As a parent you are entitled to parental leave (‘ouderschapsverlof’). Some of this leave is paid and some of it is unpaid.

Parental leave can be taken until your child is 8 years old, and lasts a maximum of 26 working weeks. As long as you meet the criteria, 9 of those 26 weeks can be taken as paid parental leave. You can take this leave all at once, or spread it out over a longer period of time.

Keep in mind that paid parental leave must be taken within 1 year of the child being born, adopted or fostered. If you do not use all of your paid parental leave within the first year, you can convert it into unpaid parental leave. This means you will be entitled to more leave at a later date.

While on paid parental leave, you will receive 70% of your average daily income (including 8% holiday pay).

You are entitled to paid parental leave if you have an employment contract. You must take the paid parental leave within 1 year of your child’s birth, or within 1 year of your child being adopted or fostered (provided the child is under 8 years old).

In addition, 1 of the following situations must also apply:

• You are the legal parent. For example, you are the birth parent or adoptive parent.
• You are not the legal parent but are raising the child. For example, you are a family member, step-parent or a foster parent with a foster contract.

It is your employer’s responsibility to apply for paid parental leave for you. It is important that you and your employer discuss your parental leave plans at least 2 months before your first day of leave. Come to an agreement with your employer on when you plan to take this leave and for how long.

If your employer is unable or unwilling to apply for this benefit please contact us.

Please note: If you are a private carer or provide home help (‘Alfahulp’) and work less than 4 days a week, or if you are a director and a majority shareholder (‘DGA’), you might also be entitled to paid parental leave. If this is the case then you will need to arrange this yourself. Find out more about how you can apply for paid parental leave.

After you have taken your leave, or part of your leave, we will pay your employer the benefit. We will usually do this within 4 weeks of the benefit having been approved. As we will be paying your employer the following month, your employer does not have to pay you your benefit right away. This means you might have a gap with no income. It is important that you plan ahead and discuss this with your employer.

If you prefer we can also pay the benefit directly to you, but keep in mind our payment will still be made the following month. If you decide this way suits you better, you must let your employer know in advance.

You will receive 70% of your average daily income (including 8% holiday pay). This will be no more than 70% of the highest average daily income. However, sometimes your employer might supplement your benefit.

Also keep in mind that the level of your benefit might have consequences for the taxes you pay, as well as any benefits you may receive from the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration (‘de Belastingdienst’). For more information, visit toeslagen.nl.

Please note: You will not be entitled to an UWV top-up benefit (‘toeslag’) if you are receiving paid parental leave.

If you have a multiple birth or adopt more than 1 child, you will be entitled to a maximum of 9 weeks’ paid leave per child. This means if you have twins, you will be entitled to 18 weeks’ leave in total.

If you foster multiple children, you will be entitled to a maximum of 9 weeks’ paid leave in total. However, if you foster a child now and then another child at a later date, you will receive paid parental leave both times. You will also be entitled to 9 weeks’ leave each time.

If your employment finishes you may still be entitled to part of your paid parental leave with your new employer. You must arrange this with them yourself. Ask your former employer for a written statement showing how many weeks of paid parental leave you are still entitled to.

Your new employer does not need to apply for paid parental leave, but they will need to submit a payment request to us. We will pay the benefit directly to you.