# 2026 Paid Leave Benchmark Report

Dive into industry benchmarks for paid leave policies through Cocoon's comprehensive analysis of 250+ venture-backed companies. Our data has detailed insights into parental leave, medical leave, and caregiver leave trends across company sizes and sectors. Updated March 2026.

## Leave Policies Find Their New Normal After Pandemic Growth

Parental leave policies have stabilized after their post-COVID bump, while companies are rounding out their offerings with medical and caregiver leave. The data shows that employers recognize supporting employees through all of life's biggest moments as essential to attracting and retaining talent.

### Overall Benchmarks 2025

| Leave Type                       | Median Leave  |
|----------------------------------|---------------|
| Paid Parental Leave (Birthing)  | 16 weeks      |
| Paid Parental Leave (Non-birthing)| 12 weeks     |
| Paid Medical Leave               | 6 weeks       |
| Paid Caregiver Leave             | 6 weeks       |

### Median Leave Policies Have Remained Flat After a Surge Following COVID

Our latest data shows leave policies holding steady since their post-pandemic expansion, reflecting their new status as a core benefit rather than a perk.

### Parental Leave

## 81% of Employers in Our Dataset Offer Paid Parental Leave

Because there’s [no national paid leave program](https://www.cocoon.com/push-for-paid-leave), employers are stepping up to fill the gaps for employees. The number of companies providing [paid parental leave continues to climb](https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/benefits-compensation/access-to-paid-family-leave-climbed-2023), and [access among employees is still low, but expanding](https://www.newamerica.org/better-life-lab/blog/bls-family-leave-2023/).

### Most Industries Offer Significantly More Leave for Birthing Parents

The gap between birthing and non-birthing leave is largest in Capital Markets, with a 10 week difference. **Paid leave for birthing parents is up 23%** since 2021, from 13 to 16 weeks. **Paid leave for non-birthing parents is up 22%** since 2021, from 9.8 to 12 weeks.

## Most Companies Prioritize Early Access to Paid Parental Leave

Over half (59%) of companies offer access to paid parental leave on day one of employment. Less than 1 in 10 companies (9%) require employees to wait more than a year.

### Mid-size Companies Offer the Highest Maximum Leave for Both Birthing and Non-birthing Parents

The maximum amount of leave varies significantly by company size, but there are generally a wider range of options for birthing parents. Employers who offer paid parental leave have a **median employee tenure that’s 20% longer** than employers who don’t offer paid leave.

## Few Companies Offer Less Than 6 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave

The most common birthing parent policy is 12 weeks, followed closely by 16 weeks.

## Medical Leave

## 42% of Employers in Our Dataset Offer Paid Medical Leave

Despite medical leave being the [top reason for FMLA leave](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/paid-family-medical-leave-numbers/), paid medical leave policies haven't kept pace with the expansion of parental benefits—leaving many employees to navigate health challenges without pay.

### Healthcare-related Industries Tend to Offer More Medical Leave

In addition, Construction and Engineering and Internet and Software Services all offer more than the overall median of six weeks. Though the median offering for medical leave lags behind parental leave, it has **increased by 76%** in the last two years, from 3.4 weeks to 6 weeks.

## The Majority Don't Have a Tenure Requirement for Medical Leave

3 out of 4 employers give their employees access to paid medical leave within 3 months of employment.

## Caregiver Leave

## 24% of Employers in Our Dataset Offer Paid Caregiver Leave

While our data shows caregiver leave offerings holding steady, the need has never been more pressing—especially for the [sandwich generation](https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2020/05/full-report-caregiving-in-the-united-states.doi.10.26419-2Fppi.00103.001.pdf) juggling kids, aging parents, and careers.

### Competitive Industries Are Leading the Way on Paid Caregiver Leave

Pharmaceuticals and Construction and Engineering offer paid caregiver leave policies well above the median of 6 weeks. Nearly one out of every four of the companies in our dataset offer paid caregiver leave to their employees, **up 15%** from last year's report.

## Offering Paid Leave May Cost Less Than You Think

### Paid Leave Pays Off

The data shows paid leave isn't just good for employees—it drives retention, productivity, and talent attraction. Smart companies are finding ways to build robust leave policies that work within their resources. If you're ready to level up your leave policies, we've got you covered.

Explore the current patchwork of [state leave laws](https://www.cocoon.com/tools/state-leave-laws) to see how a comprehensive employer policy can fill in the gaps.

Draft your own paid leave policies with our [parental](https://www.cocoon.com/tools/paid-parental-leave-policy-generator), [medical](https://www.cocoon.com/tools/paid-medical-leave-policy-generator), [caregiver](https://www.cocoon.com/tools/paid-caregiver-leave-policy-generator), and [personal](https://www.cocoon.com/tools/paid-personal-leave-policy-generator) leave generators.