Work out your maternity leave dates
This maternity leave calculator turns your due date into the three dates you need to tell your employer: when your leave starts, its last day, and when you are back at work. Choose the rules that apply to you — India’s 26 weeks under the Code on Social Security, 2020, the 180 days for central government employees, the 12 weeks of the US Family and Medical Leave Act, the UK’s 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave, or your employer’s own number of weeks — and how many weeks before the due date you plan to stop work. You can add earned leave, holidays or a state or employer scheme straight after.
It is information only, not legal advice. It shows dates from the rules as written on the date shown; your contract, your employer’s policy or local law may give you more, and your HR team has the final word on how your leave is counted.
How to use the Maternity Leave Calculator
- Choose the rules: India private sector, India central government, US FMLA or custom.
- Choose having a baby or adoption, and enter the due date or the date the child is handed over.
- For India, say how many surviving children you have; then enter how many weeks before the due date you plan to start.
- Add any extra leave you will take straight after, then read the return date and the table.
- Press Copy dates to paste them into your leave application or an email to HR.
Maternity Leave Calculator features
India: 26 or 12 weeks
26 weeks (182 days) with at most 8 before the expected delivery; 12 weeks with at most 6 before if you already have two or more surviving children.
Central government: 180 days
Rule 43 maternity leave, rule 43-B child adoption leave and the surrogacy rule from 2024.
US FMLA
12 workweeks, the 12-month deadline for bonding leave and a quick eligibility check.
Return-to-work date
With a warning when it falls on a weekend.
India: which law applies in 2026
From 21 November 2025 the Code on Social Security, 2020 replaced the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 — its Chapter VI now carries the maternity rules, and the 2017 amendment’s 26 weeks were kept. It applies to factories, mines and plantations, and to shops and establishments with ten or more employees. To qualify you must have actually worked at least 80 days for the employer in the 12 months before the expected delivery. The benefit is paid at your average daily wage, plus a ₹3,500 medical bonus if the employer gives no free pre- and post-natal care. You must not work for six weeks after the delivery, and after you return you get two nursing breaks a day until the child is 15 months old.
Adoptive and commissioning mothers get 12 weeks from the day the child is handed over. The Code limited this to a child below three months, but in March 2026 the Supreme Court (Hamsaanandini Nanduri v. Union of India) struck down that age limit. Miscarriage or medical termination gives 6 weeks’ paid leave and a tubectomy 2 weeks; illness arising from pregnancy or delivery can add up to a month.
India: central government employees
- Rule 43(1): 180 days of maternity leave from the day it starts, for a woman with fewer than two surviving children, on full pay.
- Rule 43(3): up to 45 days in your whole service for a miscarriage, including abortion, whatever the number of children.
- Rule 43(4): maternity leave can be combined with other leave, and up to two years of leave due can follow it.
- Rule 43(6), 2024: with surrogacy, both the surrogate and the commissioning mother can get 180 days. Rule 43-B: 180 days of child adoption leave for a child below one year.
United States: FMLA
The FMLA gives an eligible employee up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for the birth of a child and to bond with the newborn, or for an adoption or foster placement. You are eligible if you have worked for the employer for 12 months, for at least 1,250 hours in the past year, at a site with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Leave can start before the birth for prenatal care or if you cannot work, bonding leave must be used within 12 months of the birth, and spouses who work for the same employer may be limited to 12 weeks between them. Many states and employers add paid leave — enter it as extra weeks. Plan the birth itself with the due date calculator and the hospital bag checklist.
Maternity Leave Calculator FAQ
How many days is 26 weeks of maternity leave?
182 days. If you start 8 weeks before a due date of 1 March 2027, the leave runs from 4 January to 4 July 2027, and you are back on 5 July.
Can I start maternity leave earlier than 8 weeks before the due date in India?
Not as maternity benefit under the Code on Social Security — at most 8 weeks may come before the expected delivery date (6 weeks if you already have two or more surviving children). You may be able to take other leave first.
Is maternity leave 26 weeks for a third child?
No. Under the Code, a woman with two or more surviving children gets 12 weeks, of which at most 6 may be before the expected delivery date.
How is 180 days maternity leave calculated for government employees?
Rule 43 of the CCS (Leave) Rules gives 180 days counted from the day the leave starts, for women with fewer than two surviving children. The calculator adds 179 days to your start date for the last day.
Is FMLA maternity leave paid?
No, FMLA leave is unpaid, though your employer may let you or require you to use paid leave at the same time. Some states run paid family leave programmes.
How long is maternity leave in the UK?
Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks — 26 weeks ordinary and 26 weeks additional — and usually starts no earlier than 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. The first 2 weeks after the birth are compulsory (4 in a factory). For pay, use the SMP calculator.
What happens if my baby comes early or late?
The leave is around the actual birth, so the dates can move. Tell your employer as soon as you can and ask HR to recalculate.