Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees may take up to how many weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave each year?

• A. 6 weeks
• B. 12 weeks
• C. 18 weeks
• D. 24 weeks

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for qualifying family or medical reasons. During this leave, the job and many benefits are protected, so you can return to the same position after the leave ends. To qualify, the employer must have 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius, and the employee typically must have worked at least 12 months and 1,250 hours in the prior year. So the weekly limit per year is twelve weeks. Shorter durations, like six weeks, aren’t the statutory entitlement, and longer spans, like 18 or 24 weeks, exceed the standard FMLA (unless a separate provision, such as military caregiver leave, applies).