{
  "slug": "parental-leave-income-gap",
  "title": "Parental Leave Income Gap Calculator",
  "heading": "Maternity/Paternity Leave Income Gap Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/parental-leave-income-gap",
  "summary": "See the income shortfall during unpaid or partially paid leave.",
  "description": "Only about a quarter of US private-sector workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, and state paid leave programs (where they exist) usually replace 60-90% of wages up to a cap, not 100%. This calculator combines employer-paid leave weeks, state program weeks and replacement rate, and unpaid FMLA weeks into a single income gap over your total leave period, so you know exactly how much savings or a leave fund needs to cover before the baby arrives — not after the paychecks stop.",
  "formula": "Gap = normal weekly pay × total leave weeks − (employer-paid weeks × normal pay) − (state-paid weeks × normal pay × replacement rate).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=parental-leave-income-gap",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "weeklyPay",
      "label": "Normal weekly take-home pay",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1100,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "totalWeeks",
      "label": "Total weeks of leave planned",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 52
    },
    {
      "id": "employerPaidWeeks",
      "label": "Weeks fully paid by employer",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 52
    },
    {
      "id": "stateWeeks",
      "label": "Weeks covered by state paid leave",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": 52
    },
    {
      "id": "stateReplacement",
      "label": "State program wage replacement rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 70,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 100
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "gap",
      "label": "Total income gap to cover",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "normalTotal",
      "label": "Normal pay for the full leave",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "actualPay",
      "label": "Actual pay received during leave",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "unpaidWeeks",
      "label": "Fully unpaid weeks",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "statePay",
      "label": "Pay from state program",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Normal weekly take-home pay: 1100 $",
      "Total weeks of leave planned: 12",
      "Weeks fully paid by employer: 6",
      "Weeks covered by state paid leave: 6",
      "State program wage replacement rate: 70 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total income gap to cover: $1,980",
      "Normal pay for the full leave: $13,200",
      "Actual pay received during leave: $11,220",
      "Fully unpaid weeks: 0",
      "Pay from state program: $4,620"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter normal weekly take-home pay ($).",
      "Enter total weeks of leave planned.",
      "Enter weeks fully paid by employer.",
      "Enter weeks covered by state paid leave.",
      "Enter state program wage replacement rate (%).",
      "Read your total income gap to cover on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "weeklyPay": 650,
        "totalWeeks": 7,
        "employerPaidWeeks": 4,
        "stateWeeks": 4,
        "stateReplacement": 40
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "weeklyPay": 1100,
        "totalWeeks": 12,
        "employerPaidWeeks": 6,
        "stateWeeks": 6,
        "stateReplacement": 70
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "weeklyPay": 1750,
        "totalWeeks": 19,
        "employerPaidWeeks": 10,
        "stateWeeks": 10,
        "stateReplacement": 100
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Does FMLA guarantee pay during leave?",
      "a": "No. FMLA guarantees up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for eligible employees at companies with 50+ employees, but it does not require pay. Whether you're paid during that time depends entirely on employer policy or a state paid leave program layered on top."
    },
    {
      "q": "Which states have paid family leave programs?",
      "a": "As of 2024, California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Delaware, Maryland, and Minnesota (phasing in) have state paid family leave, typically funded through payroll deductions and replacing 60-90% of wages up to a weekly cap. Check your state's specific program for exact rates and caps."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I use PTO or short-term disability to cover the gap?",
      "a": "Short-term disability, if you have it, typically covers 6-8 weeks postpartum recovery (longer for a C-section) at 60-100% of pay and is separate from bonding leave. Stack disability first, then bonding leave, then PTO for any remaining gap, since disability often pays a higher rate than PTO stretched thin."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/birth-hospital-cost-estimate",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/family-grocery-budget"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Parental Leave Income Gap Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/parental-leave-income-gap)"
}