From today, Parent’s Leave and Parent’s Benefit will be extended from seven weeks to nine weeks.
The measures were announced as part of Budget 2024.
Parents will be able to claim the additional two weeks’ leave if their child is under the age of two, or if an adopted child has been placed with a family for less than two years.
Parent’s Leave is available to both employees and people who are self-employed.
Parent’s Benefit is paid at a rate of €274 per week and can be claimed by people who are on Parent’s Leave from work, if they have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions.
Employers do not have to pay workers who are on Parent’s Leave, although some may ‘top-up’ Parent’s Benefit payments.
Parent’s Leave is different to Parental Leave, which entitles parents to take unpaid leave from work to spend time looking after their children.
Since 1 September 2020, both parents can take up to 26 weeks of Parental Leave.