- Your employee must have an employment contract with your organisation.
- Your employee must take the paid leave within 1 year of the baby being born. Or within the first year after the child was adopted or fostered (provided the child is not older than 8).
In addition, 1 of the following situations must also apply:
- Your employee is the legal parent. For example, they are the birth parent or adoptive parent.
- Your employee is not the legal parent but is raising the child. For example, they are a family member, step-parent or a foster parent with a foster contract.
Your employee will be entitled to 9 weeks’ paid parental leave.
Please note: If your employee does not use all of their paid parental leave within the first year, they can convert it into unpaid parental leave. Unpaid leave can be taken up until the child is 8 years old.
Your employee will receive 70% of their average daily income including 8% holiday pay. This will be no more than 70% of the highest average daily income (‘maximumdagloon’). However, you can choose to supplement this benefit.
You can choose whether to receive the benefit in one go or in instalments. We will pay the benefit to you, and you will then pay your employee. If you prefer, we can pay the benefit directly to your employee. We need to be informed of this in advance.
You will not receive any payments until your employee has taken some or all of their leave. It is up to you whether you pay your employee during this period. You are not obliged to do so. Come to an agreement with your employee about whether you will pay them during their leave or afterwards.
To receive the payment in one go, apply for the benefit after your employee has taken all of their paid leave. This will allow you to submit a payment request as part of your application. This request will be for the entire benefit.
To receive the payment in instalments, apply for the benefit after your employee has taken at least 1 whole week of paid leave. This will allow you to submit the request as part of your application and will also count as your first payment request.
You can send up to 2 more payment requests for the remaining instalments. To do so, submit an online payment request.
If your employee has a multiple birth or adopts more than 1 child, they will be entitled to a maximum of 9 weeks’ paid leave per child. This means if they have twins, they will be entitled to 18 weeks’ leave. In such a case, you can submit multiple payment requests. However, you will only need to submit 1 application.
If your employee fosters more than 1 child, they will be entitled to a maximum of 9 weeks’ paid leave in total. However, if they foster 1 child now and then another child at a later date, they will receive paid parental leave both times. They will also be entitled to 9 weeks’ leave each time.
You can only apply for paid parental leave for the days or hours your employee is not ill. However, if your employee becomes ill while on paid parental leave, their benefit will continue. You might both decide you want to put the paid leave on hold and then have it continue after this period of illness. There is no need to notify us of this change.
If your employee is already ill and off work, they cannot take paid parental leave. In such a case, you will continue to pay your employee's salary instead. Paid parental leave can only start when the employee is able to work again, and within 1 year of the baby’s birth or within 1 year of the adoption or foster care placement starting.
If your employee finishes working for you and starts working for a new employer, you will pay them for the paid parental leave they have taken up to, and including, their last day of employment with you.
Your employee might still be entitled to part of their paid parental leave once they stop working for you. You might need to supply a written statement showing how many weeks’ leave they are still entitled to. Your employee can then take the rest of their leave with their new employer.
You do not need to apply for paid parental leave for your new employee. However, after they have taken some or all of their remaining leave with you, you will need to submit a payment request. We will then pay the benefit directly to your new employee.
There are some changes to your employee’s circumstances that must be reported to us such as:
- changes to bank details
- changes to the first date of leave
- changes involving payment transfers