While the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and similar states laws provide employees with time off to care for a new child or sick family member, the leave is typically unpaid. (To learn more about unpaid family leave, see Taking Family and Medical Leave.) And although some employers voluntarily provide paid time off for parenting and caregiving, most do not.
To address this gap in family leave law, many states—including California, Rhode Island, Washington, New Jersey, and New York—now have laws that provide paid family leave for employees who need time off to care for sick or disabled family members or a new child. Payments are less than the employee's usual salary and come from a state insurance fund, not directly from employers.
Some states now provide paid family and medical leave.
California was the first state in the country to pass a paid family leave law.
Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees have the right to take time off to care for a family member with a serious health condition or to recuperate from their own serious health condition, among other things.
Question: My employer offers annual bonuses to employees who meet certain work goals.
Sidestep the lawyers with do-it-yourself books, documents, and software.
Online Form
Online Form
Nolo offers hundreds of consumer-friendly, do-it-yourself legal products for all types of legal situations. Browse our full product list.
Click below to view more legal issues. Our extensive collection of legal topics ranges across different areas of practice.
Our editors have over 100 years of combined experience practicing law. These professionals have worked in a wide range of legal areas, from estate planning to criminal law to business formation and beyond. They’re experts at explaining complicated legal issues in easy-to-understand terms.
Learn more about the team that manages Nolo’s articles, books, and DIY tools.
Find an experienced, local attorney in three easy steps. Our process is designed for ease and simplicity.
Briefly tell us about your case, and provide your contact information.
We find and instantly list attorneys that can best handle your case.
Choose the attorneys you would like to work with.
At Nolo, we prioritize quality and transparency because we know how important reliable legal information is to our readers. Our information is meticulously researched, regularly updated, and written in plain English by our experienced writers and editors. Learn more about our editorial standards.
Grow your firm with Martindale-Nolo, the largest legal network, and learn more about our attorney lead-generation and marketing services.
At Nolo, we prioritize quality and transparency because we know how important reliable legal information is to our readers. Our information is meticulously researched, regularly updated, and written in plain English by our experienced writers and editors. Learn more about our editorial standards.