If a parental leave is in your future — whether you’re expecting (congrats!) or simply considering having a baby soon — you probably have about a million questions. (As one does.)

On that list — yeah, OK, we know, probably not at the top — might be what about my 401(k)? Do you have to stop contributing? Will your account get closed? Do you need to do anything to get ready?

The answer is … it depends.

If you’ll be taking paid paternity or maternity leave

If you’re lucky enough to work for an employer who offers paid parental leave, then this is probably pretty easy — since your paychecks will continue as usual, your 401(k) contributions will typically continue as usual, too.

And unless you’re facing a set of extreme circumstances where you really need the extra money to get by, we recommend leaving it that way. Because investing consistently has historically been a top-notch way to build the future you’re dreaming of.

If you’ll be taking unpaid maternity leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees covered employees the right to take 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Unfortunately (for literally everyone involved — from fathers to mothers to kids to companies themselves), the US doesn’t have mandated paternity leave yet.

401(k) contributions are made via paycheck withholding, so if you take an unpaid maternity leave, you won’t be contributing to your 401(k) during that time (because no paycheck).

That doesn’t mean that your 401(k) will get closed. It’s basically the same as if you’d gone into your account and opted to pause your contributions manually — that account’s still there, waiting for you when you’re ready to come back.

Babies are expensive, and your household costs are probably also going to go up once the baby’s here. (Plus that unpaid leave.) So no pressure here. But if you’re worried about how a break from your 401(k) will affect your retirement savings down the line, there are a couple of things you could do to try to offset that gap.

If you have enough time and wiggle room in your budget, you could ramp up your contributions for a few months before your leave so that they carry you through the time off. You could also contribute more for a few months after your leave ends to catch up. Or, if it’s possible in your financial situation, you might choose to contribute to an IRA during your leave instead of your 401(k).

If you’ll be taking an extended career break

For a lot of reasons — social norms that pressure women to take time off to care for kids or aging parents, lack of paternity leave benefits and laws, etc. — women are a lot more likely to take career breaks than men (although we see you, stay-at-home dads). This is a completely valid choice that can be really wonderful for both you and your kids, but yes, taking a career break does affect your money a lot.

It goes beyond just a pause in your paychecks. There’s also the fact that the longer you’re away from work, the longer you (probably) aren’t investing for your retirement. Thanks to the effect of compound returns, that’s a big opportunity cost. Also, when women return from career breaks, they often take a salary hit (we agree — WTF). Which sets you back in terms of your salary trajectory and how much you’ll be able to contribute to your retirement in the future. (Pssst … Ellevest’s online investing algorithm takes all this into account.)

In terms of your 401(k), if you leave your company to take a career break, you won’t be able to contribute to that account anymore. You could leave it where it is, or you could roll it over into an IRA. (Here’s some more info on 401(k) rollovers and the pros and cons about that decision.)

Still, if you have the means to do so, you might not be totally out of options when it comes to retirement. For example, if your partner’s income is high enough, you could contribute to a spousal IRA. You can also use an IRA yourself if you have any amount of earned income (side hustle nation).

Before you go on leave, verify your own 401(k) plan details

The info in this article is how 401(k)s and parental leave typically work together — but of course, we can’t speak for every single situation. It’s a good idea to talk to the HR team at your company or your 401(k) plan administrator to make sure you’ve got the facts straight for your specific situation. Also, sometimes taking parental leave can affect other things like vesting on employer 401(k) match, so that’s good to ask about, too.

OK, that’s one more question on the list checked off!