Dads Matter! Everything You Need to Know About Paternity Leave

What is paternity leave and how does it differ from parental leave?

Paternity leave is 14 days off for men who have given birth to a child . It is available to those employed under an employment contract. New fathers can take paternity leave for two years after the child's birth, after which the leave expires. This leave can be taken in two parts of 7 days each. Paternity leave is available to both biological and adoptive fathers. Paternity leave can be granted concurrently with maternity leave. During paternity leave, a man is entitled to maternity benefit equal to 100% of the benefit calculation base, meaning that if he earns a fixed monthly salary, it would be 100% of his salary. Paternity leave is actually the colloquial term for the portion of maternity leave that the mother waives in favor of the child's father.

Who is entitled to paternity leave?

Paternity leave is available to:

• to the father or another member of the immediate family after the mother has used the mandatory part of her maternity leave
• an insured person employed under an employment contract or on a business or commission basis - if these persons are registered for sickness insurance

How much maternity leave are fathers entitled to?

The first 14 weeks of maternity leave after the birth of a child are allocated to the mother. After this time, the parents may swap responsibilities, with the father being the primary caregiver. The duration of paternity leave will vary depending on the number of children born and the mother's health.

• 6 weeks - with one child,
• 17 weeks - with two children,
• 19 weeks - with three children,
• 21 weeks - with four children,
• 23 weeks - with five or more children

A man can use most of the maternity leave only in the event of: the death of the mother (the entire maternity leave), her hospitalization or the mother's inability to live independently (the rest of the maternity leave after the mandatory period of 8 weeks used by the mother).

How a father can take advantage of paternity leave

For a dad to officially go on paternity leave, the following steps must be taken:

• the child's mother submits to her employer a written request to resign from part of the maternity leave no later than 7 days before starting work
• the child's father submits an application to use the remaining part of maternity leave no later than 14 days before the planned start date of the leave.

The application should include:

• an abridged extract or copy of the child's (children's) birth certificate or a foreign birth certificate of the child's (children's) birth certificate,
• a statement by the child's mother of her intention to give up the remaining part of maternity leave

An employer cannot refuse to grant an employee maternity leave.

Is a father entitled to parental leave?

Parental leave is a leave taken by either the mother or the father. Parental leave lasts 32 weeks for one child or 34 weeks for multiple children. It can be divided into up to four parts. Both parents can take parental leave. The child's parents can take the leave simultaneously, each receiving 16 weeks off. Parental leave is paid at 100% of salary through:

• 6 weeks - with one child
• 8 weeks - with two or more children

After this period, maternity benefit is 60% of the benefit calculation base. Employees with six months of service can also take 36 months of parental leave, for which parents will not receive remuneration or social security benefits.