About the scheme

The scheme does all of the following:

• complements other employer provided birth or adoption leave entitlements
• recognises taking time off to care for a child is part of the usual course of life for parents
• promotes equality between men and women and balance between work and family life.

The scheme also helps you do all of the following:

• retain valuable and skilled staff by encouraging them to stay connected with their workplace when they become parents
• enhance a family friendly workplace without you having to fund Parental Leave Pay
• increase long term workforce participation for new parents.

There are 2 payments available to families under the scheme:

• Parental Leave Pay
• Dad and Partner Pay.

Both payments are taxable and paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

Parental Leave Pay

Parental Leave Pay helps eligible working parents take time off to care for a newborn or recently adopted child. If you need to provide Parental Leave Pay we give you the funds to pass on to your employees. You should provide the funds in the same way you pay their salary or wages.

For a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023, parents can get up to 18 weeks pay. To be eligible, they must not be working from the time they become their child’s primary carer. They must also not work until the end of their Paid Parental Leave period. There are some exceptions if your employee returns to work early.

For a child born or adopted from 1 July 2023, parents can get up to 20 weeks pay. With the birth mother or adoptive parent’s approval, any parent can claim Parental Leave Pay. They can work before or after any periods of Parental Leave Pay. They can use it on days they’re not working, including weekdays, weekends, holidays or any time they’re on leave from work. There are some exceptions if your employee works on days they are getting Parental Leave Pay.

Employees may be eligible for Paid Parental Leave if they’ve stopped working due to special circumstances. You can read more about exceptions to the work test for Parental Leave Pay.

Employees can take Parental Leave Pay before, after or at the same time as paid or unpaid leave.

Parents with a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023 must take the Paid Parental Leave period as a continuous block. It can start from the day of birth or adoption, or it can start later. Your employee will tell us when they want it to begin. Up to 30 Flexible Paid Parental Leave days are available as part of the maximum 18 weeks of Parental Leave Pay.

Parents with a child born or adopted from 1 July 2023 have up to 100 Parental Leave Pay days. Parents can share these days and take up to 10 days at the same time. These are available as part of the maximum 20 weeks of Parental Leave Pay available to families. They can get Parental Leave Pay as any of the following:

• a single block
• multiple smaller blocks
• single days
• a combination of smaller blocks and single days.

We’ll only ask you to deliver Parental Leave Pay to employees who meet all of the following:

• are taking at least 8 weeks of Parental Leave Pay, in a block
• the block is within a year of their child’s birth or entry into care
• have been working with you for at least 12 months
• will be returning to your employment after their leave ends.

You only need to deliver Parental Leave Pay once per child for each employee who meets all of these conditions. We’ll tell you the exact dates that you’ll need to provide Parental Leave Pay to your employee.

Learn more about your role in the Paid Parental Leave scheme.

Flexible Paid Parental Leave

If your employee’s child is born or adopted before 1 July 2023, they may have Flexible Paid Parental Leave days. Up to 30 Flexible Paid Parental Leave days are available as part of the maximum 18 weeks of Parental Leave Pay. Parents can connect some or all of their Flexible Paid Parental Leave days to their 12 week Paid Parental Leave period. This will extend their continuous period to a maximum of 18 weeks.

If you are providing their Parental Leave Pay, this means both:

• you’ll only need to provide the Paid Parental Leave period and any connected Flexible Paid Parental Leave days
• we’ll provide any other Flexible Paid Parental Leave days.

You won’t need to make any special changes to the way you provide Parental Leave Pay.

Read more about who can get Parental Leave Pay.

Dad and Partner Pay

Working dads or partners with a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023 may be eligible for Dad and Partner Pay. This payment covers up to 2 weeks pay for eligible dads and partners taking unpaid leave and not working during this time. Dads or partners may ask you for unpaid leave so they can get this payment. The 2 weeks of payment must start within 50 weeks of their child’s birth or adoption.

You won’t need to provide Dad and Partner Pay. As it’s only a 2 week payment, we pay it straight to your employee.

Employees may be eligible for Dad and Partner Pay if they’ve stopped working due to special circumstances. You can read more about exceptions to the work test for Dad and Partner Pay.

You can choose to pay your employee a top-up payment to supplement their Dad and Partner Pay. For example, the difference between their Dad and Partner Pay and their normal wage. We don’t consider a top-up payment as paid leave for the purposes of Dad and Partner Pay eligibility.

Read more about who can get Dad and Partner Pay.

Employees with a child born or adopted from 1 July 2023 can claim Parental Leave Pay.