Paid Parental Leave FAQs
UNI employees may request 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.
Paid parental leave does not require use of accrued time off and may be taken on a continuous, intermittent, or reduced schedule basis.
Unused paid parental leave hours are not subject to payout and expire 12 months after your child's date of birth or placement. Paid parental leave must be taken concurrently with eligible employees' FMLA leave entitlement.
Questions regarding paid parental leave and FMLA eligibility may be directed to hrs-leaves@uni.edu.
Leave Duration
Birth of a Child
- Up to four weeks of leave (160 hours maximum) when you give birth to a child.
- Up to one week of leave (40 hours maximum) when your spouse or partner gives birth to a child.
Adoption of a Child
- Up to four weeks of leave (160 hours maximum) when a child is placed with you for adoption.
Paid parental leave is pro-rated for less than full-time employees based on their position appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
- 1Q: How do I know if I am eligible for paid parental leave?
1A: Most benefits-eligible employees will be eligible for paid parental leave. When employees are also eligible for FMLA leave entitlement, paid parental leave will run concurrently with FMLA. If you are not eligible for FMLA leave and are giving birth, paid parental leave will run concurrently with pregnancy 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 your FMLA eligibility may be reviewed.
- 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.
- 5Q: Do I need to have FMLA approval in place to use paid parental leave?
5A: Effective April 30, 2026, the Paid Parental Leave law was modified to remove the FMLA eligibility requirement for employees to utilize paid parental leave. You must actively work with the Leave & Accommodations Coordinator in HRS to go through the 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 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 of 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: How do I request paid parental leave in UNI Works?
8A: Depending on your approval from HRS and whether you are also eligible for FMLA leave entitlement, you will have an additional type of time off added to your absence type options. HRS will provide guidance to you and your manager with your approval notice.
- 9Q: My spouse gave birth last October and I took a couple of weeks off at that time but I wasn't eligible for FMLA then. Can I still get my week of paid parental leave now?
9A: Yes, as long as you are within 12 months of the date your child was born. Contact HRS at hrs-leaves@uni.edu for more information.
- 10Q: 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?
10A: No, we are not able to retroactively cover previously used leave or time off. 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.
- 11Q: 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?
11A: Yes, you are able to use the paid parental leave for bonding with your child as long as you still have an FMLA balance remaining before your child turns one year old.
- 12Q: I supervise an employee who had a newborn child and is currently off of work. How do I ensure they can use the paid parental leave?
12A: If your employee has an approved for paid parental leave, you are able to access the paid parental time off type in UNI Works and may submit the absence requests on their behalf.
- 13Q: 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?
13A: 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.
- 14Q: Can I still apply for catastrophic donations for the birth of my child if I use the paid parental leave?
14A: 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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