i just found out through my job that i can have 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave can they do that? whet are?

Question

my options? i need money during that time.

Answer 1

They can pretty much do whatever they want - it's not a law that employers have to provide paid maternity leave. The last company I worked for didn't provide ANY leave, paid or unpaid. If you wanted to take off for a baby you had to go through FMLA. Maybe you could try that?

Answer 2

I work at an office that offers unpaid maternity leave as well, and since I read all the information offered to me, I was well aware that money would be tight, even with my fiancee working full time. We planned ahead and started an Orange Savings account. It is not illegal for companies to have unpaid maternity leave. Just count your blessings that you can still keep your job, if you decide to do so. The 12 weeks do not mean that you have to take the whole 12 weeks off (I only get 8 weeks) and there are always little jobs you can find to do on the side if you're short on money. Try selling stuff on Ebay or looking for temporary job agencies. You could also do piece work (putting together little items such as fake jewelry or ornaments) that pay very little, but it's still better than nothing. Good luck with everything!

Answer 3

Sort of. People are guaranteed 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family medical reasons if they've worked at a business at least a year. This doesn't necessarily include pregnancy, but most employers are going to give you 12 weeks. Some employers give more time off. This is one reason women who are financially better off and have husbands who make more money tend to simply leave the workforce for a while. If a company offers paid leave, they're going above and beyond what's required. On this note, men typically don't even get a week off work for their child's birth.

Answer 4

It is under the Family Medical Leave Act, you can take up to 12 weeks but you aren't required to take that long. Most companies do not offer paid maternity leave but if you have short term disability insurance then you will can make a claim on that and you will receive benefits for a period of time (usually 6wks with natural birth and 8 wks with c-section)

Answer 5

Unfortunately, companies are not required to provide leave with pay. They are just saying that your job will still be there for you when you get back. It really sucks compared to other countries where people get YEARS of paid maternity leave. I don't think that you have any options other than to try to save up some money between now and then.

Answer 6

In th US you are guerenteed 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. That means you do not get paid for your time off. I'm currently on maternity leave and it's hard but something that needs done. Funny in other countries like Germany and Switzerland new parents get a year of paid maternity leave. Just no fair

Answer 7

It all depends on your company if they have to pay you or not. The rules for my company were: If your company has 50 people who work within a 50 mile radius of each other, they are required to pay you 6 weeks of FMLA (Family Medical Leave) which includes the birth of a baby. FLMA does not start until 2 weeks after you go on maternity leave and when it does kick in they will only pay you about 60% of your regular pay.

You might want to check with your HR department for their legal obligations and then check with the state you live in to find out the FMLA laws.

Good luck and Congrats on the baby.

Answer 8

Its the Family Act leave, by law your entitled to it. Jersey gives you 6 weeks of paid leave also. Depending on your job because i ahve been at 2 different jobs for each of my 2 pregnancies BUT soem jobs let you take the 12 on TOP of the 6 equaling 18 weeks. But the job Im at now says the 12 weeks starts from the moment i leave. What i do is save my tax return for that. So when i deliver and the disability runs out we have back up, but with my first one I jsut saved and when I ran out of money i went back to work. take the 12 and if you wish to come back before stay in touch with your job and it shouldnt be a problem. Stay home as long as you can i cant afford it either but its worth it to save what you can and last aslong as you can at home. Talk to the human resource dept at your job to get EXACT details it gets very very confusing i was on the phone every day for the last 2 months pretty much with my HR dept for my 1st pregnancy because the exact time along with vacation and sick and personal days is ALL up to your job, so they are the best ones to discuss this with! GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATS!!

Answer 9

How how lucky am I? I live in Canada and we get a year off. Paid through EI as long as you have 600 hours in you can take the full year off I get 55% of my wages, I'm a City employee so I get topped off to 85% of my wages for the first 6 months. Did not realize how lucky we are...rumor has it that our Mat leave is going up from a year off to 18 months to help with day care spaces.

Answer 10

I always thought that the first 6 weeks were paid for because you would have a medical leave of absence. Ask your boss about what happens if the Dr takes you out of work.