Taking extended time away from work—whether for health or family needs, service to our nation or some other reason—can raise a lot of questions. Adobe has assembled resources to help you understand leaves of absence and guide you through the steps to take before, during and after your leave.
This information is a summary. If there are any differences between this page and Adobe policy, the relevant Adobe policy will govern.
Start with Veer
The Veer digital experience is set up to walk you through what you need to know about taking a leave.
Initiating a leave of absence
If you’re considering requesting a leave of absence, here are the steps you should take:
- Visit the Veer digital experience to get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do list for your leave.
- Talk to your manager about your interest in taking a leave.
- For more details, review the Adobe Leaves of Absence Policy Overview [PDF].
- Once you’re ready to file, submit your leave request to Lincoln Financial Group (SSO), or call a Lincoln intake specialist at 800-459-3772.
For general leave questions, contact Lincoln at 888-873-5476 or adobeadmin@lfg.com.
What to know about FMLA
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides eligible employees with time to take unpaid leave for specified family and medical situations, including for your own health condition or for taking care of someone else.
FMLA provides job protection for an employee who:
- Is a regular full-time or part-time employee
- Has been employed by Adobe for at least 12 months (not necessarily consecutive months)
- Completed at least 1,250 hours of work within the 12 consecutive months immediately before the first day of leave
FMLA runs concurrently with the Adobe leaves described on this page. California and many other states offer additional leave benefits for eligible employees. If you live in a state with its own law, the law that is most favorable to you (either federal or state) will apply.
Learn more about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) [PDF].
Types of leave
Medical leave
Who it’s for: You can take a medical leave if you need to take time off for longer than five business days due to your own serious health condition, including pregnancy and postpartum recovery. You must be a regular full-time or part-time employee who meets the eligibility requirements for short-term disability (STD) benefits. You’ll need to provide medical documentation of your need for leave.
How much time you can take: Up to 12 months, based on your doctor’s documentation of your disability.
Pay and benefits: For the first week—before STD benefits begin—you can use sick time or PTO. You’ll receive payments equal to 100% of your eligible pay (TTC for commissioned employees) during weeks two through 10 of your disability and then 66⅔% of your eligible pay (or TTC) during week 11 through the 120th day. Your contributions for medical, dental, and vision coverage, supplemental life and AD&D, and legal insurance must be paid directly to the Adobe Benefit Support Team during your leave (if more than 30 consecutive days). For more information, see Rewards Impact During a Leave of Absence [PDF].
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. Watch the medical and disability leave video, review the FAQ for California [PDF] or outside of California [PDF], and read the policy [PDF].
Family care leave
Who it’s for: You can take a family care leave if you need time off to care for an immediate family member due to his or her serious health condition. You must be a regular full-time employee, and you’ll need to provide medical certification of your need for leave.
How much time you can take: Up to 12 weeks within a 12-month period, taken continuously or intermittently. The amount of time that is eligible for income-replacement payments varies by state.
Pay and benefits: You’ll receive payments equal to 100% of your salary (TTC for commissioned employees) for up to five weeks (25 weekdays), reduced by the amount of any state-paid benefits you receive. After the five-week paid family care leave benefits end, you’ll be granted unpaid leave under Adobe’s FMLA policy or your state’s family care leave laws. Your contributions for medical, dental, and vision coverage, supplemental life and AD&D, and legal insurance must be paid directly to the Adobe Benefit Support Team during your leave (if more than 30 consecutive days). For more information, see Rewards Impact During a Leave of Absence [PDF].
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. Watch the family care leave video, and review the FAQ [PDF] and policy [PDF].
Parental leave
Who it’s for: If you’ve recently become a new parent, you can take time off after your child’s birth, adoption or foster care placement. You must be a regular full-time employee, and you’ll need to provide proof of your child’s birth or placement.
How much time you can take: If you’re eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, you can take up to 16 weeks of FMLA-qualifying paid parental leave, taken within 6 months of the birth/placement of your baby. This is separate from any physician-certified FMLA or medical leave resulting from pregnancy or childbirth-related disabilities. If you’re not FMLA-eligible or you’ve exhausted your FMLA allotment as of the birth or placement of your child you can take up to four weeks of non-FMLA-qualifying paid parental leave within one year of the birth or placement of your child.
If you’re eligible for the maximum medical leave and parental leave benefits, you can take up to a combined total of 26 weeks of fully paid leave during and after pregnancy.
Pay and benefits: If you’re taking FMLA-qualifying paid parental leave, you’ll receive payments equal to 100% of your salary (TTC for commissioned employees) for up to 16 weeks, reduced by the amount of any state-paid benefits you receive. If you’re taking non-FMLA-qualifying paid parental leave, you’ll receive payments equal to 100% of your salary for up to four weeks. Your contributions for medical, dental, and vision coverage, supplemental life and AD&D, and legal insurance must be paid directly to the Adobe Benefit Support Team during your leave (if more than 30 consecutive days). Please view Rewards Impact During a Leave of Absence [PDF].
Cover your new child
Be sure to update your benefits within 31 days of the birth or placement of your child.
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. Watch the parental leave video, and review the FAQ [PDF] and policy [PDF].
Organ or bone marrow donation leave
Who it’s for: You can take time off to donate an organ or bone marrow.
How much time you can take: Up to 30 days during a 12-month period to donate an organ; up to five days during a 12-month period to donate bone marrow.
Pay and benefits: For organ donation: Nonexempt employees must take the first five days as PTO; exempt employees must take the first five days as sick time. The remainder of the leave is paid. For bone marrow donation: Your leave will be counted against your PTO (nonexempt) or sick time (exempt). Your benefits continue throughout your organ or bone marrow donation leave.
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. Watch the organ or bone marrow donation leave video, and review the FAQ [PDF].
Military leave
Who it’s for: You can take a military leave if you’re called for active duty or reserve training for any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, in accordance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and any applicable state laws.
How much time you can take: Up to five years, in accordance with USERRA.
Pay and benefits: During the first six months of your military leave, you’re paid at 100% of your salary, reduced by the amount of your military pay. After the first six months, the leave is unpaid. Your benefits continue for up to 12 months. Your contributions for medical, dental, and vision coverage, supplemental life and AD&D, and legal insurance must be paid directly to the Adobe Benefit Support Team during the unpaid portion of your leave (6-12 months). After 12 months, you will be offered continuation of coverage through COBRA [PDF]. For more information, see Rewards Impact During a Leave of Absence [PDF].
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. Review the FAQ [PDF] and policy [PDF].
Military family leave
Who it’s for: You can take a military family leave if you are a regular full-time employee and need time off to address exigencies that arise when an immediate family member is on active duty or has been notified of an impending call to active duty in a foreign country, or to care for an immediate family member or next of kin who sustained or aggravated a serious injury or illness in the line of duty.
How much time you can take: Up to 12 weeks within a 12-month period, taken continuously or intermittently. The amount of time that is eligible for income-replacement payments varies by state.
Pay and benefits: You’ll receive payments equal to 100% of your salary (TTC for commissioned employees) for up to five weeks (25 weekdays), reduced by the amount of any state leave benefits you may receive. After the five-week paid family care leave benefits end, you’ll be granted unpaid leave under Adobe’s FMLA policy or your state’s family care leave laws. Your contributions for medical, dental, and vision coverage, supplemental life and AD&D, and legal insurance must be paid directly to the Adobe Benefit Support Team during your leave (if more than 30 consecutive days). For more information, see Rewards Impact During a Leave of Absence [PDF].
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. Watch the family care leave video, and review the FAQ [PDF] and policy [PDF]. Get more details about covered individuals and exigencies in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) [PDF].
Unpaid personal leave
Who it’s for: If you want to take time away from Adobe for personal reasons, you may request an unpaid personal leave. Beginning January 1, 2023, you can take from one to three months of unpaid leave If your request for personal leave is granted (up to 6 months with manager approval). You may be eligible if you’ve worked at Adobe for more than 12 months, you’re in good standing with the company, and business conditions can accommodate your request. You also must have exhausted your accrued paid time off balance, and there is no other time off plan you can leverage.
How much time you can take: If your request for a personal leave is granted, you can take from one to three months of unpaid leave (up to 6 months with manager approval). The amount of time approved is subject to manager discretion and the needs of the business.
Pay and benefits: Personal leave is unpaid. Health care, life, AD&D, short-term disability and long-term disability coverage continue until the last day of the month following the first 30 days of your leave. At that time, you’ll have the option to continue through COBRA [PDF]. Your Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account contributions will cease once you’re no longer receiving an Adobe paycheck. For more information, see Rewards Impact During a Leave of Absence [PDF].
Where to learn more: To get a personalized timeline, financial plan and to-do checklist for your leave, visit the Veer digital experience. For more information, review the FAQ [PDF] and policy [PDF].
Your benefits during leave
For most leaves that last longer than 30 days, you must continue to make your contributions for medical, dental, vision, supplemental life, AD&D, and group legal insurance. You will receive a letter from Adobe’s Benefits Support Center with details of the direct-bill process and your first invoice around the first day of the pay period following 30 days after your leave start date. Once you receive the letter, you can choose to set up automatic ACH payments on the Adobe Benefits Enrollment site or mail a monthly check to the Benefits Support team. Your payments will be due monthly, but each payment will be based on your regular, scheduled Adobe pay periods—for instance, in some months you will be billed for two pay periods; in other months you will be billed for three pay periods.
For detailed information on the impact of all your benefits and compensation for each type of leave, review the rewards impact during a leave of absence [PDF] summary.
Welcome Back return-to-work program
The Welcome Back program offers resources to employees and managers to facilitate a seamless transition back to work. The program is available to U.S.-based employees returning from an extended paid leave of more than three months. Read the Welcome Back program guide [PDF] for more information.