Your Guide to Employer Assistance

The average person may be familiar with the concept of maternity or paternity leave for employees who have recently given birth to/fathered a child to help deal with the physical stress of the pregnancy and the demands of an infant. Usually, the new parent will get several weeks to several months off from work to accommodate their incoming family member.

Just the same, especially for adoptive parents who choose infant adoption, adoption assistance may be available in the form of adoption leave. Moreover, for a number of people, this will take the form of adoption financial assistance, as employers will offer paid adoption leave as part of their benefits.

Adoption assistance through employment might seem at first glance to be reserved only for small-scale, community-oriented businesses. On the contrary, though, in terms of benefits like adoption leave, adoption assistance is actually mandated by Federal law. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 states that employers with 50 or more employees must offer those eligible who apply at least 12 weeks of unpaid maternity, paternity or adoption leave in the event of a live birth or adoption from foster care.

For help following an adoption, financial assistance may also be available from employers in the form of a lump sum or fixed schedule. Whatever the case, monies will only be awarded to parties that qualify. A company might require, for instance, that their employee work with them for a certain minimum amount of time or that they work full-time to receive benefits of aid for adoption.

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