Parental leave

MIT provides Maternity Leave for birth mothers, as well as Paid Parental Leave and Bonding Leave for all new parents. Leaves for employees giving birth fall under MIT’s sick leave policies. These leaves include time that an employee cannot work due to pregnancy, prenatal care, child birth, and recovery from childbirth. For a birth mother, MIT generally assumes a period of inability to work for eight weeks for childbirth and recovery and refers to this portion of leave as “maternity leave”; maternity leave may be longer than eight weeks if supported by appropriate medical documentation.

Benefits-eligible new parents are generally eligible for MIT’s Paid Parental Leave (paid at 100% of their regular pay) and Bonding Leave (paid at the State Formula Rate). Non-benefits eligible new parents working in Massachusetts are also eligible for Bonding Leave, paid at the State Formula Rate.  

• Parental and Bonding Leave for new parents (Section 4.4.1) – up to a total of 12 weeks

  • For benefits-eligible staff, up to 20 days (4 weeks) of the 12 weeks may be paid under MIT’s Paid Parental Leave policy; up to 8 additional weeks may be paid as  Bonding Leave

  • For non-benefits eligible staff working in Massachusetts, up to 12 weeks of leave may be paid as  Bonding Leave 

Information on maternity leave benefits can be found here and information on parental (family) leave benefits can be found here.

Please be aware that you need to  enroll, cancel, or make changes to your MIT health insurance, Dependent Care FSA, or MIT Health Care FSA within 31 days of your return from a parental leave or during Open Enrollment.

A MIT resource for parenting children of all ages is available here.