You must tell us if you’re planning to work on a day that you asked to get Parental Leave Pay for.
We consider you’re working on the day if you work for one hour or more. This includes keeping in touch with your workplace for any of the following:
- taking part in a meeting
- doing on the job training
- doing work to become familiar with the workplace or your role before you return to work.
You must either:
- select a new day to get it
- return the day to your balance to use at a later time.
You can do this with your Centrelink online account. You’ll need to:
- Sign in to your Centrelink online account through myGov.
- Select My Family.
- Then select Parental Leave Pay Circumstances once you sign in.
You may work for allowable reasons
If you’re working, you can still get Parental Leave Pay if it’s for allowable reasons. If you’re the birth mother you must not work within 14 days after the birth of your child, even for an allowable reason.
You don’t need to tell us you’re working if any of the following allowable reasons apply to you:
- you have a stillbirth or infant death
- you need to work to comply with a court ordered summons
- you’re a defence force or law enforcement officer working due to a compulsory recall to duty
- you’re employed as a health professional, emergency services worker or other essential worker, responding to a state, territory or national emergency.
You also don’t need to tell us if your child needs to remain in hospital, or is hospitalised straight after birth.
You’re an essential worker if you either:
- have specific skills essential in responding to an emergency
- are involved in the production of goods or the delivery of services essential in responding to an emergency.