Paid leave · Louisiana
Louisiana paid family leave: what new parents get (2026)
Louisiana does not run a paid family leave program, so bonding time with a new baby is unpaid unless your employer pays. Employers with more than 25 workers must give 6 weeks for a normal birth, up to 4 months if you are disabled longer.
Your options in Louisiana
| State paid family leave | None in Louisiana. Thirteen states and DC have programs (U.S. Department of Labor); see the state list. |
|---|---|
| Federal FMLA | Up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected, with health insurance kept, for a Louisiana worker whose employer has 50+ employees within 75 miles, after 12 months and 1,250 hours there. U.S. Department of Labor |
| State leave law | Louisiana pregnancy and childbirth leave (La. R.S. 23:341-342): employers with more than 25 employees in Louisiana; 6 weeks for a normal pregnancy and birth, or the time you are disabled, up to 4 months; unpaid unless the employer pays other disabled workers. Covers pregnancy and birth (not bonding or adoption). Official text |
| State paid sick leave | No statewide paid sick leave law for private employers in Louisiana. |
| Disability pay for the birth | No state disability program in Louisiana. Short-term disability insurance pays during birth recovery only if your employer offers it or you bought a policy before the pregnancy; check your benefits. |
| Paid leave insurance | Paid Family Leave Insurance Act (HB 591 of 2026, Act No. 817) lets insurers sell paid family leave insurance that employers can buy for their workers; ask HR whether yours has a policy. Official source |
| Tax help | 2026 Child Tax Credit of $2,200 per child, the dependent care FSA and the care credit: baby tax benefits for 2026. |
What unpaid leave costs in Louisiana
The median household in Louisiana earned $60,986 in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 1-year, table B19013), so 12 weeks without that income is about $14,074. Your own loss depends on your pay and whether a partner keeps working. After leave, a full-time infant spot at a Louisiana child care center averaged $10,847 a year: child care costs in Louisiana. Put your own pay into the baby budget calculator for Louisiana to see the full first year.
Birth-parent totals in the states that do pay are on paid maternity leave by state.
Other help in Louisiana: postpartum Medicaid coverage in Louisiana and the WIC income limits for pregnancy and the first year.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor (FMLA), state law.
Last verified October 6, 2026 against official sources: U.S. Department of Labor (FMLA), state law.
Cite this page: This Mom, “Louisiana Paid Family Leave (2026)”, thismom.com/paid-family-leave/louisiana/ (updated ). Data free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to the page.