The parental leave policies at Charlotte's biggest employers
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Charlotte skyline as seen from Romare Bearden Park in Uptown. Photo: Laura Barrero Tousley/Axios
Charlotte’s largest employers have parental leave policies that range from four weeks of paid leave to more generous offerings — like 16 weeks fully paid, IVF coverage and $50,000 in adoption reimbursement.
Why it matters: Offering generous parental leave policies is a way many local employers work to recruit and retain young talent, as well as show their staff they value them.
- Financial institutions generally tend to have the most robust parental leave policies and other benefits for new families, our analysis found.
We checked in on the parental leave policies of some of the largest employers in the Charlotte region, which employ over 175,000 people locally combined.
Other perks: A number of the companies below (Bank of America, Wells Fargo, EY) offer back-up care or subsidies for when an employee’s usual child care options fall through.
- Others offer alternative support for families to grow their families. EY, for instance, offers up to $50,000 per family to cover expenses related to infertility, surrogacy and/or adoption.
Note: All of the benefits below generally apply to full-time employees who are enrolled in each company’s health care plan. These details came from the companies’ spokespeople or executives directly.
- These employers are in order by their local workforce size.
- Employee counts include those working in the Charlotte metro area.
Editor’s note: We first published this in July 2021 and updated it in December 2025.
Atrium Health
Policy: Six consecutive weeks of paid leave for birth mothers; four consecutive weeks of paid leave for parents who do not give birth.
Other family benefits: $5,000 in assistance for domestic and international adoptions. Additionally, Atrium offers up to 30 days of transitional child care as parents return to work.
Local employee count: More than 41,000
Editor's note: This is the headcount as of 2023. An Atrium spokesperson did not respond to Axios' requests for the latest figure.
Wells Fargo
Policy: Up to 16 weeks of paid leave for a primary caregiver, and up to four weeks for a parent who isn’t the primary caregiver, following the birth of a child or an adoption.
Other family benefits: An adoption reimbursement of up to $5,000 per child. The bank also offers 20 days of in-home and center-based backup child care.
- Employees can be reimbursed up to $35,000 total for eligible surrogacy, donor, and adoption expenses.
Local employee count: Approximately 27,000
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Policy: Up to eight weeks of paid leave after giving birth to a child, or up to four weeks of paid leave after any other qualifying event. All full-time or part-time employees may take a leave of absence without pay for up to one calendar year from the date of birth or adoption to care for a newborn child or a newly adopted child.
Local employee count: 18,500
Bank of America
Policy: 16 weeks of paid leave for eligible employees, for a total of 26 weeks of parental leave.
Other family benefits: Up to $20,000 through a Family Planning Reimbursement program, which reimburses employees for adoption or fertility and/or surrogacy expenses. The bank also offers 50 days of backup child care.
Local employee count: 19,500
Novant Health
Policy: Up to four weeks of paid parental leave, to be used within 12 weeks of a child’s birth or within 16 weeks of placement for adoption.
Other family benefits: Up to $3,500 per child for eligible adoption-related expenses.
Local employee count: 14,000
Lowe's
Policy: Up to 10 weeks of paid maternal leave; four weeks of paid parental leave (which may be used by either the birthing or non-birthing parent).
Other family benefits: Up to $5,000 in adoption reimbursement, up to $5,000 in surrogacy reimbursement and up to $1,000 in doula reimbursement. The company also offers fertility coverage. Additionally, Lowe’s provides support for children with developmental disabilities, parenting tools and access to support groups.
Local employee count: Over 10,500
American Airlines
Policy: Up to 10 weeks paid maternity leave.
Other family benefits: Up to $30,000 lifetime reimbursement for adoption and surrogacy expenses.
Local employee count: More than 15,500
Food Lion
Policy: Up to eight weeks of paid parental leave within the first 12 months of a child’s birth, adoption or other legal placement.
Other family benefits: Associates under the company’s health care plan receive coverage of medically necessary cryo-preservation health care services and a lifetime fertility benefit maximum of $25,000.
Local employee count: 11,289
Duke Energy
Policy: Up to 14 weeks of paid leave for birth mothers. Fathers and same-sex partner equivalents get six weeks of paid parental leave following the birth of their child. Employees who foster or adopt children are also eligible for up to six weeks of paid parental leave.
Other family benefits: Up to $25,000 for adoption and/or surrogacy expenses (up to $12,500 per child).
Local employee count: Approximately 6,000
Truist
Policy: 10 weeks for both birth, nonbirth, adoptive and foster parents. When combined with maternity leave, employees can now take up to 20 weeks of paid leave.
Other family benefits: Up to $10,000 toward the adoption process.
Local employee count: Did not disclose
Ally
Policy: New parents can take up to 14 weeks of paid leave. This means they can take 12 weeks continuously, break the 12 weeks up, or take 10 weeks of full leave, then transition back to work with a 50% reduced schedule for four weeks. The policy also includes up to five days of paid time off for miscarriages.
Other family benefits: Adoption and/or surrogacy assistance of up to $35,000 each for two children. Ally employees and spouses on the medical plan can take advantage of up to three full cycles of IVF with no cap on costs (an infertility diagnosis is not needed to use those benefits). New parents also have access to certified doulas who provide pregnancy and childbirth support up to $2,000 per pregnancy.
- The policy also includes up to five paid days off for miscarriages.
Local employee count: 2,200
EY
Policy: Up to 16 weeks of fully paid leave for U.S. employees.
Other family benefits: Up to $50,000 per family to cover expenses related to infertility, surrogacy and/or adoption.
Local employee count: Approximately 2,000
Deloitte
Policy: Up to 16 weeks fully paid after the child’s birth or adoption. This policy is gender neutral: A spokesperson says: “Fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers can take the leave, relieving some of the often seen cultural pressure on women to be the default caregiver.” Parents can take the leave all at once or in increments.
Other family benefits: Up to $50,000 reimbursement for expenses related to adoption or surrogacy.
Local employee count: Over 2,000
Editor's note: This is the leave policy and headcount as of 2023. A Deloitte spokesperson did not respond to Axios' requests for the latest information.
Honeywell
Policy: Up to 40 business days of paid leave within a year of the birth, adoption or foster care placement — and this applies equally for both mothers and fathers — to be taken intermittently or in a continuous period.
- Birth mothers receive an additional 6-8 weeks of short-term disability leave depending on whether the birth is natural or cesarean.
Other family benefits: Up to $5,000 for the adoption of a child and up to $10,000 for a child with special needs. $20,000 for infertility benefits.
Local employee count: 1,300
Red Ventures
Policy: Up to six weeks of paid leave for new birth parents, adopted parents, foster parents/guardians or surrogates. Eligible birth mothers can also combine short-term disability benefits, for a total of up to 12 weeks leave with full base pay.
Other family benefits: Adoption counseling, egg freezing and surrogacy benefits, and access to fertility specialists. RV also offers Milkstork, which provides breastmilk shipping for nursing mothers traveling for business.
Local employee count: 900
Grant Thornton
Policy: Up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents, which can be taken all at once or in four-week increments within the first year of birth or adoption.
Other family benefits: Up to $10,000 reimbursement for adoption and surrogacy. Subsidized backup child care and adult care, plus free premium membership to Care.com.
Local employee count: 396
LendingTree
Policy: Up to 12 weeks paid for maternity and paternity leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
Other family benefits: Up to $10,000 of expenses directly related to the adoption of a child.
- LendingTree is also expanding medical coverage to include in vitro fertilization treatments. LendingTree covers IVF treatments with no limits after standard cost-sharing is applied.
Local employee count: 366
Editor’s note: Axios, which employs 12 in the Charlotte area, offers 12 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregivers following the birth or adoption of a child. Secondary caregivers get six weeks fully paid.
- All caregivers can also participate in a flexible return to work program for two additional weeks, fully paid.
- All caregivers are also eligible for a $1,000 caregiver subsidy and a free Snoo bassinet rental for up to six months.