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
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.
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.
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:
To validate an absence, appropriate documentation may be required at any time if requested by the supervisor, department head, Human Resources, or Payroll.
