Paid and unpaid parental leave - things to consider

When planning parental leave, there are some things you should do before your baby's due date, or as soon as possible if you are adopting a child.

Check your leave entitlements

Check the Fair Work Ombudsman website to find out how much paid or unpaid leave you can have.

If you are taking unpaid parental leave, you can combine it with other leave, like:

• annual leave
• long service leave

In Australia, around 4 in 10 employees could take paid parental leave in 2023.

Consider your financial situation

How much leave you decide to take will depend on your situation.

When deciding how much time to take off when having a baby:

• consider how you will manage any debts or other financial commitments
• plan a budget to help you with the financial changes that come with a new child

ASIC's Moneysmart Budget Planner can help you calculate your budget when planning parental leave.

Check childcare options

Before planning your leave, it's a good idea to check childcare options in your area. You can do this at StartingBlocks.gov.au and use their Find Child Care tool.

Talk to your employer

You must give your employer at least 10 weeks written notice before starting your unpaid parental leave.

You must also confirm the dates of your leave 4 weeks before the leave starts.

Check if you are eligible for any Australian Government payments

Visit Services Australia to find out if you can claim payments such as Parental Leave Pay or Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement

Parental Leave Pay is provided by the Australian Government and the amount is based on the national minimum wage.

To be eligible for Parental Leave Pay from the government, you must:

• be an Australian resident
• earn under a certain limit
• not be working while you receive the payment
• have worked for 10 of the 13 months before your child's birth or adoption, working for a minimum number of hours a week

You need to be caring for your newborn or adopted child. You will also need to have applied to register the birth of the child if they were born in Australia.

You are eligible if you are:

• the child's biological or adoptive parent
• a partner to the child's biological or adoptive parent
• the person caring for a child born from surrogacy
• another person caring for a child under exceptional circumstances

Visit the Services Australia website to see more about the eligibility requirements for Parental Leave Pay.

Claims for Parental Leave Pay need to be submitted within one year of the birth or adoption of your child.

How many paid Parental Leave Pay days can I get?

The date of birth or adoption of your child will determine how many days of paid parental leave you or your partner can get.

For a child born or adopted from:

• 1 July 2024 you can get up to 110 days or 22 weeks of paid parental leave
• 1 July 2025 you can get up to 120 days or 24 weeks of paid parental leave

If you're sharing your Parental Leave Pay days with someone else, you can take up to 10 days at the same time.

Read more about how many days you can get and options for taking your payment on the Services Australia website.

You may also be entitled to paid parental leave from your employer depending on your:

• award
• agreement
• contract
• workplace policy

The amount paid by your employer will depend on your arrangements with them.

Unpaid parental leave applies to employees who:

• will have responsibility to care for a child
• have worked for your employer for at least 12 months before your baby is born or the date of the adoption

You can take unpaid parental leave if you are an employee who:

• gives birth
• has a spouse or de facto partner who gives birth
• adopts a child under 16 years of age

Both parents are entitled to up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave. You can also request an additional 12 months of leave from your employer. Your total leave can't be more than 24 months. Unpaid leave must be completed within 24 months after the birth or adoption of your child.

Casual employees can also access unpaid leave, provided that you would have continued working if not for the birth or adoption of your child.

Flexible unpaid parental leave

Most unpaid parental leave must be taken a single continuous period. You can also use some of your leave days flexibly.

The amount of time that can be taken as flexible parental leave depends on the date of the birth or adoption:

• before 1 July 2024 — up to 100 days
• between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 — up to 110 days
• between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 — up to 120 days
• on or after 1 July 2026 — up to 130 days

More information is available at the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

Pre-adoption leave

If you are adopting a child, you can take up to 2 days of unpaid pre-adoption leave to attend interviews.

You are entitled to this leave no matter how long you have worked for your employer.

Your employer may ask you to use other leave, such as annual leave, before using these 2 days of leave.

Another child

If you are having another child, you don't have to work for another 12 months before you can take unpaid parental leave with the same employer.

You will have to work for 12 months if you start work with a new employer.

Stillbirth or loss of an infant

If you experience a stillbirth or the death of an infant during their first 24 months of life, you can take unpaid parental leave for up to 12 months.

You can start the Centrelink claim process up to 3 months before your baby is born or adopted. Log on to your Centrelink account through the MyGov website.

The government will usually make parental leave payments to your employer. Your employer will then pay you. However, you can choose to receive the payment directly from the government.

Check if you are eligible for other payments:

• Family Tax Benefit
• Parenting Payment

You can't work on a Parental Leave Pay day. You will need to notify Centrelink if you are changing your planned Parental Leave Pay days.

You can't work for more than one hour on a Parental Leave Pay day.

If you run your own business, you can't work while you are getting the payment. You can do basic tasks for an hour each day to keep your business operational, such as

• paying bills
• organising repairs
• keeping in contact with clients

For more information on activities that do not count as work, please visit the Services Australia website.

Keeping in touch days

You may keep in touch with your employer, so it's easier for you to transition back to work. This might involve performing work for your employer.

You can have 10 of these days for every 12 months of parental leave.

After taking your parental leave, you can discuss how you can balance your caring responsibilities with work with:

• your partner
• your employer

When you return to work, you can speak to your employer about:

• working less hours than you did before
• flexible working arrangements

This means you can earn money but still spend time with your baby.

There is no right time to return to work. It's your decision and can depend on many things, including:

• the type of work you do
• your family arrangements
• your child's needs

You are entitled to the same position you had before your leave, when returning to work after parental leave.

If you decide to go back to work, one option is for your partner to take leave and stay at home with the baby. Once their leave is exhausted, your leave can start, and they can return to work.

For more information on parental leave, you can visit the Fair Work Ombudsman and Services Australia.

You can also read about being a new parent.