Target maternity leave: how it works
Plain answers for Target team members who are expecting. Target's own terms are in Target Pay & Benefits and the letters its leave team sends; this page shows how the parts fit together.
Does Target offer maternity leave?
Yes. Target's public pay and benefits fact sheet says that when eligible team members welcome a new child, by birth, adoption, surrogacy or foster placement, they receive paid family leave "on top of the medical leave they receive following birth."
Who is eligible depends on your job. Target's careers benefits page says eligibility "may vary based on position, average hours worked, length of service and program requirements." The terms that apply to you are in Target Pay & Benefits.
How long is Target maternity leave, and is it paid?
That depends on which parts you qualify for. A maternity leave at Target can combine medical leave while you recover from the birth, paid family leave to welcome the baby, and job protection under the FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) if you're eligible.
Each part runs on its own rules. How long each one lasts and what it pays are in Target Pay & Benefits, and the letters from the Target Leave and Disability Team show how your own leave is set up, with its dates.
FMLA leave itself is unpaid, and paid leave can run alongside it. If you're covered by a short-term disability plan, that pay is a separate decision under the plan. The short-term disability for pregnancy guide explains how a plan treats pregnancy.
One birth, separate parts
Medical leave
Recovery from the birth. A provider's form may be needed.
Paid family leave
Time to welcome your child. Set by Target's plan.
FMLA
Job protection, if you're eligible. Unpaid on its own.
Pregnancy leave or parental leave: which part is which?
The medical part is time you can't work because of the pregnancy or the birth, including recovery. Because it rests on your health, the leave team can ask for a form completed by a health care provider. The form may carry the Alight name, as the Target leave of absence guide explains.
The parental part is time to bond with your child. It's based on the birth, not on a health condition. Under the FMLA, an employer may not ask for a medical certification for leave to bond with a newborn; it may ask for reasonable proof of the family relationship.
To start the leave itself, follow the steps in the Target leave of absence guide.
Which part needs a provider's form?
Pregnancy and recovery
- Rests on your health
- A provider's form can be asked for
Bonding with your baby
- Rests on the birth
- No medical form under the FMLA
Has the Target Leave and Disability Team sent a form for your provider? Upload it with your Certicare intake: $49, usually within 24 hours after we have everything needed.
Does FMLA cover maternity leave at Target?
It can. FMLA is a federal law, not a Target program. Where it applies, both parents are entitled to FMLA leave for the birth of their child, and leave to bond with the baby ends 12 months after the birth. If both parents work for Target and both are eligible, their FMLA leave for the birth and bonding may be limited to a combined 12 workweeks.
The expectant mother is entitled to FMLA leave for incapacity due to pregnancy, for prenatal care, or for her own serious health condition after the birth. A spouse is entitled to it if needed to care for a pregnant spouse who is incapacitated.
FMLA eligibility has three tests: 50 or more employees within 75 miles of your worksite, 12 months with the employer, and 1,250 hours in the preceding 12 months. Meeting them is necessary, not sufficient, and your employer designates the leave. Whether your job is protected while you're out depends on which law applies; the Target leave of absence guide covers that.
Certicare is not affiliated with Target or Alight. Target makes the final decision on leave and accommodation requests. This page is general information about the leave process, not legal advice.
What if you need changes at work before the leave?
Pregnancy can change what you can do on a shift well before the leave starts. Pregnancy-related restrictions fall under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, in effect since 2023, and not every request needs medical documentation. The pregnancy accommodations guide explains what you can ask for.
At Target, tell your HR partner or leader, and ask how Target's current workplace accommodation process works and where medical information goes. If a provider's form is needed, the workplace accommodation forms service covers it.
Who completes the provider's part of your Target leave?
If the provider already treating you will complete the form, that's the simplest route. Certicare is for when that isn't available, or not in time.
A state-licensed provider completes and signs the provider's part of the form the Target Leave and Disability Team sent you, after an online evaluation, where the evaluation supports it. Upload the form with your intake; usually no appointment. A provider may follow up for more detail before deciding.
An evaluation doesn't mean a signature: the provider signs only what the evaluation supports. The completed form comes back to you by email, usually within 24 hours after we have everything needed. You return it the way your letter says.
Under the FMLA, leave to bond with your baby doesn't need a medical form. Target's paid family leave and any state program have their own paperwork; your letter lists it. This service is for your own pregnancy and recovery. For a family member's condition, see family care leave forms.
$49 flat
$49 covers one leave case: the clinical review, the forms that case needs, and any follow-up your employer or leave administrator asks for afterward.
If we can't complete your request, for any reason, you're refunded in full.
Secure online intake. Your information is reviewed by Certicare and is not sent to Target without your authorization.
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