Paid Prenatal Leave is an amendment to Labor Law Section 196-b that provides employees with 20 hours of paid sick leave per year for prenatal care to be used for healthcare service appointments during their pregnancy or related to their pregnancy.
All employees are eligible for this benefit and it is separate from NYS Sick Leave and NYS Paid Family Leave. Paid Prenatal Leave may be used throughout a 52-week period until the 20 hours are exhausted. Spouses, partners, or other support persons cannot use Paid Prenatal Leave to attend prenatal appointments with a pregnant person. Paid Prenatal Leave may only be used by the employee directly receiving prenatal health care services.
Paid Prenatal Leave covers the following appointments:
- Physical examinations
- Medical procedures
- Monitoring and testing
- Discussions with a health care provider related to the pregnancy
- Fertility treatment
- End of pregnancy care appointments
Note: This benefit does not apply to post-natal or postpartum appointments.
Exempt and non-exempt employees must report and use this benefit in hourly increments. Any hours taken for this purpose must be reported on the monthly time off report for exempt employees and on timesheets for non-exempt employees.
For additional information, please view the Paid Prenatal Leave Fact Sheet or contact Human Resources.