FMLA Calculator
Updated August 2026 · Free · No sign-up
Check your FMLA eligibility and entitlement — the 12-month/1,250-hour tests, how much of your 12 weeks remains, and how intermittent leave gets counted.
Quick answer: FMLA provides 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per 12-month period if you: worked for the employer 12+ months, logged 1,250+ hours in the past 12 months, and work at a site with 50+ employees within 75 miles. Military caregiver leave extends to 26 weeks.
The Three Eligibility Tests
- 12 months of service — cumulative, not consecutive; separate stints within 7 years count.
- 1,250 hours in the preceding 12 months — actual worked hours (~24 hours/week average). PTO and leave hours do NOT count toward the 1,250.
- Covered worksite — private employers with 50+ employees within 75 miles; all public agencies and schools regardless of size.
What FMLA Covers
| Reason | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Your own serious health condition | 12 weeks |
| Birth/adoption/foster placement + bonding | 12 weeks (within 1 year of arrival) |
| Caring for spouse, child, or parent with serious condition | 12 weeks |
| Qualifying military exigencies | 12 weeks |
| Military caregiver leave | 26 weeks (once per injury/veteran) |
Worked Examples
Example 1 — the part-timer who qualifies. 26 hours/week × 50 working weeks = 1,300 hours: eligible. The 1,250 test catches many part-timers by surprise — in both directions.
Example 2 — intermittent leave accounting. Weekly dialysis of 4 hours against a 40-hour schedule uses 0.1 week per absence — 12 weeks stretches across 120 sessions. Intermittent FMLA is measured in your actual schedule's proportions, not calendar days.
Example 3 — the rolling window. Under the (most common) rolling-backward method, weeks used 11 months ago still count against you today but "come back" as they age past 12 months — your available balance changes month to month.
Unpaid — But Rarely Just Unpaid
FMLA itself pays nothing; it protects the job and requires continued group health coverage at active-employee rates. In practice leave runs concurrently with: accrued PTO or sick leave (employers may require using it), short-term disability, and — in a growing list of states — paid family leave programs (CA, NY, NJ, WA, MA, CO, OR, CT and more) that pay 60-90% wage replacement while FMLA protects the job. Stack them deliberately: the paid programs and FMLA run on separate clocks that employers can align or not.
Job Protection: What It Does and Does Not Mean
- Restoration: same or genuinely equivalent position — pay, benefits, shift, worksite.
- No retaliation: FMLA leave cannot count against attendance points, bonuses tied to attendance (with narrow exceptions), or promotion decisions — a Bradford Factor score that includes FMLA absences is a compliance problem.
- Limits: layoffs that would have happened anyway remain lawful; "key employees" (top 10% earners) can in narrow cases be denied restoration — with required advance notice.
- Notice duties run both ways: 30 days advance notice for foreseeable leave; employers owe eligibility/designation notices on their own 5-day clocks.
The 12-Month Period Methods
Employers choose one of four counting methods (calendar year, fixed leave year, first-use forward, rolling backward) and must apply it uniformly. Rolling backward prevents "stacking" 24 weeks across a year boundary and is the method behind most balance disputes — ask HR which method governs before planning around a balance this calculator estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for FMLA?
Employees with 12+ months of service AND 1,250+ hours worked in the past 12 months AND a worksite with 50+ employees within 75 miles (public agencies always covered).
Is FMLA paid?
No — FMLA is unpaid job protection with continued health coverage. It commonly runs alongside PTO, disability insurance, or state paid family leave programs that provide the money.
How does intermittent FMLA work?
The 12 weeks converts to your schedule's hours and depletes proportionally — 4 hours weekly against a 40-hour schedule uses 0.1 week per absence.
Can I be fired while on FMLA?
Not FOR taking it — restoration to the same or equivalent job is required. Layoffs that would have occurred regardless remain lawful; retaliation and attendance-point penalties are not.
Do part-time employees get FMLA?
Yes if they hit 1,250 hours in 12 months (~24 hrs/week) and meet the other tests — the hours test, not full-time status, decides.
What is the rolling 12-month period?
The most common method: your balance = 12 weeks minus leave taken in the immediately preceding 12 months, recalculated at each new absence.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: August 20, 2026