Maternity/Parental Leave

Maternity/Parental Leave

Benefits-eligible postdoctoral fellows (employee and stipendee postdocs) are eligible for maternity and parental leaves (as detailed below) for birth or adoptive parents. If planning to take Maternity/Parental Leave, talk with your PI and make an appointment with Sarine Der Kaloustian, Associate Director, who will help you complete the FAS MA Paid Family Medical Leave Form and guide you through the next steps.

Maternity Leave

Harvard offers up to 20 weeks of leave in connection to childbirth and recovery for birth mothers. Benefits-eligible postdocs may take eight weeks of paid leave under short-term disability, and 12 weeks of paid parental and bonding leave. Combined, the leaves may look like this: 

Parental/Bonding Leave

Parental/Bonding leave allows for up to 12 weeks of leave for benefits-eligible birth and non-birth parents (birth, adoptive, and foster). The first four weeks are covered under Parental Leave at 100% pay. An additional eight weeks of Bonding Leave is available at 80% pay.

Please note that while the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is only available for postdocs after 12 months of employment, the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) does cover postdocs with less than 12 months of employment.

A detailed overview of Maternity and Bonding Leave for employee and stipendee postdocs can be found on page three of the Benefits Summary for Postdoctoral Fellows.  Detailed information on how to apply for these leaves may be found in these policy summaries for Postdocs and Research Associates.