Starting this summer, parents can apply for paid parental leave in the Netherlands!
A warm welcome to paid parental leave this summer!
As of 2 August 2022, parents can apply for nine weeks of paid parental leave in the Netherlands. Parents could already take 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave until their child’s eighth birthday. And since 2 August 2022, they can receive government benefits on 9 of those 26 weeks.
Terms of leave
The benefit per day amounts to 70% of the employee’s daily wage, capped at 70% of € 232.90 (maximum daily wage in 2022). One of the conditions is that these nine weeks are taken, flexibly or not, before the child’s first birthday.
Parents with a child born before 2 August 2022 can also receive paid parental leave, as long as the nine weeks of leave are taken before the child’s first birthday.
Parental leave in Europe
This new rule ensures the Netherlands complies with the relevant EU directive. Many other countries, including Belgium and France, already had more favourable schemes for parents with young children. Click here to read our earlier article ‘Parental leave in the Netherlands and neighbouring countries, how does it work?’.
Working and having a family in the Netherlands - leave types into focus
With this expansion of the Work and Care Act, there are a total of no less than six different types of leave that employees with children can take advantage of. Not to mention paid and unpaid care leave, which can be taken for the care of a sick child, among other things. We have visualized them for you:
Paid parental leave - How does it work?
Typically, the employer applies for a benefit to the appropriate government agency (UWV, the Employee Insurance Agency) and pays the wages to the employee, just as they do for maternity leave. Of course, we are happy to support you in organising and registering leave for your employees. If you want to know more about the options and how it works, keep an eye on our newsletters. Or send a message to arbo@interfisc.nl, so we can send you our comprehensive information as soon as we have the update ready.
Also read the detailed information from the Dutch government:
- For employers: Paid parental leave for my employee | UWV | Employers
- For employees: Paid parental leave | UWV | Private individuals
Do you have questions about maternity, birth or parental leave?
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