Paid leave · Arkansas
Arkansas paid family leave: what new parents get (2026)
Arkansas does not run a paid family leave program, so bonding time with a new baby is unpaid unless your employer pays. Federal FMLA is the main protection: up to 12 unpaid, job-protected weeks if you qualify. At Arkansas's median household income, 12 unpaid weeks add up to about $14,332 of income.
Your options in Arkansas
| State paid family leave | None in Arkansas. 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 an Arkansas 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 | No Arkansas law found that gives private-sector workers job-protected leave for a birth or adoption beyond FMLA (searched the state code and labor department, October 2026). |
| State paid sick leave | No statewide paid sick leave law for private employers in Arkansas. |
| Disability pay for the birth | No state disability program in Arkansas. 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 | Act 84 of 2023 (Ark. Code 23-62-112) 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 Arkansas
The median household in Arkansas earned $62,106 in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 1-year, table B19013), so 12 weeks without that income is about $14,332. Your own loss depends on your pay and whether a partner keeps working. After leave, a full-time infant spot at an Arkansas child care center averaged $9,178 a year: child care costs in Arkansas. Put your own pay into the baby budget calculator for Arkansas 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 Arkansas: postpartum Medicaid coverage in Arkansas and the WIC income limits for pregnancy and the first year.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor (FMLA).
Last verified October 6, 2026 against official sources: U.S. Department of Labor (FMLA).
Cite this page: This Mom, “Arkansas Paid Family Leave (2026)”, thismom.com/paid-family-leave/arkansas/ (updated ). Data free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to the page.