Does Federal Law Give Me Paid Leave If I’m Sick? No — FMLA Leave Is Unpaid.

The U.S. Department of Labor says the Family and Medical Leave Act provides eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period. To be eligible, a worker must have worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months, worked at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months, and work where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles.

FMLA protects your job, not your paycheck. Workers at small employers or in their first year are not covered at all.

For someone facing surgery, cancer treatment, or a hard menopause transition, 'job-protected' can still mean months with no income.