The Military Parental Leave Program (MPLP) provides non-chargeable leave entitlements following the birth, adoption or long-term foster placement of a minor child. The policy applies to Total Force Service members who are birth mothers and fathers, same-sex couples, as well as adoptive, foster, and surrogate parents.

Air Force Reserve Service members on drill status are eligible for Inactive Duty Parental Leave (IDPL).

Inactive Duty Parental Leave (IDPL)
The IDPL described in DAFI 36-3003 applies to a member of the Ready Reserve: the birth of a service member’s child, adoption of a minor child by the service member, or placement of a minor child with the service member for adoption or long-term foster care. This guidance is retroactive for any service members with a qualifying event that occurred between 1 October 2024, and 7 August 2025, they will be afforded this benefit and will have one year from 7 August 2025 to use the benefit.

IDPL will be taken in increments equivalent to a four-hour inactive duty training period of which a maximum of two such increments may be taken per day. Each such four-hour increment constitutes an IDPL period.  The 12 IDPL periods will be authorized during the one year period following a qualifying event.

Parental Leave for Birth: Reserve component service members, including dual military couples, will each be authorized IDPL for their child’s birth and to care for the child.

• For the birth parent, 12 IDPL periods will be authorized during the one-year period beginning after the date of the child’s birth. IDPL will be taken following reserve component maternity leave for post-partum recovery of the birth parent. The use of reserve component maternity leave is separate and distinct from IDPL. The 12 IDPL periods are in addition to reserve component maternity leave.
• For the non-birth parent, 12 IDPL periods will be authorized during the one-year period beginning after the date of the child’s birth. If the child is born outside of marriage, the non-birth parent’s parentage of the child must be established in accordance with the criteria prescribed by the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) within 90 days (stateside) or 120 days (overseas) of the birth or will forfeit eligibility. A birthparent is not required to establish proof of parentage.

Parental Leave for Adoption Placement or Adoption: Reserve component service members, to include dual military couples, will be authorized 12 IDPL periods to care for a minor child during the one-year period beginning after the date of their placement with the service member for adoption or the date of the minor child’s adoption by the service member.

• If a service member (or a dual military couple) uses a surrogate and they become the legal parent(s) of a newborn child, the event will be treated as an adoption and will be authorized 12 weeks of parental leave.
• A service member is not authorized an additional 12 weeks of parental leave when the placement of a minor child with the member for adoption is finalized as an adoption by the service member of a minor child already residing within the service member’s household.

Parental Leave for Long-term Foster Care Placement: Reserve component service members, to include dual military couples, will be authorized 12 IDPL periods to care for a minor child during the one-year period beginning after the date of their placement with the service member for long-term foster care. A service member is not authorized an additional 12 IDPL periods when the placement of a minor child with the service member for long-term foster care is:

• Converted to a placement for adoption with the service member; or
• Finalized as an adoption by the service member of a minor child already residing within the service member’s household.

Treatment of IDPL

An IDPL period taken by a reserve component service member will count toward the minimum requirements for achieving a satisfactory year of participation in the Ready Reserve by the service member in accordance with DoDI 1215.13 (i.e., it will not be treated as an excused or unexcused absence).

The associated retirement point credit for each IDPL period taken by a reserve component service member will count toward the minimum 50 retirement points necessary to achieve a qualifying year of creditable service for non-regular retirement in accordance with DoDI 1215.07.

Other Considerations
Multiple Qualifying Events: Multiple qualifying events that do not occur within the same 72-hour period will be treated as separate events for the allocation of Parental Leave. Any of these days that the member does not use within one year of the second event will be forfeited.

In separate qualifying events, any new Parental Leave must run concurrently with any pre-existing Parental Leave that has not expired or been used as of the date of the new event.

Child Born Outside of a Marriage: In the case of a child born outside of a marriage, the member's parentage of the child must be established in accordance with DAFI 36-3026. Member must initiate registration in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). A birthparent is not required to establish proof of parentage.

Surrogacy: A service member who acts as a surrogate is not eligible for parental leave. However, the member is authorized for Reserve Component Maternity Leave.

A covered service member whose spouse serves as a surrogate and gives birth is not entitled to Parental Leave.

In cases where a covered service member uses a surrogate, and the member becomes the legal parent or guardian of the child, the event will be treated as an adoption, and the service member will be entitled to 12 weeks of Parental Leave.

Adoptions: Members, to include dual military couples, will be authorized 12 weeks of Parental Leave during the one-year period following the date of placement of a minor child with the member for adoption, or the date of adoption of a minor child by the member. A member will be authorized parental leave for either the placement or finalized adoption, but not both, for the same child (DAFI 36-3003, paragraph 4.2.2.2.2).

Long-term Foster Care: Long term foster care is defined as the action of placing a minor child in foster care in which there is an expectation and contractual agreement between the foster parents and the child‑placing agency that the child remain in the home of the foster parents for a minimum of 24 months.

Members, to include dual military couples, will be authorized Military Parental Leave during the one-year period after the date of placement of a minor child with the member for long-term foster care of the placed child.

Additional Parental Leave is not authorized if the long-term foster care placement is converted to and adoption or is finalized as an adoption by the member of a minor child already residing within the member’s household.

Combining Leave: Members may take ordinary (i.e. chargeable) leave in between increments of Parental Leave or consecutively with Parental Leave.

Department of Defense Instruction 1327.06
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/132706p.pdf

Department of the Air Force Guidance Memorandum to AFI 36-3003, Military Leave Program
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/dafi36-3003/dafi36-3003.pdf

Department of the Air Force Manual 41-210
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_sg/publication/dafman41-210/dafman41-210.pdf

Tricare Assisted Reproductive Technology Services
https://tricare.mil/CoveredServices/IsItCovered/AssistedReproductiveServices