Beginning January 1, 2026, New Hampshire employers with 20 employees or more must allow employees to take unpaid leave from work up to a total of 25 hours to attend the employee’s own medical appointments for childbirth, postpartum care, or the employee’s child’s pediatric medical appointments within the first year of the child’s birth or adoption.
In the case where both parents of a child are employees of the same employer, the parents collectively may take unpaid leave for a total of 25 hours in their child’s first year.
Employees are permitted to substitute any accrued vacation time or other appropriate paid leave for any leave taken for the above reasons. Additionally, when the employee returns from their own or their child’s health appointments, that employee’s original job must be made available to the employee.
Employees are required to provide reasonable notice prior to the leave and make a reasonable effort to schedule the leave so as not to unduly disrupt the operations of the employer. An employer may ask for documentation from the employee to ensure the time is being used for its intended purpose.
You can access the enacted bill here (see Section 479).