12 Weeks of FMLA Leave With No State Program Leaves 100% of Income Unreplaced

“Job-protected” and “paid” are two completely different guarantees

We ran a $1,500/week income through a 12-week leave with no employer pay and no state program — the FMLA-only baseline most US workers actually face. The result: $0 of income replaced, an $18,000 gap over the leave. Add a state program like California’s (70% wage replacement, capped at $1,765/week) with no employer pay at all, and the gap shrinks to $5,400 — the state benefit alone replaces 70% of income. Stack 4 weeks of employer-paid leave on top of that same California benefit, and the gap shrinks further to $3,600, an 80% overall replacement rate.

How the math works

Employer-paid weeks come first, at 100% of normal wages. Any remaining weeks draw on the selected state program’s wage-replacement percentage, capped at that program’s maximum weekly benefit — a genuine cap that matters for higher earners, since the percentage alone would suggest a bigger benefit than the program actually pays out.

What this tool doesn’t model: short-term disability insurance (a separate, employer- or self-purchased benefit that can supplement or substitute for state programs), the specific eligibility requirements for FMLA itself (50+ employee threshold, 12 months/1,250 hours worked), or the growing number of states beyond CA/NY/NJ that have since added their own paid-leave programs — check your specific state’s current rules.

Math runs locally. Inputs never leave your browser. Source on github.

Where this doesn’t apply

• You’re not FMLA-eligible. FMLA only covers employees at companies with 50+ employees who’ve worked there at least 12 months and 1,250 hours — smaller employers have no federal leave-protection requirement at all.
• Your state has its own paid-leave program not modeled here. Several states beyond California, New York, and New Jersey have since added paid family leave programs with their own rates and caps — check your specific state.
• You have short-term disability insurance. A separate STD policy (employer-provided or privately purchased) can supplement or replace what’s modeled here, especially for the portion of leave related to physical recovery from childbirth.
• Your employer’s policy coordinates benefits differently. Some employers reduce their own paid leave by whatever the state program pays, rather than stacking cleanly as modeled here — read your specific policy.

What to actually do

1. Confirm your FMLA eligibility (employer size, tenure, hours worked) before assuming job protection applies at all.
2. Read your specific employer’s parental leave policy for the exact paid-weeks figure and how it coordinates with any state benefit.
3. Check your state’s current paid family leave program rules — rates and caps change, and more states have added programs over time.
4. If there’s a real gap, start building savings toward it well before the leave begins — see the Emergency Fund calculator for how big a buffer makes sense.
5. Ask HR specifically how short-term disability (if offered) interacts with parental leave, since the two are often confused but function differently.