Parent’s Leave increases to 5 weeks

Budget 2021 announced that parent’s leave is to increase from 2 weeks to 5 weeks. It is expected that this change will be effective from April 2021.

What is Parent’s Leave

Parent’s leave entitles each parent to additional leave during the first year of a child’s life / first year of an adoption placement. It is generally not permissible for parents to transfer the leave to the other parent. Parent’s leave may be taken as one block or in single weekly blocks. Parents should give at least 6 weeks’ notice of their intention to take the leave.

Where an employee is entitled to take another form of family leave, such as maternity leave, additional maternity leave, adoptive leave or paternity leave, the parent’s leave must start the day immediately following the end of the appropriate family leave.

Pay and other benefits during Parent’s Leave

Eligible parents will be entitled to statutory parent’s leave pay, currently €245 per week. Employers are not obliged to top-up this payment.

Employment rights are preserved during parent’s leave, including annual leave which will continue to accrue.