TL;DR: Maternity leave at Walmart pays birth mothers 9 weeks at 100% of average pay through a short-term-disability-style benefit, after a 7-day unpaid waiting period. Add the separate parental bonding benefit — 6 weeks for hourly and driver associates, 12 weeks for salaried associates — and a birth mom's total paid leave runs 16 weeks (hourly) or 22 weeks (salaried). Fathers, partners, and adoptive or foster parents get the parental benefit only: 6 or 12 weeks, depending on classification. This is a company benefit set by Walmart, not a law, so it can change — always confirm your current numbers with Sedgwick before you plan around them.
If you work at Walmart and you're expecting, adopting, or becoming a foster parent, the first thing you want is a straight answer: how many weeks, and how much of it is paid. Walmart splits the answer into two benefits that stack on top of each other — a maternity benefit for birth mothers and a separate parental benefit for bonding with a new child — and the math changes depending on whether you're an hourly associate, a driver, or salaried. Below, you'll find what each benefit actually pays, who qualifies, how it interacts with FMLA and state paid family leave, and where Sedgwick fits into the process (with a link to our full walkthrough of that system if you need it).
What Walmart Offers
Walmart's parental benefits break into two separate pieces, and understanding the split matters because they're calculated differently.
The first is maternity leave — paid time off tied to physical recovery from childbirth, structured like a short-term disability benefit. Only birth mothers qualify for this piece.
The second is parental leave — paid bonding time for any new parent, whether you gave birth, adopted, or became a foster parent. This is the benefit fathers, partners, and adoptive or foster parents use, and birth mothers can take it too, back-to-back with their maternity leave.
Birth Parents (Maternity Leave)
According to Walmart's own leave-of-absence guides, birth mothers get 9 weeks of paid leave at 100% of their average weekly wage (base pay for salaried associates) once they clear a 7-calendar-day unpaid waiting period. You can use accrued PTO to get paid during that waiting week instead of going unpaid.
This 9-week maternity benefit applies the same way to hourly and salaried associates — the difference between the two groups shows up in the parental benefit that follows it, not here.
Other Parents (Paternity, Adoption & Foster Care)
The parental bonding benefit is where paternity leave lives, and it's also what adoptive and foster parents use:
Hourly and driver associates get 6 weeks of parental leave at 100% pay, taken continuously — meaning all at once, not spread out.
Salaried associates get 12 weeks of parental leave at 100% pay, and they can take it in increments as small as one week at a time.
Both groups can use their parental benefit at any point within 12 months of the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement — you don't have to take it immediately.
Hourly vs. Salaried: The Real Difference
| Maternity (birth moms) | Parental (bonding) | Combined total for a birth mom |
|---|
Hourly & driver associates | 9 weeks, 100% pay | 6 weeks, 100% pay, taken all at once | 16 weeks |
Salaried associates | 9 weeks, 100% pay | 12 weeks, 100% pay, flexible increments | 22 weeks |
A father, partner, adoptive parent, or foster parent doesn't get the maternity piece — just the parental benefit, so 6 weeks if you're hourly or a driver, 12 weeks if you're salaried.
Eligibility also differs by classification:
Salaried associates and truck drivers — eligible as of your date of hire.
Full-time hourly associates — eligible once you've completed 12 months of continuous service.
Part-time and temporary associates — not eligible for either benefit.
If you're a full-time hourly associate in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, or Rhode Island, your maternity pay is coordinated with your state's disability insurance program instead of running purely through Walmart's internal short-term disability process. Ask Sedgwick for the state-specific version of the maternity guide when you file — the weekly amount and funding source can look different on your pay stub even though the 9-week structure is the same.
Walmart also offers financial assistance for associates growing their families through adoption — historically $5,000 per child toward agency, legal, or court fees, available to full-time hourly and salaried associates. If this applies to you, confirm the current cap with your benefits team, since family-building benefits are one of the areas Walmart has expanded more than once in recent years.
How It Works With FMLA and State PFL
Walmart's paid maternity and parental benefits don't replace your legal rights — they run concurrently with them.
If you're FMLA-eligible — generally 12 months of tenure and 1,250 hours worked in the past year, at a location with 50+ employees within 75 miles — your first 12 weeks of Walmart leave count against your FMLA entitlement at the same time you're being paid. Walmart's own leave-of-absence policy describes its maternity and parental weeks as "protected" time away from work, which is what allows a salaried birth mother's 22 weeks, or an hourly birth mother's 16 weeks, to extend job protection beyond what FMLA alone guarantees.
If you work in a state with its own paid family leave or disability program — California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and a growing list of others — the interaction depends on your classification and location. In several of those states, hourly associates' maternity pay is funded through the state disability program rather than Walmart's internal benefit, coordinated through Sedgwick so you're not paid twice or left with a gap. If you're unsure which applies to you, Sedgwick can tell you exactly how your specific claim is being funded.
Either way, don't assume you need to separately apply for FMLA or state leave on top of your Walmart claim — filing your leave with Sedgwick is generally what triggers both the company benefit and the legal leave designations behind it.
Filing Through Sedgwick
Every leave of absence at Walmart, including maternity and parental leave, is administered by Sedgwick, a third-party claims administrator — not your store manager or people lead. You'll request leave through mySedgwick.com or by phone, provide your Walmart Identification Number and expected dates, and complete the medical certification or documentation Sedgwick requires.
That filing process — what to have ready, how approvals work, what happens if a claim gets denied — is its own topic, and we've covered it in full in Walmart Leave of Absence: How Sedgwick Claims Work. If you're about to file, that's the guide to read next. This post is focused on what the maternity and parental benefit actually pays and who qualifies — not the mechanics of the claim itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many weeks is maternity leave at Walmart?
Birth mothers get 9 weeks of paid maternity leave at 100% of average pay, after a 7-day unpaid waiting period. Add the parental bonding benefit that typically follows it — 6 weeks for hourly and driver associates, 12 weeks for salaried associates — and total paid leave runs 16 weeks for hourly birth moms or 22 weeks for salaried birth moms.
Does Walmart pay for maternity leave?
Yes. The 9-week maternity portion pays 100% of your average weekly wage (or base pay for salaried associates), funded through a short-term-disability-style benefit. The one gap is the initial 7-calendar-day waiting period, which is unpaid unless you cover it with accrued PTO.
Does Walmart offer paid paternity leave?
Yes, through the parental bonding benefit. Fathers and partners who aren't the birth parent get 6 weeks of paid leave if they're hourly or a driver, or 12 weeks if they're salaried, taken within 12 months of the birth.
Do part-time Walmart employees get maternity leave?
No. Both the maternity and parental benefits are limited to full-time hourly associates (after 12 months of service), salaried associates, and truck drivers (both eligible from date of hire). Part-time and temporary associates aren't eligible for either benefit under Walmart's current policy.
Can I take Walmart maternity leave and FMLA at the same time?
Yes — they run concurrently rather than stacking. If you meet FMLA's eligibility requirements, your Walmart-paid weeks count toward your 12 weeks of FMLA job protection at the same time you're receiving pay, so you're not required to take FMLA separately before or after your Walmart leave.
Does Walmart's parental bonding leave work differently for hourly and salaried associates?
Yes — beyond the week count, the two groups differ in how the time can be used. Hourly and driver associates get 6 weeks of parental leave that must be taken all at once, in one continuous block. Salaried associates get 12 weeks and can split it into increments as small as a single week, spreading it out instead of taking it all in a row.
Can I use my state's paid family leave on top of Walmart's maternity benefit?
It depends on where you work rather than being extra pay stacked on top. In states with their own disability or paid-family-leave programs — California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island — Walmart coordinates your maternity pay with the state program through Sedgwick instead of paying you twice, so the funding source shifts but the 9-week structure stays the same. Outside those states, your maternity pay runs entirely through Walmart's internal benefit.
Does Walmart's maternity leave apply to adoptive or foster parents?
No — the 9-week maternity benefit is reserved for birth mothers recovering from childbirth. Adoptive and foster parents use the parental bonding benefit instead, the same one fathers and non-birth partners use: 6 weeks if hourly or a driver, 12 weeks if salaried, taken within 12 months of the placement.
How long do I have to use Walmart's parental leave benefit?
You don't have to take it right away. Both hourly/driver associates (6 weeks) and salaried associates (12 weeks) can use their parental bonding benefit at any point within 12 months of the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement, so you can time it to when you actually need to be home.
Does Walmart help with adoption costs, not just leave time?
Yes, separately from the leave itself. Walmart has historically offered financial assistance for adoption — around $5,000 per child toward agency, legal, or court fees — for full-time hourly and salaried associates. Confirm the current cap with your benefits team, since this is one of the family-building benefits Walmart has expanded more than once in recent years.
Does Walmart's paid leave give more job protection than FMLA alone?
It can. Walmart describes its maternity and parental weeks as protected time away from work, and that protection runs concurrently with FMLA rather than replacing it — so a salaried birth mother's 22 weeks or an hourly birth mother's 16 weeks can extend job-protected leave beyond the 12 weeks FMLA alone guarantees. This applies to the Walmart-paid weeks themselves, not a separate legal entitlement.
How do I actually request the leave?
You file with Sedgwick, not your store — by phone or through mySedgwick.com. We break down that entire process, including what documents to have ready and what to do if a claim is denied, in our guide to Walmart's leave-of-absence system.
Key Takeaways
Maternity leave (birth moms): 9 weeks at 100% pay, after a 7-day unpaid waiting period.
Parental leave (bonding, any new parent): 6 weeks for hourly/driver associates, 12 weeks for salaried associates, at 100% pay.
Combined total for a birth mom: 16 weeks (hourly) or 22 weeks (salaried).
Eligibility: salaried and drivers from date of hire; full-time hourly after 12 months; part-time and temporary associates don't qualify.
Everything runs through Sedgwick, and your paid leave overlaps with FMLA and state PFL rather than stacking on top of them.
This is company policy, not law — it can change, so verify your specific numbers with Sedgwick or HR before you plan your leave around them.
If you're mapping out your own timeline, our maternity leave planner and paternity leave guide can help you line up Walmart's benefit against FMLA and any state program you're covered by.
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