Who is eligible for FMLA leave?

Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, an employee is eligible if they have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months, have logged at least 1,250 hours of service in the 12 months before the leave begins, and work at a site where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles. All three conditions must be met.

How much FMLA leave can I take?

Eligible employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for qualifying reasons (or 26 weeks for military caregiver leave). For a full-time 40-hour schedule, 12 weeks equals 480 hours, which is how intermittent FMLA leave is often tracked.

What is the leave-year method?

Employers must choose how the 12-month FMLA period is measured: the calendar year, a fixed 12-month period (such as a fiscal year or anniversary year), a 12-month period measured forward from first use, or a rolling 12-month period measured backward from each leave date. The rolling-backward method prevents stacking two full entitlements back-to-back.

Do the 12 months of employment have to be consecutive?

No. The 12 months of employment do not need to be continuous; employment within the prior seven years generally counts (with limited exceptions). However, the 1,250 hours of service must be actual hours worked in the 12 months immediately before the leave starts — paid leave and unpaid time off do not count toward the 1,250.

Is this calculator legal advice?

No. This tool estimates eligibility and entitlement under the federal FMLA rules for general guidance only. State family-leave laws, collective bargaining agreements, and specific facts can change the outcome. Confirm any leave decision with your HR department or an employment attorney.

US FMLA Leave Eligibility Calculator

US FMLA leave at a glance

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for qualifying family and medical reasons. Eligibility hinges on three independent gates, and the entitlement is commonly tracked in hours (480 for a full-time schedule) so that intermittent and reduced-schedule leave can be deducted precisely.

How it works

The calculator evaluates the three statutory eligibility gates and then derives the entitlement:

Gate 1 — Tenure:   months employed (hire → leave start) >= 12
Gate 2 — Hours:    hours worked in prior 12 months      >= 1,250
Gate 3 — Size:     employees within 75 miles            >= 50
Eligible = Gate 1 AND Gate 2 AND Gate 3

Entitlement (if eligible):
  weeks = 12
  hours = weeks * weekly schedule        (40h/week → 480 hours)

The leave-year method selector explains how the 12-month window is measured: calendar year, fixed year, forward from first use, or the rolling-backward method (the only one that blocks two full back-to-back entitlements). The method does not change the 12-week cap — it changes when the clock resets.

Tips and example

A worker hired on 2024-01-15 who starts leave on 2026-06-01 has been employed about 28 months (Gate 1 pass) and, if they logged 1,400 hours in the prior year at a 50-person worksite, passes all three gates — entitled to 12 weeks / 480 hours. Remember that only actual hours worked count toward the 1,250; paid vacation and sick time are excluded. For military caregiver leave the cap rises to 26 weeks, which is outside this calculator’s standard 12-week computation.