Paid Parental Leave
The University of New Mexico’s Paid Parental Leave program gives parents time and flexibility to bond with their new child(ren) and to foster work-life balance that is vital to families’ capacity to flourish.
Effective June 5, 2026, the Paid Parental Leave benefit has been expanded. See FAQs for more details.
Click here to submit your request for Paid Parental Leave
Eligibility
This benefit is available to regular full-time or part-time staff employees who work twenty (20) hours or more per week. The leave will run concurrently with the University’s Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Employees must be employed in a regular staff position at UNM for twelve months prior to the qualifying birth or adoption to be eligible for Paid Parental Leave.
For employees working less than full-time, approved Paid Parental Leave will be prorated at the current appointment percentage (FTE). Any unused leave at the end of the 12-month period will be forfeited. Paid Parental Leave will have no cash value and will not result in a payout benefit. The pay for the hours used from Paid Parental Leave will be based on the employee's regular base rate of pay.
Benefit
Eligible employees may receive eight (8) weeks (up to 320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave following a Qualifying Event, (birth or placement of child for adoption or foster care), and must be used within 12 months of the Qualifying Event. For more information, please see University Administrative Policy #3415, Section 3.8 Paid Parental Leave.
How to Apply
Staff members should give notice to their supervisor or department head and complete an electronic Request for Paid Parental Leave form at least 30 days before leave is expected to begin.
If you have applied for FMLA, the documentation provided will be used to verify eligibility, otherwise, the following will be required:
- Proof of a newborn child’s birth will be required when a staff member applies for Paid Parental Leave for the birth and care of a newborn child.
- An authorized placement document will be required when a staff member applies for Paid Parental Leave for adoption or foster care.
To validate an absence, appropriate documentation may be required at any time if requested by the supervisor, department head, Human Resources, or Payroll.
FAQs
Yes, you may be eligible for an additional 4 weeks (up to 160 hours) of Paid Parental Leave (PPL) if:
- You have been approved for Paid Parental Leave for a qualifying event (birth, adoption, or foster placement) that occurred on or after June 5, 2025, and
- You are currently in a benefits eligible position.
If you are eligible, you will receive an email notification confirming your eligibility. The additional leave will be automatically added to your PPL balance, and no action is required.
Please note that your total PPL hours are prorated based on your current Full-Time Equivalency (FTE).
When must the additional leave be used?
Your timeframe to use your additional PPL depends on the date of your qualifying event:
- Qualifying events between June 5, 2025 and December 31, 2025:
- You must use the additional leave by December 31, 2026. Any unused leave after this date will be forfeited.
- Qualifying events on or after January 1, 2026:
- You must use the additional leave within 12 months of your qualifying event date. Any unused leave after this period will be forfeited.
Additional Information
- Paid Parental Leave may be taken continuously or intermittently.
- Employees are expected to proactively work with their supervisor to plan and schedule leave in a way that supports both their needs and departmental operations.
- Paid Parental Leave will run concurrently with FMLA, if applicable.
Full-time and part-time benefits eligible staff members are eligible for the Paid Parental Leave benefit.
Yes, this paid parental leave is available to eligible employees who have been employed by the University in a regular benefits eligible position for twelve (12) continuous months prior to the Qualifying Event.
The purpose of Paid Parental Leave is to allow for bonding time following childbirth or initial placement of a child for adoption or foster care.
Paid Parental Leave must be taken within 12 months following a qualifying event, (birth or finalized adoption).
Paid Parental Leave can be taken all at once or intermittently.
A completed and electronic Request for Paid Parental Leave form should be submitted to Human Resources Absence Management at least 30 days prior to the start of the requested leave.
You will remain on regular benefits eligible status while on Paid Parental Leave.
You should communicate your plans to use Paid Parental Leave with your supervisor and department’s Org Manager. Once an employee’s Paid Parental Leave request is approved, the approved hours of leave based on FTE will be added to their Paid Parental Leave bank (just like an annual leave or sick leave bank). As Paid Parental Leave is used, hours are reported on bi-weekly timesheets for non-exempt employees and on monthly exception reports for exempt employees. Please contact Payroll for additional information on time entry.
If an official University holiday occurs during the eligible employee’s Paid Parental Leave, the eligible employee will receive holiday pay in lieu of Paid Parental Leave, provided the eligible employee is in paid status the day before and the day after the official University holiday.
Both you and your spouse will each be given 8 weeks (up to 320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave individually.
Paid Parental Leave will run concurrently with FMLA; therefore, it will not extend FMLA leave.
Paid Parental Leave may not be donated to other employees at UNM.
Adoptions of your spouse’s children are eligible for this benefit.
Yes. UNM-recognized Domestic Partners are eligible for the Paid Parental Leave benefit when a new child joins the household via birth, adoption, or foster care.
The new Earn Code is 175 and is called “PdPrntLv” within Banner
Yes:
- UAP 3410: Sick Leave, 9.1. Accrual Period, states “Sick leave is accrued only during time actually worked and during paid sick leave, annual leave, holidays, and paid leaves of absence. The exception to this is catastrophic leave during which an employee does not accrue sick leave.”
- UAP 3400: Annual Leave, 3. How Annual Leave is Earned, states “Eligible employees earn annual leave each pay period only during time actually worked and during any paid leave of absence authorized by University policy.”
You will receive a letter from the Human Resources Absence Management Team letting you know if your request was approved or denied. A copy of this letter will also be sent to your supervisor.
It is funded from the budgeted position, and the time is coded as Paid Parental Leave rather than regular hours worked.
For questions, please call the Human Resources Absence Management Team at 505-277-6947 or email absence@unm.edu.