# Parental leave length

**How long should parental leave be?**

How much time off you will each take around the birth or adoption, from a few weeks up to leaving work. Rules and pay differ a lot by country, state and employer.

In short: Parents choose between 5 main approaches: Weeks; About 6 months; 12 months; 18 months; Leave the workforce. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: during pregnancy.

- Area: Roles, work and the couple
- Evidence: Your call
- Best settled: During pregnancy
- First published: 2026-10-03
- Last updated: 2026-10-05
- Page: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/topics/roles-work-and-the-couple--parental-leave-length

## Parental leave length: what are the options?

1. **Weeks**: You take only a few weeks off.
2. **About 6 months**: You take around half a year.
3. **12 months**: You take a full year.
4. **18 months**: You take a year and a half, usually at lower pay.
5. **Leave the workforce**: One of you stops working for the foreseeable future.

## Parental leave length: what does the evidence say?

**Your call.** No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.

Canada: up to 15 weeks of maternity benefits for the birthing parent, then either standard parental benefits (up to 40 weeks shared, no more than 35 per parent, 55% of earnings up to $729 a week) or extended (up to 69 weeks shared, no more than 61 per parent, 33% up to $437 a week); the choice cannot be changed once payments start, and the weeks must be used within 52 or 78 weeks of the birth. US: 12 weeks unpaid federal leave for eligible workers at employers with 50 or more staff; 13 states plus DC have mandatory paid family leave programs, some starting only in 2026, and another ten states offer voluntary coverage

Sources:

- [Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html)
- [NCSL](https://www.ncsl.org/labor-and-employment/state-family-and-medical-leave-laws)

## What else is worth knowing?

Leave rules differ widely by country, state and employer, and some choices cannot be changed once made. Longer leave gives more time with the baby and usually costs income and sometimes career momentum. Decide with the actual figures for your situation in front of you.

## Questions to ask each other

- How much time can each of us realistically take, and what would we like if money were no issue?
- What would we be giving up if we took the shortest or the longest option?
- How will we handle it if the time we planned turns out to be too short?

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General information, not medical advice. Two parents can each answer this and compare: https://www.raisingyourchild.com/explore?cat=roles-work-and-the-couple&topic=roles-work-and-the-couple--parental-leave-length