family Caregiving hours, you may choose to use that time off for adoption purposes.
- 3Q: My spouse and I will welcome a newborn child within the next month. How much paid parental leave will I receive?
3A: If you are giving birth to the child, you are entitled to up to four weeks (160 hours). If your spouse is giving birth to the child, you are entitled to up to one week (40 hours).
- 4Q: Can I save the paid parental leave and use it later in the year?
4A: Yes, you can save it for up to one year from the date of your child's birth or placement for adoption to use for bonding time as long as you have a balance of FMLA leave entitlement remaining during that time.
- 5Q: Do I need to have FMLA approval in place to use paid parental leave?
5A: Yes, you must be eligible for FMLA leave and actively work with the Leave & Accommodations Coordinator in HRS to go through the FMLA approval process in order to use paid parental leave.
- 6Q: Can I use paid parental leave intermittently throughout the year?
6A: Yes, you can do that as long as you have been approved for intermittent FMLA absences by HRS and utilize all of the available paid parental leave hours before your child turns one year of age.
- 7Q: I am going to be off work for 12 weeks after I give birth to my child. Do I use the paid parental leave time before my sick time off or after?
7A: Generally, an employee who gives birth will use sick time off for the 6-8 weeks during the medical recovery from childbirth for their own health condition. As there is no requirement to use the paid parental leave at a certain time, you will want to keep in mind that after your childbirth recovery period, you cannot use sick time off. You would need to use family caregiving (if you have a balance of sick accruals to draw from), vacation time off, compensatory time earned, or paid parental time off to cover the remaining weeks of your leave in order to maintain your regular pay.
- 8Q: Once I have been approved for FMLA leave for adoption or birth of a child, how do I request paid parental leave in UNI Works?
8A: Once you receive FMLA approval for the birth of a child or adoption of a child, you will see one of two types of Time Off in your list of options. Parental Time Off will be used by employees who give birth or adopt a child and will be limited to 160 hours. Intermittent Parental Time Off will be used by employees whose spouse or partner gives birth. HRS will provide further guidance to you with your FMLA approval notice.
- 9Q: My spouse gave birth last October and I took a couple of weeks off at that time but I didn’t know I had to apply for FMLA leave. Can I still get my week of paid parental leave after July 1, 2025?
9A: Yes, you have up to one year from the date of your newborn child’s birth to use the one week of paid parental leave. You will need to follow the FMLA leave process to request time off in UNI Works or contact HRS at hrs-leaves@uni.edu.
- 10Q: I wasn’t eligible for FMLA leave when I gave birth to my child in December 2024 but now I am. Can I use the four weeks of paid parental leave?
10A: Yes, if you are now FMLA eligible and it has not been a full year since you delivered your child, you are able to use paid parental leave. As of July 1, 2025, you will need to request FMLA leave in UNI Works to start the approval process.
- 11Q: I took maternity leave last fall for the birth of my child but it is currently not a good time for me to be away from work due to a project. Can the four weeks of vacation time that I previously used be credited back to me instead?
11A: No, we are not able to retroactively cover previously used leave or time off. As of July 1, 2025, you are eligible to request up to four weeks of paid parental leave for up to one year from your child's date of birth.
- 12Q: I adopted a child this past January. I was able to use FMLA for a few weeks but it was entirely unpaid. Am I able to use the four weeks of paid parental leave now?
12A: Yes, you are able to use the paid parental leave for bonding with your child beginning July 1, 2025 as long as you still have an FMLA balance remaining before your child turns one year old.
- 13Q: I supervise an employee who had a newborn child and is currently off of work through July 30. How do I ensure they can use the paid parental leave?
13A: If your employee has an approved FMLA leave of absence in place, you are able to access the paid parental time off type in UNI Works and may submit the absence requests on their behalf. If they requested HRS submit those requests on their behalf, we will utilize their paid parental time off starting on July 1st.
- 14Q: If I exhaust my FMLA leave entitlement for the current 12 month period due to my own serious health condition, can I still use the paid parental leave when I deliver my baby?
14A: If you become eligible for FMLA within 12 months of the birth or adoption of a child, you may potentially be able to use the paid parental leave. Please reach out to the Leave & Accommodations Coordinator in HRS to discuss your situation.
- 15Q: Can I still apply for catastrophic donations for the birth of my child if I use the paid parental leave?
15A: Yes, you can apply for catastrophic donations after exhausting all paid time off, including the paid parental leave. Please note: donated time off can only be used for your own medical needs and not for bonding with your child.
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