If You Are Considering Not Returning

Part of the Learning Center · included with Baby's First Year

The question of whether to return to work after leave has an emotional side and a financial side. This guide covers only the financial side: the math, the mechanics, and the obligations that attach to leaving an employer. None of it argues for or against returning. The numbers are knowable, the insurance rules are specific, and the repayment obligations are in writing. A family that sees the full picture before deciding makes a different kind of decision than one that discovers the pieces afterward, one bill or one notice at a time.

What this guide covers

· The five territories to examine
· The income comparison: what a second salary actually nets
· What the employer may recoup
· Health insurance after separation
· Retirement accounts and vesting
· The long-term arithmetic
· Resignation timing and notice
· Re-entry: what the data shows
· Where the plan comes in

The full guide comes with your plan.

Baby's First Year includes the whole Learning Center, this guide included: the knowledge behind every task on your personalized, dated timeline.

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Sources this guide is verified against

Care.com, 2026 Cost of Care Report: https://www.care.com/c/how-much-does-child-care-cost/
KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/2025-employer-health-benefits-survey/
KFF, Annual Family Premiums for Employer Coverage Rise 6% in 2025: https://www.kff.org/health-costs/annual-family-premiums-for-employer-coverage-rise-6-in-2025-nearing-27000-with-workers-paying-6850-toward-premiums-out-of-their-paychecks/
U.S. Department of Labor, FAQs on COBRA Continuation Health Coverage: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/about-ebsa/our-activities/resource-center/faqs/cobra-continuation-health-coverage-workers
U.S. Department of Labor, COBRA Continuation Coverage: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/laws/cobra
eCFR, 29 CFR 825.213, Employer recovery of benefit costs: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-825/subpart-B/section-825.213
U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 28A, Employee Protections under FMLA: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/28a-fmla-employee-protections
HealthCare.gov, Special Enrollment Period: https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage-outside-open-enrollment/special-enrollment-period/
HealthCare.gov, Options if you lose job-based coverage: https://www.healthcare.gov/have-job-based-coverage/if-you-lose-job-based-coverage/
IRS, 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/401k-limit-increases-to-24500-for-2026-ira-limit-increases-to-7500
IRS, Retirement topics, Termination of employment: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-termination-of-employment
IRS, Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/rollovers-of-retirement-plan-and-ira-distributions
SSA, Social Security Benefit Amounts: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/Benefits.html
SSA, Social Security Retirement Benefit Calculation: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/retirebenefit1.html
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor force participation rate was 73.9 percent for mothers and 93.7 percent for fathers in 2025: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/labor-force-participation-rate-was-73-9-percent-for-mothers-and-93-7-percent-for-fathers-in-2025.htm
Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Earnings Gap Hits Mom's Social Security: https://crr.bc.edu/earnings-gap-hits-moms-social-security/
Center for American Progress, Calculating the Hidden Cost of Interrupting a Career for Child Care: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/calculating-the-hidden-cost-of-interrupting-a-career-for-child-care/
Nolo, Quitting Your Job After Maternity Leave, Issues to Consider: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/quitting-your-job-after-maternity-leave-issues-to-consider.html

Every figure checked against official sources; last reviewed August 2026. Mothers Plan provides information and organization, not legal, tax, financial, or medical advice.