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For a qualifying event on or after October 1, 2026, North Carolina state employees generally need a covered non-temporary appointment, 12 months of qualifying continuous service with no break longer than 31 days, and at least 1,040 hours in pay status during the 12 months before the event. Your agency’s Time and Leave Administrator can verify those records and tell you which documents and request form to submit. The event date matters: different benefit amounts applied before October 1, 2026.
Start with the qualifying-event date
The applicable benefit depends on when the qualifying event occurred. For events before October 1, 2026, the former benefit provided eligible birth parents who gave birth eight weeks and other eligible parents four weeks. For events on or after October 1, 2026, the current North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) policy provides eligible full-time employees up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of bonding leave; part-time leave is prorated. The new framework took effect October 1, 2026, under North Carolina Session Law 2026-40.
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For a current event, use OSHR’s Employee Leave Options Policy. If your event or leave request crosses the transition date, ask your agency which rules apply; do not assume the former benefit or paperwork still governs.
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1. Your appointment must be covered
The current OSHR policy covers full-time and part-time employees in probationary, career, permanent or non-permanent experiential, time-limited, or exempt appointments. Temporary employees are excluded. A time-limited appointment is not the same category as a temporary appointment under this policy.
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2. You need 12 months of qualifying continuous service
Look back 12 months from the qualifying event. The policy requires continuous qualifying service in a non-temporary appointment, with no break in service longer than 31 days. This does not necessarily mean you must have spent the entire period in your current job or agency: qualifying service may aggregate across a State agency, a public school unit that provides paid parental leave under the law, and a North Carolina community college. The policy also specifies circumstances, including workers’ compensation, short-term disability, and defined leave without pay, that do not necessarily break service.
Because transfers, breaks, and leave periods can affect the calculation, have HR apply the policy’s definitions to your employment history rather than counting only time since your latest hire date.
3. You need at least 1,040 hours in pay status
You must have at least 1,040 hours in pay status with the covered employers during the 12 months before the qualifying event. This is a separate test from the service requirement: elapsed time since hire alone does not establish the required hours. Whether you have exhausted Family and Medical Leave (FML) does not decide whether you qualify for paid parental leave (PPL).
Confirm that your event is covered
For bonding leave, the policy covers becoming a parent through birth, adoption, foster care, or another legal placement. It also provides four weeks (160 hours) of recovery leave for a birth parent after miscarriage or stillbirth after the 12th completed week of pregnancy, or following transfer of custody after birth. A miscarriage before 12 completed weeks is not a qualifying PPL event under the policy.
An eligible parent cannot use PPL before the qualifying event. If both parents are eligible state employees, each may qualify under the policy, subject to its conditions.
Know how much leave and what scheduling rules apply
For an eligible full-time employee, bonding leave is up to 12 weeks (480 hours), paid at 100% of regular straight-time weekly pay. Shift differential, premium pay, and overtime are excluded from that pay calculation. Part-time leave hours are prorated to the employee’s schedule relative to a 40-hour work week.
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PPL is available once within a 12-month period, and unused leave expires 12 months after the qualifying event. A later 12-week event within that same period may allow use of the balance left from an earlier four-week recovery event, subject to the policy’s terms. Leave may be continuous or intermittent; intermittent use requires agency approval. If you are eligible for FML when PPL starts, the leaves run concurrently.
The policy asks employees, whenever possible, to give written notice 10 weeks in advance and requires the agency to respond in writing within five business days. Rules on delaying leave or requiring intermittent use differ for birth parents and other employees, so consult the policy and agency administrator if timing or scheduling is disputed.
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Request leave and provide supporting records
- Contact your agency’s Time and Leave Administrator. Ask which appointment category applies, which employers and periods count toward service, whether a break exceeded 31 days under the policy, and your pay-status total for the 12 months before the event.
- Confirm the rule version and agency process. Identify which policy applies to your event date and ask for the current agency request form and submission instructions.
- Give written notice when possible. The current policy calls for notice 10 weeks before intended leave whenever possible. Follow your agency’s process and allow for its written response.
- Submit evidence of the event and your legal status. Depending on the event, examples include a birth certificate or report of birth, adoption order or proof of placement, foster placement agreement, custody order, or medical documentation for a specified recovery event. Ask which records apply to your case.
OSHR’s current policy is the source to follow for events on or after October 1, 2026. An older OSHR FAQ revised September 8, 2026 and an earlier request form may describe the former process; do not rely on them where they conflict with the current policy. OSHR has said implementation information may continue to be posted, so your agency administrator is the appropriate contact for agency-specific administration.
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