Eligibility
What Qualifies for Parental Leave
Parental leave may be taken in the following events:
- Birth
- Adoption, foster placement with the goal of adoption, and guardianship placement for a child under the age of 18
- Stillbirth
- Surrogacy
- Miscarriage
Employees Who Qualify for Parental Leave
To be eligible for parental leave, parents must meet both of the following criteria:
- Your university job is eligible for full benefits.
- You have worked in a full-benefits-eligible university job for at least 12 continuous months before the event.
NOTE: Eligibility for parental leave requires 12 months of service before the event; becoming eligible afterward doesn't qualify. Academic-year (9-month) employees can count summer months; some prior university service may also count. Contact HR Leaves Administration for questions.
If You Are Not Eligible for Parental Leave
You may have other leave options. If you are pregnant, gave birth or need time away from work because of pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition, you may qualify for unpaid leave under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). If you live or work outside Arizona, you may also have leave rights under that state's laws.
Contact HR Leaves Administration so we can review your options.
Parental Leave Benefits
If you are eligible, you may have up to 24 workweeks of parental leave for birth, adoption, foster placement, guardianship placement, surrogacy or stillbirth. You do not have to use all 24 weeks.
If you or your partner/spouse experiences a miscarriage (a pregnancy loss before 20 weeks of pregnancy), you may receive 2 workweeks of paid parental leave.
Up to 12 workweeks of paid parental leave
While you are using paid parental leave:
- You receive your regular pay.
- You continue to earn vacation and sick time.
- Your benefits continue.
- You continue to receive service credit and university retirement contributions.
Up to 12 workweeks of unpaid parental leave
You may take up to 12 additional workweeks of unpaid parental leave.
If you have earned sick, vacation or compensatory time, you must use that time during your unpaid parental leave. You may use your earned time in any order.
While you are using paid time, you will continue to earn vacation and sick time and receive university retirement contributions, as applicable.
Once your paid time is exhausted and you move into an unpaid status:
- You will not earn vacation or sick time.
- You will be responsible for your employee share of benefit costs.
- You may receive a bill for your benefit premiums.
- You will not receive university retirement contributions.
Using Parental Leave
If you are eligible for Family and Medical Leave (FML), FML and parental leave will be used at the same time when both apply. Parental leave does not give you extra FML time. Other federal or state leave may also be used at the same time as parental leave, when applicable. HR Leaves Administration will coordinate applicable leave programs as part of your leave request.
When you can request to start parental leave
- You may ask to start parental leave up to 2 workweeks before the expected event.
- It must be used within the 12-month period that begins on the first day you use parental leave, or the date of the event, whichever happens first.
- Parental leave is normally taken as one continuous period.
- If you want to take it intermittently (a few days at a time) or work a reduced schedule, your supervisor must approve the proposed schedule.
How often you can request parental leave
In most cases, parental leave is available once during a 12-month period*.
- The 12-month period begins on the first day of approved parental leave or the date of the event, whichever happens first.
- Parental leave may only be used once for the same child.
- If more than one child is born, adopted, or placed at the same time, the amount of parental leave does not increase.
*This rule does not apply to 2-week miscarriage leave.
How to Request Parental Leave
Please submit your request at least 60 days before you expect your leave to begin.
We know some events cannot be planned 60 days ahead. For example, a baby may arrive early or a foster placement may happen with little notice. If you cannot give 60 days' notice, submit your request as soon as you can.
Step 1: Start your leave request
Complete the Leave of Absence Request Form in UAccess to start your leave request. The online request allows you to enter up to 12 weeks of leave.
After you submit your request, a Leave Specialist will contact you and provide the Parental Leave Form needed to request your full parental leave benefit, if eligible. To learn more about the process before you begin, review the Leave of Absence Process webpage.
Step 2: Complete the Parental Leave form
Your Leave Specialist will provide you with the Parental Leave Form. Complete and sign the form, then return it to your Leave Specialist.
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Returning to Work
After your parental leave ends, you must return to university employment for at least 30 calendar days. If you do not return to university employment for at least 30 calendar days after your parental leave ends, repayment requirements may apply under university policy and applicable law.
If you are concerned that you may not be able to meet the 30-day return requirement, contact HR Leaves Administration to discuss your situation.
Policies
Frequently Asked Questions
Academic-year appointees are eligible to receive parental leave. The summer months do not count toward the parental leave allotment.
If you are in paid status, you will receive eligible university holidays and paid winter closure days during your parental leave. Payroll automatically adds these paid days to your time record.
Holidays and winter closure days do not reduce your parental leave allotment.
Your parental leave approval email will tell you which time codes to use for the remaining days of your leave.
Graduate assistants and associates have a separate parental leave policy through the Graduate College. Visit the Graduate Assistants/Associates Leave Policy page.
If you move directly from a graduate assistant or associate position into a full-benefits-eligible position, your continuous employment as a graduate assistant or associate counts toward the 12-month requirement.
In addition to parental leave, tenure-eligible or continuing-eligible faculty may request a promotion clock delay.
You may begin parental leave after the child is placed in your physical custody and the adoption process has started. You will not receive a second parental leave period when the adoption is finalized.