The University of Washington provides leave for most academic personnel employees who are new parents — mothers and fathers, birth and non-birth parents — regardless of how long they have worked at the University.

Contact apleaves@uw.edu if you have any questions regarding leave for becoming a parent.

For the Birth Mother

For Parents Other Than the Birth Mother

Leave for becoming a parent is generally requested as one continuous block of time. Leave for academic personnel is a long-term period, during which a parent can take a leave of absence to bond with their child. With departmental approval, you may be able to work intermittently or request a modified work schedule.

Postpartum Recovery

If you are pregnant or are the birth mother, you are eligible for maternity-related disability leave for prenatal and postpartum medical needs, including postpartum recovery.

Parental Leave

Who is eligible: birth parent, non-birth parent, or adoptive/foster parent

The amount of leave time and/or paid time off you may take to bond with your newborn or newly placed adopted or foster child is determined by state and federal law, and applicable University policies or collective bargaining agreements.

You may take parental leave any time during the 12 months following your child’s birth, adoption, or placement.

When to Submit Leave Forms

There are two options for submitting the Maternity-Related Disability form for the birth or placement of a child.

If you choose to submit the paperwork before the child is born, your leave is based on the anticipated date of birth. After your child is born, you can adjust these dates by submitting information to academic HR. If your child is born within a week of the anticipated date, then email apleaves@uw.edu with the new date.

If the anticipated leave is a week before or after the baby is born, an updated healthcare provider-certified leave form will need to be submitted.

If you choose to submit the paperwork after the child is born, your leave will be based on the information submitted by your healthcare provider.

Length of Leave and Pay Options

For details about length of leave and paid leave eligibility, please refer to the applicable academic category:

Faculty

How long can I be on leave?

  • For maternity-related disability, including pregnancy, delivery and postpartum recovery: As prescribed by the healthcare provider (generally, 6-8 weeks). When this period ends, your parental leave begins.
    • Parental leave may be requested for up to 4 months and may be extended at the discretion of your unit
    • Eligible for PFML: 12-18 weeks, depending on circumstances; see the state’s Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) site for details
  • For non-medical parental leave: Leave without pay may be requested for up to one academic year at a time in 2 consecutive academic years

How do I get paid while on leave?

  • You may be eligible for faculty paid sick leave for pregnancy-related disability; or for recovery from childbirth as prescribed by a healthcare provider within 90 days of the birth of the child.
  • You may be eligible for PFML partial wage replacement while on authorized leave from the UW. UW employees apply for PFML directly from the state.

Librarians

How long can I be on leave?
For maternity-related disability, including pregnancy, delivery and postpartum recovery: As prescribed by the healthcare provider (generally, 6-8 weeks). When this period ends, your parental leave begins.
Parental leave (non-medical) may be requested for up to 4 months.

How do I get paid while on leave?

  • To continue your pay during parental leave, use any of the following types of paid time off:
    • Vacation
    • Personal holiday
    • Holiday credit
    • Compensatory time
    • Discretionary
    • Sick (up to 30 days of sick time off)
  • You may be eligible for PFML partial wage replacement while on authorized leave from the UW.
    • UW employees apply for PFML directly from the state.
    • Paid time off may be used as a supplemental benefit when receiving PFML benefits at the same time.

Other Academic Personnel

How long can I be on leave?

  • For maternity-related disability, including pregnancy, delivery and postpartum recovery: As prescribed by the healthcare provider (generally, 6-8 weeks). When this period ends, parental leave begins.
  • Parental leave (non-medical) may be requested as time off as allowed by the collective bargaining agreement where applicable.

How do I get paid while on leave?

  • You may be eligible for PFML partial wage replacement while on authorized leave from the UW. Apply for PFML directly from the state.
  • The following time off types can be used as a supplemental benefit when used during a PFML absence, if allowed under a collective bargaining agreement or benefit program (Note: Not every time off type may be available to every employee):
    • Sick time off
    • Vacation time off
    • Personal holiday time off
    • Holiday credit time off
    • Holiday taken time off
  • You may be eligible for PFML partial wage replacement while on authorized leave from the UW.
      • UW employees apply for PFML directly from the state.
      • Paid time off may be used as a supplemental benefit when receiving PFML benefits at the same time.