There are few moments in life more sweet than when you bring home a new little bundle of joy – whether birthed or adopted. Children are a blessing, but the smaller they are the more work they require!
Having paid time off from work to focus on caring for and bonding with your new baby is a great benefit that, unfortunately, is not available to every employee. And until this year, Alabama state employees and teachers didn’t have it either.
Thankfully, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey just signed Senate Bill 199 into law, effective July 1, 2025, giving all state and public school employees paid parental time off for births, adoptions, and even pregnancy loss (miscarriage or stillbirth). The bill is entitled “The Alabama K-12 Public School and State Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2025.”
This is great news for new adoptive parents of little ones! Here’s what the new paid parental leave law specifically provides for adoptive parents:
-
8 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave: state employees and teachers shall be entitled to eight (8) weeks of parental leave “in connection with the placement of a child with the eligible employee for adoption.” This leave is a benefit additional to and different from annual and sick leave.
-
For Adoptive Placements July 1, 2025 or After: the parental leave is available for adoption placements on July 1 or later of this year (2025)
-
For Adopted Children 3 and Under: parental leave is only available if the adoptive child is three years of age or younger at the time that he or she is placed with the eligible employee.
For natural births (or pregnancy losses), mothers get 8 weeks and fathers get 2 weeks of parental leave.
Mirroring that difference, the Paid Parental Leave Act gives paid parental leave to two parents who are both eligible employees – but only one gets the full 8 weeks; the other parent gets 2 weeks.
State agencies will be issuing more specific policies for taking (and coming back from) paid parental leave in the coming months, so if you are a state employee or teacher, be sure to check with your employer.
For any questions about paid parental leave or other benefits and tax credits that help adoptive families, please give The Adoption Law Firm a call today and speak with one of our attorneys.
~ Ben DuPré, Esq.
Writing a Letter of Reference for an Adoption
