Massachusetts maternity leave and paid family leave

DFML sets no standard number of weeks: your health care provider decides how much medical leave you need for pregnancy complications and recovery after childbirth (up to 20 weeks). DFML's examples include 6 weeks of prenatal bed rest plus 8 weeks of recovery, or 10 weeks of recovery after birth. You can then add up to 12 weeks of bonding, within a 26-week yearly cap. Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) pays up to 12 weeks to bond with your baby. The legal maximum for your own health condition is 20 weeks, and medical and family leave together are capped at 26 weeks a year.

80% of your individual average weekly wage up to half the state average weekly wage ($1,922.48 in 2026), plus 50% of the amount above that. Max $1,230.39/week for benefit years starting in 2026 (64% of the state average); $1,284.61 in 2027. Your rate is set for your whole 52-week benefit year. The weekly maximum in 2026 is $1,230, a ceiling rather than a typical benefit.

Yes, the PFML law itself protects your job. When you return, your employer must restore you to the same or an equivalent position with the same status, pay, benefits, length-of-service credit and seniority, and must keep your health insurance during leave. The law has no tenure or employer-size test for covered employees. Exceptions: layoffs of comparable coworkers, or a term or project job that ended. Any negative change during leave or within 6 months after is presumed retaliation. This applies even if your employer uses a private plan. The Massachusetts Parental Leave Act may also apply.

Most Massachusetts employees are covered. You must have earned at least the DUA minimum ($6,300 currently) in the last 4 completed calendar quarters, and at least 30 times your weekly benefit amount. Self-employed people can opt in through MassTaxConnect, for at least 3 years. Municipal employees are covered only if their employer opts in. If your employer has an approved private plan, you apply through that plan instead of DFML.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for a birth and to care for the newborn, or for their own serious health condition, including pregnancy complications and recovery from childbirth. Health coverage continues during leave, and you return to the same or an equivalent job.