News

Parent’s leave changes from 1 July 2022

From July 2022:

• Parent’s leave increased from 5 weeks to 7 weeks for children born or adopted after 1 July 2022
• You can claim the additional 2 weeks’ parent’s leave if your child is under the age of 2 on 1 July 2022 or your adopted child has been placed with your family less than 2 years on 1 July 2022
• You must complete the extra leave on or before your child’s second birthday or within 2 years of the adoption placement
• Parent’s Benefit increased from 5 weeks to 7 weeks for each parent (if you qualify)

Parents of children born between November 2019 and July 2020 will not be eligible for the additional 2 weeks.

Rules about parent’s leave

The legislation governing parent’s leave is the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019, as amended.

You must meet certain criteria to be eligible to take parent’s leave. You must:

• Be a relevant parent – see ‘Who can take parent’s leave?’ below:
• Take the leave within 104 weeks (2 years) of the birth of the child or in the case of adoption, from the date the child is placed with you (the placement date)
• Give at least 6 weeks’notice to your employer

The legislation only provides for the minimum entitlement to parent’s leave. Your contract of employment may give you more rights.

Who can take parent’s leave?

Relevant parents can take parent’s leave for eligible children. A relevant parent is one of the following:

• A parent of the child
• A spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the parent of the child
• A parent of a donor-conceived child as provided for under section 5 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015
• The adopting parent or parents of a child
• The spouse, civil partner or spouse of the adopting parent of the child (if the parents have not adopted jointly)

How can I take parent’s leave?

You can take this leave as:

• One continuous period of 7 weeks leave or
• Separate periods of not less than one week

Parent’s leave cannot be transferred between parents – except in specified circumstances such as the death of one of the parents.

How much will I get paid during parent’s leave?

If you have enough PRSI contributions, you will get a weekly Parent’s Benefit of €250 per week. This is paid by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). Your employer does not have to pay you while you are on parent’s leave. However, some employers do pay or top up your pay during the leave period – this is set out in your contract of employment.

Other rules for parent’s leave

• You are treated as being in employment while you are on parent’s leave (and all other types of statutory leave for parents). You are entitled to return to your job after parent’s leave.
• Annual leave – you can build up annual leave while you are on parent’s leave.
• Public holidays – you are entitled to any public holidays that occur during your parent’s leave.
• PRSI contributions – you can get credited PRSI contributions while you are on parent’s leave.

Can I share my parent’s leave with my partner?

Both parents have an equal separate entitlement to parent’s leave. You cannot transfer your entitlement to your partner.

Where one parent dies, the surviving parent is entitled to leave for the amount of leave the deceased parent did not take from their 7 week entitlement (this is known as transferred parent’s leave).

How to apply for parent’s leave

You must give notice to your employer before you can take parent’s leave.

You must:

• Give your notice in writing
• Tell your employer at least 6 weeks before the leave is due to start
• Include the start date, the way the leave will be taken and how long the leave will last