18 of the best major companies in the US for maternity leave

"The US is the only developed, high-income nation that doesn't guarantee national paid parental leave, according to the BBC, although 14 states and Washington, DC, have enacted their own mandatory paid leave programs. Employers' policies can therefore make all the difference in how family planning and postpartum care look. For eligible workers, the Family and Medical Leave Act provides unpaid leave and job-protection guarantees, but it's up to employers to set their own paid policies."

"Amid economic uncertainty, some companies, such as Deloitte and Zoom, are scaling back leave benefits for some employees. Still, parental leave policies as a whole are trending in the other direction, according to Hillary Cookler, a researcher and doctoral candidate at UCLA Anderson who annually tracks the parental leave policies of the 500 largest US public companies by revenue. "The trend that I've broadly observed is that [paid parental leave] is expanding over time," Cookler told Business Insider."

""More firms are offering it, and they're also offering longer leave." In her most recent data from October 2025, she scored each company based on the transparency of its policy and the length of the primary parent's paid leave. Using this data, she compiled a list of companies that publicly disclose their paid parental leave policy and offer paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents. This data was then sorted by the length of paid leave for mothers and birthing parents."

"The specifics of companies' policies vary, with some stipulations depending on the caregiver, the parent's role, or the method of birth. The policies apply to full-time, eligible US employees. All listed companies offer 20 weeks or more of paid leave in total for birthing"

Deciding to have a child can depend on finances, medical expenses, lifestyle, and living situation. In the US, national paid parental leave is not guaranteed, though some states and Washington, DC have mandatory programs. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides unpaid, job-protected leave for eligible workers, while paid leave terms are set by employers. Some companies have reduced leave benefits for certain employees during economic uncertainty, including Deloitte and Zoom. Despite reductions in some cases, paid parental leave policies among large US public companies have generally expanded over time, with more firms offering paid leave and longer durations. A UCLA Anderson researcher tracks parental leave policies for the 500 largest public companies and ranks them by transparency and paid leave length, including separate consideration for birthing and non-birthing parents.

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