Caregiver burnout: straight answers

Can I take time off work to care for a parent?

October 19, 2026

Often, yes: the FMLA gives eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year to care for a parent with a serious health condition.

The Family and Medical Leave Act gives eligible employees “up to 12 workweeks of leave in a 12-month period.” One of the reasons it lists is “to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition.” The leave is “unpaid, job-protected leave.”

Who qualifies

The Department of Labor says an eligible employee must:

• “Work for a covered employer for at least 12 months,”
• “Have at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the 12 months before their FMLA leave starts,” and
• “Work at a location where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles.”

Covered employers include “private-sector employers who employ 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks” and public agencies “regardless of the number of employees.” For the FMLA, a parent is “a biological, adoptive, step or foster parent, or any other individual who stood in loco parentis.”

It doesn’t have to be all at once

“Eligible employees may use FMLA leave intermittently or on a reduced schedule when medically necessary.” That can mean leave in separate blocks, or a shorter workday, rather than weeks away at once.

Your state may offer more

The Department of Labor advises: “Check with your State Labor Department to determine if you have additional or greater protections under state law.” This page is general information, not legal advice; your employer’s HR team or the Department of Labor can tell you what applies to you.

More questions caregivers ask

• What is caregiver burnout?
• What is respite care?
• How do I ask family for help with caregiving?
• All the caregiver burnout questions

From Centis, a free care notebook you talk to. None of this is medical or legal advice.