Parental leave will be paid

Great news for those who are planning to have children! Parental leave (ouderschapsverlof), which was previously unpaid, will become partially paid from 2 August 2022.

Let us clarify for those who are in the Netherlands quite recently and were surprised to learn that parental leave is not paid.

Currently (until 2 August 2022) parental leave is not paid in the Netherlands. Employees are entitled to 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave for the first eight years of a child's life. In some cases, the employer pays for such leave on its own initiative. This is spelled out in additional agreements, for example, in an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement.

Thank you for the legally paid parental leave I must say to the new European directive. The bill, passed by the Dutch Senate on October 12, 2021, will enter into force on August 2, 2022. As of 2 August 2022, employers can apply online to UWV for benefits for employees who are taking partially paid parental leave.

What is the amount of the benefit?

Parents can receive benefits equal to 50% of their wages for 9 weeks (the other 17 weeks are unpaid, but can be taken before the child turns 8). At the same time, it is important to comply with the condition - 9 weeks of vacation must be taken during the first year of the child's life.

Please note: the law contains a provision on the basis of which, before the effective date (i.e. 2 August 2022), the benefit can be increased to 70%.

What if the child was born before the law was introduced?

Parental leave applies to those parents whose children were under one year of age before the law came into force.

Wherein:

– Moms and dads must work;

– They have not yet used their right to parental leave (have not used all 26 weeks).

Example:

I hope: an employee who is the parent of a 6 month old child on 2 August 2022 (effective date of the law). He (or she) has already taken 19 weeks of unpaid leave.

Decision: The employee has a further 7 weeks of parental leave (26 – 19 = 7) and 6 months before the child turns 1 year old to exercise the right to paid ouderschapsverlof. The parent will be paid for 7 weeks.

Ouderschapsverlof in case of adoption or foster care (adoptie- of pleegouderschap)

Parental leave is also possible if you have foster children or foster children under the age of 8. It will be paid only if 9 weeks out of 26 will be taken within the first year after the day of actual adoption or how the child was taken into foster care.