Working Full Time and Caring for Mom or Dad? Here's Help You May Already Have

Quick answer: If you work in California, you may already have help you haven’t used. Your job may offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and a dependent care FSA. State law gives most workers paid sick days they can use for a parent. The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) can protect your job for up to 12 weeks of leave to care for a seriously ill parent, and the state’s Paid Family Leave program can replace part of your pay for up to 8 weeks. Start with HR, then call Agency on Aging Area 4 for free local help.

You answer work emails in the hospital parking lot. You take Dad to the doctor on your lunch break. You lie awake wondering how long you can keep this up.

You’re not alone, and you may have more help than you think. This guide covers the benefits many California workers already have, free help in Sacramento and Placer counties, and how to tell when it’s time for more care. It’s general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Your employer’s HR team and a tax professional can tell you what applies to you.

The short version

• Ask HR about an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Many include free counseling and help finding care.
• California’s paid sick leave can be used to care for a parent. Most workers get at least 40 hours or 5 days a year.
• CFRA can give you up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period to care for a parent with a serious health condition.
• Paid Family Leave can pay about 70 to 90% of your wages, depending on income, for up to 8 weeks. It pays you, but it doesn’t protect your job by itself.
• A dependent care FSA may help pay for adult day care or care at home while you work. Ask a tax pro if your parent qualifies.
• Agency on Aging Area 4 gives free information and can point you to caregiver support in your county.

Ask HR about your EAP

Many employers offer an Employee Assistance Program, often called an EAP. Benefits differ from job to job, but many EAPs offer a few free, private counseling sessions and help finding services for an older parent. It’s usually free to you and private.

When you call HR, ask:

• Do we have an EAP? What’s the number?
• Does it help with elder care, like finding in-home care or a care home?
• Can I get a few counseling sessions for stress?
• Can I work flexible hours or from home for a while?
• What leave can I use, and who do I tell?

Paid sick days you can use for a parent

California’s paid sick leave law covers care for family members, including a parent. The state Labor Commissioner says employers must generally provide at least 5 days or 40 hours of paid sick leave a year (California Labor Commissioner). You can use it for a parent’s doctor visits, a hospital day, or a bad week at home. Your employer may offer more.

Job-protected leave: the California Family Rights Act

The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) can give you up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period to care for a parent with a serious health condition. The California Civil Rights Department says parents-in-law and stepparents count too (Civil Rights Department).

You’re usually eligible if all of these are true:

• Employer size. What it means: Your employer has 5 or more employees.
• Time on the job. What it means: You’ve worked there at least 1 year.
• Hours. What it means: You’ve worked at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months.

The leave doesn’t have to be taken all at once, so it may be possible to take it in pieces, like time off for appointments. Give your employer at least 30 days’ notice if possible. CFRA leave itself can be unpaid, but you may be able to use sick time, vacation or Paid Family Leave during it.

Federal law has a similar program, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but it only applies when 50 or more employees work within 75 miles. CFRA reaches many more California workers.

California Paid Family Leave

Paid Family Leave (PFL) is run by the state Employment Development Department (EDD). It’s paid for through the State Disability Insurance (SDI) taken out of most paychecks. On most pay stubs, it’s listed as CASDI (EDD).

• Who you can care for: a parent or parent-in-law, plus a child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or registered domestic partner.
• How long: up to 8 weeks in a 12-month period.
• How much: EDD says your weekly benefit is about 70 to 90% of your wages, depending on your income, up to $1,765 a week (EDD).
• What you need: a medical certificate from your parent’s doctor showing a serious health condition and a need for care. Your parent, or their legal representative, signs part of the form too.

The surprise: Paid Family Leave pays you, but it doesn’t protect your job by itself. EDD says job protection comes from other laws, like CFRA or FMLA (EDD). Talk to HR about both at the same time.

EDD also says you can use PFL to care for a parent who lives outside California, if their doctor certifies the need for care. And if more than one person is caring for your parent, you’re paid only for the time you’re the main caregiver.

Dependent care FSA

A dependent care FSA lets you set aside part of your pay before taxes for care costs, so you can work. For 2026, the IRS limit is $7,500 a year, or $3,750 if you’re married and file separately (IRS Publication 15-B).

It can include care for a parent, but the rules are strict. IRS Publication 503 says the person must be physically or mentally unable to care for themselves and live with you for more than half the year, among other tests. Care outside your home counts only if your parent regularly spends at least 8 hours a day in your home (IRS Publication 503). So it may help with adult day care or a caregiver at home while you work. It usually doesn’t fit a care home where your parent lives full time.

Every situation is different. Ask HR how your plan works, and ask a tax pro whether your parent qualifies.

Free local help in Sacramento and Placer

• Agency on Aging Area 4 gives free information to older adults and families in Sacramento and Placer counties, and can point you to caregiver support, respite and meal programs: (916) 486-1876 or (800) 211-4545 (Agency on Aging Area 4).
• In Sacramento County, Agency on Aging Area 4 lists 211 Sacramento for information and help. Dial 2-1-1 or (916) 498-1000 (Agency on Aging Area 4, Sacramento County).
• In Placer County, Agency on Aging Area 4 lists Seniors First for information and help: (530) 889-9500 (Agency on Aging Area 4, Placer County).
• HICAP gives free counseling on Medicare and long-term care insurance: (916) 376-8915 or (800) 434-0222.
• Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline: 800-272-3900, if your parent has dementia (Alzheimer’s Association).

When is it time for more care?

Leave and benefits can buy you time. They can’t make a 24-hour job fit into the hours after work. It may be time to look at more help if:

• Your parent can’t be left alone safely while you’re at work.
• There have been falls, missed medicines or a scary moment at night.
• You’re using all your sick days and PTO on care, and you’re running out.
• Your own health, sleep or job is slipping.
• Your parent needs help with bathing, dressing or the toilet every day.

Some families start with a caregiver at home for part of the day. Others choose a board and care home or assisted living. A short respite stay in a care home can give you a break and let your parent try it. Our guides Is It Time? Signs Mom or Dad Needs More Help, In-Home Care or Assisted Living? and Respite Care in Sacramento and Placer can help you decide.

Licensed care homes in the greater Sacramento region typically cost $4,000 to $15,000 a month. A few homes charge less, but a price under $4,000 a month is rare. A shared room in a board and care home is often $5,000 to $7,000 a month. These are planning ranges, not quotes. See How Will We Pay for Mom’s Care? for ways families pay.

How Nonna Placements works: Nonna Placements is free to families. The home pays our fee when someone moves in, so families never pay us. You can choose any home. If the first home doesn’t work out, we find another for free. This article is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.

Running out of hours? Call or text us

You can keep your job and still take good care of Mom or Dad. Tell us what your parent needs and what your week looks like, and we’ll look for homes that fit. If your parent is staying home for now, call or text us and we can help you find in-home care options.

Nonna Placements helps families across California, with a focus on Placer and Sacramento counties. We only suggest homes we’ve seen ourselves. We can come on tours with you. For out-of-state families, we offer video tours. It’s free to your family, because the home pays our fee.

Call or text (916) 261-2644 or email roberto@nonnaplacements.com. We reply within 1 hour, 24/7.

Related reading: Is It Time? Signs Mom or Dad Needs More Help · Respite Care in Sacramento and Placer · When Siblings Disagree About Assisted Living · How to Talk to Mom or Dad About Moving · Senior living in Roseville

Sources

• California Civil Rights Department, Family Care and Medical Leave guide (checked November 2, 2026): calcivilrights.ca.gov
• California Employment Development Department, Paid Family Leave for Caregivers, Paid Family Leave, and Calculating Benefit Payment Amounts (checked November 2, 2026): edd.ca.gov
• California Labor Commissioner, Paid Sick Leave FAQs (checked November 2, 2026): dir.ca.gov
• IRS, Publication 15-B (2026) and Publication 503 (checked November 2, 2026): irs.gov
• Agency on Aging Area 4, Contact us, Sacramento County and Placer County services (checked November 2, 2026): agencyonaging4.org
• Alzheimer’s Association, 24/7 Helpline (checked November 2, 2026): alz.org

About the author

Roberto Hategan is the CEO & Founder of Nonna Placements, a senior placement service in Granite Bay serving families across California, with a focus on Placer and Sacramento counties. We only suggest homes we’ve seen ourselves. Contact: roberto@nonnaplacements.com

Photo credits: Thirdman, Viridiana Rivera and Polina Tankilevitch, via Pexels, Pexels License.