Parental leave is a statutory scheme that you can use if you have children under 8 years old. Your salary will not be paid for these hours, but this arrangement offers you the opportunity to spend more time with your family. What does parental leave actually mean?
What is Parental Leave?
Parental leave is a legal arrangement that allows you to temporarily work less after the birth of your child. Your employer cannot refuse your leave, but your salary will not be paid for these hours either. Parental leave is regulated in the Work and Care Act (Wazo) and is intended to allow you to spend more time with your family.
You can take parental leave once for every child under 8 years old. The child must live at the same address as you and you must take care of the child sustainably. This means that you can also take parental leave for an adopted child, a stepchild or a foster child. You can request parental leave as soon as you are employed by your employer.
Parental leave 2022
Parental leave will be extended from August 2022. From then on, you will be partially paid for the first nine weeks of parental leave. You will be paid half of your daily wage, up to a maximum of 50% of the maximum daily wage (219,28 gross in 2020). One condition is that you take nine weeks of paid leave before your child's first birthday. You can take the remaining weeks of parental leave until your child is 8 years old.
With this expansion, the government wants to encourage parents to take parental leave and to spend more time with their families. As a parent, you can get used to the new family situation and find a better balance between your work and the care for your child.
Parental leave around childbirth
Your partner is also entitled to parental leave in addition to partner leave. After the delivery, he or she will be given the number of working hours per week on partner leave as standard. In addition, your partner is entitled to the same number of weeks of parental leave as you. Your employer may not refuse parental leave, but is not obliged to promise it on the days you wish. He/she can ask your partner to arrange parental leave differently.
Extra birth leave from 1 July 2020
The additional birth leave will come into effect from 1 July 2020. In addition to the full working week, your partner gets 5 extra working weeks off. During these additional weeks, he/she will receive 70% of his/her wages. These weeks can be arranged at your own discretion, but in consultation with the employer. Your partner must take them in during the first 6 months after the birth.
Taking parental leave or not?
Parental leave is quite a complicated arrangement that requires some research and thinking. How many hours do you want to record, over which period and how will this affect your salary? These are important questions to ask yourself beforehand. Once you have taken parental leave, you can only change this with your employer's permission.
However, the parental leave scheme also has a very big advantage; the opportunity to spend more time with your child. It is therefore definitely worth taking a closer look at the subject.
Also see for more information rijksoverheid.nl