Human Resource Blog

Calculating FMLA

Does anyone know if there is an FMLA calculator to help you count up the weeks? I am training right now and everyone time I count up the weeks I am either counting to many or not enough. My supervisor looks the letters I am sending out over before they go out. Once she reviews them, I revise them before sending them to the employee. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The best FMLA calculator is a simple calendar. When FMLA says “a week” they really mean 7 consecutive days. So, for example, 4 weeks of FMLA is 28 days — not 30 days.

Suppose an employee goes on FMLA for one week beginning today, Monday November 2, 2009. The week of FMLA will end on Sunday, November 8 and the employee must return to work on Monday November 9.  This is the best practice, and most common way of counting FMLA.

However, we will say this: your supervisor may have her own system for calculating FMLA, and she is the final authority. So your best bet is to ask her to show you how you should be counting FMLA, and always do it her way. That way, your work will meet her standards. And if there is a mistake, it will be hers rather than yours.