Calculators
FMLA Leave Cost Calculator
Estimate the employer cost of an employee's FMLA or extended leave: continued benefits, cover arrangements and any paid portion.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
The tool
Enter your numbers below. Results update as you type, and nothing leaves your browser.
Everything you enter stays on your own machine. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, which you can confirm in your browser network tab.
What people use it for
- Budgeting for leave
- Planning cover arrangements
- Explaining leave costs to managers
- Designing paid leave policies
About this tool
What the FMLA Leave Cost Calculator does
Under the US Family and Medical Leave Act, eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave, usually unpaid, while the employer maintains group health benefits. The employer’s cost comes from benefits, any paid leave the employer offers, and covering the work through temporary staff or overtime.
Formula
- Outlay = paid share × pay × weeks + benefits × weeks + cover × weeks
- Net cost = outlay − wages not paid
Worked example
Using the starting values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Employee weekly pay | $1,200 |
| Weeks of leave | 12 |
| Share of pay the employer continues | 0% |
| Weekly benefits cost continued | $250 |
| Weekly cost of cover (temp or overtime) | $1,400 |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Net cost to the employer | $5,400 |
| Total outlay during leave | $19,800 |
| Benefits continued | $3,000 |
| Cover for the work | $16,800 |
| Wages not paid during leave | $14,400 |
How to read the result
Planning cover early and cross-training team members reduce both the cost and the disruption of leave.
State paid family leave programmes may pay employees during leave and can interact with FMLA; check what applies.
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Questions
Questions about this tool
The things clients actually want to know — costs, timelines, ownership and what happens after launch.
FMLA itself provides unpaid, job-protected leave, though employees may use paid leave or state programmes.
Up to 12 workweeks in a 12-month period for qualifying reasons, or 26 weeks for military caregiver leave.
Yes, group health coverage must be maintained on the same terms during FMLA leave.
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