Before the due date

As an expectant mother, you are entitled to maternity leave and pay four weeks before your baby is expected to be born. If you have a doctor's certificate confirming that continued employment may put the health of you or your baby at risk, you can begin your maternity leave 13 weeks before the due date, but you can only claim maternity allowance from 8 weeks before the expected birth. The doctor's certificate must be valid until at least four weeks before due date.

You cannot set aside your weeks before the birth, in order to use them afterwards.

After childbirth (children born on 1 January 2021 or later)

After the birth of the child, parents are entitled to stay at home with the child for up to 52 weeks altogether. They can claim parental allowance for 52 of those weeks. Of those weeks, 14 are reserved for the mother, 4 for the father (or the co-mother after 1 January 2022) and the remaining 34 weeks the parents can divide between them.

The weeks that the parents can share, can only be used after the first 14 weeks following birth and can only be used by one parent at the time. However, there is nothing that prevents the parent, who is not on leave, from taking a holiday at the same time.

The parental allowance must be claimed within 52 weeks of childbirth.

Before the due date

As an expectant mother, you are entitled to maternity leave and pay four weeks before your babies are expected to be born. If you have a doctor's certificate confirming that continued employment may put the health of you or your babies at risk, you can begin your maternity leave 13 weeks before the due date, but you can only claim maternity allowance from 8 weeks before the expected birth. The doctor's certificate must be valid until at least four weeks before due date.

You cannot set aside your weeks before the birth, in order to use them afterwards.

After childbirth (children born on 1 January 2021 or later)

After childbirth, parents are entitled to stay at home for up to 56 weeks altogether. Parents of multiple newborns (e.g. twins) can claim parental allowance for 56 of those weeks. Of those weeks, 14 are reserved for the mother, 4 for the father (or the co-mother after 1 January 2022) and the remaining 38 weeks the parents can divide between them.

The weeks that the parents can share, can only be used after the first 14 weeks following birth and can only be used by one parent at the time. However, there is nothing that prevents the parent, who is not on leave, from taking a holiday at the same time.

The parental allowance must be claimed within 56 weeks of childbirth.

Children born on 1 January 2021 or later

Parents of premature babies are eligible to parental leave and pay for 60 weeks altogether. Of those weeks, 14 are reserved for the mother, 4 for the father (or the co-mother after 1 January 2022) and the remaining 42 weeks they can divide between them.

The 42 weeks that the parents can share, can only be used after the first 14 weeks following birth and can only be used by one parent at the time. However, there is nothing that prevents the parent, who is not on leave, from taking a holiday at the same time.

The parental allowance must be claimed within 60 weeks of childbirth.

If your baby is stillborn, you are still entitled to your maternity rights, on the condition that a doctor has registered the childbirth.

However, only the mother can claim the weeks following the 14th week after childbirth. If the baby dies in these weeks, the paternity leave will end, if he already has spent the four weeks reserved for the father or the co-mother.

Before placement

Adoptive parents are entitled to parental benefits for up to four weeks prior to the date of placement (when the child starts living with them), on the condition that they travel abroad to bring the child back with them.

After placement

Adoptive parents are entitled to parental leave for 56 weeks altogether, after the date of placement. They are entitled to parental allowance for 52 of those weeks. Four of these weeks can be taken by both parents simultaneously.

The parental allowance must be claimed within 56 weeks of the date of placement.

As a single parent, you are entitled to all the parental leave and pay yourself, including the four weeks otherwise reserved for the fathers. In regard to parental leave, you are considered to be alone with the child, if the father is absent.