Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Granite State employers with at least 20 employees must provide employees with up to 25 hours of unpaid leave to attend medical appointments associated with childbirth, postpartum care, and their infant’s medical appointments within the first year of the child’s birth or adoption. This new leave obligation appears in a broader piece of legislation, HB 2, an act “relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures,” which was signed into law on June 27, 2025. Subject to the 25-hour limit, covered employers may not deny employees’ leave requests to attend their “own medical appointments for childbirth, postpartum care, or the employee’s child’s pediatric medical appointments within the first year of the child’s birth or adoption.” The law allows an employee to substitute any accrued vacation time or other appropriate paid leave for unpaid childbirth-related leave. Employees must provide reasonable notice to the employer prior to the leave and make a reasonable effort to schedule the leave so as not to unduly disrupt the employer’s operations. Covered employers may ask the employee for documentation to ensure leave is used for a covered purpose. The law, however, does not indicate what type of documentation is sufficient to verify the use of the leave. Upon return from a covered appointment, the employer must return the employee to the employee’s original job. The law does not address any minimum or maximum increments for use of the leave. If the parents of a child are employees of the same employer, they collectively may take a total of 25 hours of childbirth-related leave in their child’s first year. The new law will appear as NH RSA 275:37-f (“Leave of Absence to Attend Medical Appointments for Childbirth, Postpartum Care, and Infant Pediatric Medical Appointments”). Covered employers should ensure their leave policies comply with this new law. If you have questions, please contact a Jackson Lewis attorney.
Articles About New Hampshire Labor And Employment Law.
New Childbirth-Related Leave Entitlement for Many Granite State Employees in 2026
New Childbirth-Related Leave Entitlement for Many Granite State Employees in 2026
Many New Hampshire employers may be surprised to learn that a new leave law was buried in HB 2, a bill “relative to state fees, funds, revenues, and expenditures” signed into law on June 27, 2025. Starting January 1,
New Hampshire Prohibits Workplace Discrimination Based on Hairstyles Related to Ethnicity
New Hampshire has become the 26th U.S. state to enact a version of the model CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” On July 3, 2024, Governor Chris Sununu signed into law “Creating a private cause of action for discrimination based on hairstyles relative to a person’s ethnicity.” The new law goes into effect Sept. 1, 2024.
New Hampshire’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Plan: Breaking Ground in the Granite State
The New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave (NH PFML) Plan, otherwise known as the Granite State Paid Family Leave Plan, is the nation’s first and only voluntary, state-sponsored paid leave plan.
New Hampshire Adopts Paid Leave Program
New Hampshire has joined eight states and the District of Columbia when, on June 24, 2021, the New Hampshire Legislature passed a two-year state budget that includes a paid leave program. Governor Chris Sununu signed the budget on June 25, 2021, and coverage must be provided by January 1, 2023.
New Hampshire’s COVID-19 ‘Stay at Home Plan 2.0’ on Reopening Businesses
New Hampshire Governor Christopher Sununu has issued Executive Order #40 (Stay at Home 2.0), setting guidelines for reopening a broad range of businesses in the state following the shutdown order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Sununu Vetoes The NH Legislature’s Paid Family Medical Leave Plan
The New Hampshire Paid Family Medical Leave law has been left behind in the dust. Republican Governor Chris Sununu vetoed the bill, saying that he fully supports paid family medical leave but not the plan passed by the Democratic majority New Hampshire Legislature. The Democratic proposal, referred to as Senate Bill 1, would set up a public fund administered by the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security and would have been funded by a payroll tax on all employee wages. The payroll deduction would be mandatory unless the employer voluntarily provided the same or superior benefits either directly or through a self-insured plan.
New Hampshire Prohibits Gender Identity Discrimination
New Hampshire became the 20th state in the country to prohibit discrimination of all forms based upon gender identity when Governor Chris Sununu signed House Bill 1319 into law on June 8, 2018. The law goes into effect on July 8, 2018.
New Hampshire Limits Employer Access to Social Media Accounts of Employees and Applicants
Effective September 30, 2014, employers in New Hampshire will be prohibited from requiring employees or job applicants to disclose their login information for accessing any “personal account” or service through an electronic communication device.
Early Disclosure of Non-Compete Agreements Now Required Under New Hampshire Law
Signifying New Hampshire’s first regulation of private non-compete agreements, Governor John Lynch signed into law an act requiring employers to provide a copy of all “non-compete and non-piracy agreements” to job applicants. Effective July 14, 2012, HB 1270 will require employers to provide copies of certain employment agreements to new hires prior to or concurrent with a job offer or “change in job classification.” Failure to comply will render an agreement void and unenforceable.