The Maternity Benefit Act provides legal protections for women's employment, including paid leave and job security, which are mandatory for employers rather than optional perks.

Paid maternity leave, nursing breaks, and job protection. What the Maternity Benefit Act means for employers and employees in India: https://www.qkrbiz.com/hrms-software/hr-glossary/maternity-benefit-act #MaternityBenefit #LabourLaw #WomenAtWork

Maternity benefit in India is not a perk an employer can choose to offer. It is a legal right, and getting it wrong can mean penalties, disputes, and lost trust. What is the Maternity Benefit Act? The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 protects the employment of women during maternity and entitles them to paid leave and related benefits. Since 21 November 2025, its provisions have been consolidated into the Code on Social Security, 2020, one of India's four Labour Codes. The core protections largely carry forward, so the Act is still the best starting point for understanding maternity benefit. Key provisions every employer should know - Coverage: generally applies to factories, mines, plantations, and shops and establishments with 10 or more employees - Eligibility: the woman must have worked at least 80 days in the 12 months before her expected delivery date - Paid leave: up to 26 weeks, of which up to 8 weeks can be taken before the expected delivery - Two or more surviving children: 12 weeks of paid leave - Adoption and surrogacy: 12 weeks for a woman adopting a child below three months of age, and for a commissioning mother - Miscarriage or medical termination: 6 weeks of leave - Pay: based on the average daily wage for the period of actual absence - Work from home: may be allowed after leave where the nature of work permits, on mutually agreed terms - Creche: establishments with 50 or more employees must provide a creche facility - Job protection: an employer cannot dismiss or discharge a woman during maternity leave, or change her service conditions to her disadvantage One change to watch: the uniform definition of wages under the Labour Codes can affect the base on which maternity pay is calculated. Review your salary structures with this in mind. Practical steps for HR teams 1. Write a clear maternity policy and share it with all employees 2. Set up maternity, adoption, and miscarriage leave as separate leave types 3. Check eligibility (the 80-day rule) from attendance records, not memory 4. Make sure leave pay flows correctly into payroll 5. Plan return-to-work conversations, including flexible options 6. Document every application, approval, and letter How QkrHR helps - Unlimited leave types let you configure maternity, adoption, and miscarriage leave with their own rules and approvals - Attendance-to-payroll sync helps leave days flow into payroll without manual re-entry - Documents and letters, the self-service portal, and the mobile app keep applications, approvals, and policies in one place - Statutory compliance is included in every QkrHR plan The bottom line Maternity benefit protects women's health, income, and careers at a crucial time. Clear policies and accurate records make compliance simple and show employees they are valued. This post is general information. Please check specific cases with your compliance advisor. Read the full explanation: https://www.qkrbiz.com/hrms-software/hr-glossary/maternity-benefit-act Book a free demo: https://www.qkrbiz.com/signup #MaternityBenefit #LabourCodes #WomenAtWork #HRCompliance #QkrHR

Maternity benefit in India is not a perk. It is a legal right that protects women's health, income and jobs. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 set out these protections. Since 21 November 2025, its provisions have been consolidated into the Code on Social Security, 2020, with the core protections largely carried forward. Key provisions: - Generally applies to factories, mines, plantations, and shops and establishments with 10 or more employees - Eligibility: at least 80 days of work in the 12 months before the expected delivery - Up to 26 weeks of paid leave, of which up to 8 weeks can be taken before delivery - 12 weeks for women with two or more surviving children - 12 weeks for adopting a child below three months and for commissioning mothers - Work from home after leave where the work allows, by mutual agreement - Creche facility for establishments with 50 or more employees - No dismissal during maternity leave What HR should do: 1. Write a clear maternity policy 2. Set up maternity, adoption and miscarriage leave as separate leave types 3. Check eligibility from attendance records 4. Ensure leave pay flows correctly into payroll How QkrHR helps: - Unlimited leave types to configure maternity-related leave - Attendance-to-payroll sync for accurate leave pay - Documents, ESS portal and mobile app for applications and policies This is general information. Please check specific cases with your compliance advisor. Read more: https://www.qkrbiz.com/hrms-software/hr-glossary/maternity-benefit-act #MaternityBenefit #LabourCodes #WomenAtWork #HRCompliance #QkrHR