Paid Parental Leave for Postdocs
Effective July 1, 2023, eligible Postdocs can receive up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave to care for their new biological, adopted, or foster children, or other legal placements of a child.
Eligibility
Postdocs who become a parent via childbirth, adoption, foster care or another legal placement are eligible for PPL if:
- The postdoc is in a leave earning appointment of at least 0.5 FTE in the previous 12 month period, and
- Continuously employed by NC State for the immediate 12 preceding months
Leave Amount
Paid Parental Leave (PPL) provides six (6) weeks of paid leave to be taken consecutively commencing immediately following the birth, adoption, foster care or another legal placement of a child.
Leave Requirements
- Each week of paid parental leave will be compensated at 100% of the postdoc’s regular, straight-time weekly pay.
- Leave for part-time post-docs will be awarded on a pro-rated basis corresponding to the percentage of hours they normally are scheduled to work.
- Postdocs must apply separately for the Family and Medical Leave (FML) through the Wolftime system in MyPack portal. Please refer to the University Human Resources FMLA website for more information.
- Instructions on how to apply for FML can be accessed here.
- Paid Parental Leave must run concurrent with Family & Medical Leave, if available.
- Paid Parental Leave must be applied to absences prior to the Postdoc using any available personal leave (vacation, bonus, sick, etc.), other accrued paid time off, or leave without pay.
- Paid Parental Leave cannot be used prior to the birth or legal placement of a child for related medical issues or placement-related legal or court appointments.
- If both parents work for the university, each is independently eligible to use Paid Parental Leave; the leave benefit is not combined for the parents for a qualifying event.
- Eligibility for Paid Parental Leave ends if a Postdoc transfers to an ineligible position/appointment or to a non-participating institution. Paid Parental Leave is not paid out upon separation from employment and cannot be donated to other employees or postdocs.
- Exception for Stillbirth: In the event of a stillbirth occurring twenty or more weeks into the pregnancy, a birth mother who is otherwise an eligible Postdoc shall be provided up to four weeks of Paid Parental Recuperation Leave commencing immediately following the stillbirth.
How to Request Paid Parental Leave:
Eligible Postdocs who would like to request paid parental leave should send an email to postdocadmin@ncsu.edu with the following information:
- Gather Information for Paid Parental Leave:
- Qualifying Event
- Effective date of qualifying event
- Anticipated Leave begin date and end date
- Required supporting documentation, if available at the time of request
Examples of Acceptable Supporting Documentation:
| Qualifying Event | Examples: Parental Leave Acceptable Supporting Documentation |
| Adoption | Adoption Order Proof of Placement |
| Birth | Birth Certificate or Report of Birth Certified DNA Results Custody Order |
| Foster Placement | Foster Care Placement Agreement Custody Order Proof of Placement |
| Other Legal Placements | Custody Order Proof of Placement |
What to expect after submission of Request: After you submit your request, you and your supervisor will receive a confirmation email from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) confirming that we have received your request for processing. The OPA Paid Parental Leave Coordinator will review eligibility and supporting documentation and will communicate directly with you regarding the status of your request.
All communications from the OPA Paid Parental Leave Coordinator will be sent from the postdocadmin@ncsu.edu email address. Should you have any questions about your Paid Parental Leave request, you may email them to postdocadmin@ncsu.edu.