How parental leave works
Parental leave is two things. Most people only know about one.
Thing 1: Job protection, your right to come back
Job protection means your employer must hold your job, or an equivalent role, while you are on leave. It does not mean you get paid. The main federal law is FMLA, 12 weeks of job protection for eligible employees. Some states layer on additional weeks on top of that.
Job protection and pay are separate.
You can be fully job protected and still receive no income, or you can be getting paid with no legal right to return to your role.
Thing 2: Paid leave, income while you are away
Paid leave is the money that shows up while you are out. It can come from state disability insurance (SDI), state paid family leave (PFL), employer parental leave, and short term disability (STD). Each has its own start date, duration, and pay rate, and they can stack.
Most people receive pay from 2 to 3 different programs.
Each program has its own forms, deadlines, and rules. The confusing part is not any one program, it is how they overlap.
How they work together
In any given week of leave, you might be job protected but unpaid, paid but not job protected, both, or neither. The goal is to maximize weeks where you have both protection and income. That is exactly what Leavigation helps you map out.
✅ Protected + Paid
The ideal: your job is protected and money is coming in.
⚠️ Protected + Unpaid
Legally safe, but financially stressful, sometimes a planned gap.
⚠️ Paid + Unprotected
Income without legal protection, often when employer pay extends after laws run out.
❌ Unprotected + Unpaid
The real cliff: no legal protection and no income. Planning helps you avoid landing here by surprise.
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See every program available to you