What Is Maternity Leave?

Maternity Leave is a paid leave provided to a pregnant woman. These leave are entitled to women employees before and after childbirth, in India. These leaves are provided after they worked for a minimum of 80 days during the 12-month period preceding the delivery date. There are certain conditions under this leave policy.

As per the Maternity Leave Benefit Act 1961, women must get a paid leave of 12 weeks post-delivery of their child.

The Maternity Benefit Act is applicable to all organizations with 10 employees.
Women with a minimum of 2 children continue to be entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave otherwise it can be increased from 12 to 26 weeks.
A medical bonus of Rs. 3500 is given additionally to the 26 weeks of paid leave if anyone doesn’t want it & 12 weeks of paid leave for already a mother of two.
These leaves are going to be granted for 12 weeks for females adopting a child below 3 months.

Also, See: Earned Leave (EL) | Sick Leave (SL)