Paid Parental Leave

The Federal Government provides new parents in Australia with the Paid Parental Leave scheme.

The goal of Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is to provide new parents with a period of time away from work to look after their new child, rest and recuperate.

Thanks to a campaign run by union members, Australia’s PPL scheme is improving! The key changes are: 

• A staged increase in PPL to 26 weeks by July 2026
• Removal of Dad and Partner Pay in favour of an expanded gender-neutral and flexible scheme that can be taken by either parent and shared between parents as they see fit
• Expanded eligibility to access the scheme

The current scheme

This scheme currently offers up to 22 weeks of paid leave for workers while you care for a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023.

Under new laws that passed Parliament in March 2024, the amount of time available for leave is increasing to 24 weeks on 1 July 2025; and 26 weeks on 1 July 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does parental leave work?

The Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme is paid at the national minimum wage and is paid to employees during a standard pay cycle.

The scheme is funded by the Government, although employers must process payments through their payroll in most cases.

PPL cannot be provided in one lump sum payment, nor can you take it at half pay. PPL is gender-neutral and any parent of a child is eligible.

Employees must have worked for at least 10 of the 13 months before birth or adoption of their child, for a total of at least at least 330 hours.

Employers are not permitted to decrease your rate of pay or change your role within the company because you are on parental leave or for reasons including that reason. 

Employees may also be entitled (under the Fair Work Act) to 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave from their employment, if they have had 12 months of service with an employer.

Does Partner Pay still exist?

Prior to July 2023, the PPL scheme provided two payments: Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay. The former was for the primary carer whilst the latter was for partners and fathers. For children born after 1 July 2023, this has now been combined into one payment and the PPL scheme has been expanded to include both birth and non-birth parents.

Under the new scheme, 10 PPL days will be reserved for the partner, with the birth mother (or first adoptive parent to claim) having the choice of sharing further days. The reserved number of days will increase to 15 on 1 July 2025, and to 20 days from 1 July 2026.

Currently, an eligible family can receive up to 100 days of PPL, with either parent able to use up to 90 of these days. Thanks to a long campaign by union members, this will increase by two weeks every year until 2026, when families will have access to 26 weeks – with a minimum of 20 days reserved for each parent. 

So, for example, two parents may choose to take 50 days of PPL each, or one parent may choose to take 90 and other 10. The days can be shared however the parents choose, so long as neither parent takes more than 90 days.

Can two parents take parental leave at the same time?

Parents who are sharing their parental leave can take up to 10 days off at the same time (concurrent leave). This will increase to 4 weeks by 2026.  

Exemptions to this rule are available in cases of pregnancy complications and illnesses, or if the child is hospitalised for at least 14 days following birth. 

Exemptions are also available following multiple births, stillbirths and deaths, as well as following a caesarean. This exemption is requested at the time of making the claim.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible you must meet an income test and the work test. The income test can be calculated either based on your individual or family income. 

For individuals, people earning an adjusted taxable income of $156,647 or less in the 2021-22 financial year, or $168,865 or less in the 2022-23 financial year are eligible. 

Individuals earning more than these amounts can use the family income test. To pass this test, you and your partner’s combined adjustable taxable income must be below $350,000 in the relevant financial year. 

To pass the work test, you must have worked for 10 of the 13 months before the birth or adoption, and worked a minimum of 330 hours in that 10-month period. 

Residency requirements and some exemptions to the test apply in some cases, however, thanks to recent changes won by union members, partners of birth parents can still access PPL even if the birth parent doesn’t meet work or residency tests. To confirm whether you are eligible, visit Services Australia. 

How many weeks do you get for parental leave?

For a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023, the scheme currently offers up to 22 weeks of paid leave for workers.

If your child’s birth or entry into care is on or after 1 July 2024, the amount of time your family will get depends on your child’s date of birth or adoption:

Child’s date of birth or adoption is from	Your family can get up to
1 July 2023	100 days
1 July 2024	110 days
1 July 2025	120 days
1 July 2026	130 days

For couples, each parent has a period of ‘reserved leave’ that only they can take. Currently, this is 10 days, increasing to 20 days by 2026. Single parents are entitled to take the full amount of days themselves.

How much are the payments?

If you are eligible for this scheme, you will be paid at the national minimum wage rate during the time you are on parental leave.

Do employers have to pay parental leave?

In addition to Government-funded PPL, employers often provide their own PPL or top up payments so that an employee receives their full replacement wage rather than the minimum wage (but are not required to). Employer-funded PPL and/or top up payments may be found in enterprise agreements, policies and/or employment contracts.

How many parental leave days can you take?

Employees with 12 months of service or more are entitled to 12 months unpaid parental leave, and are entitled to request a further 12 months of unpaid parental leave (which the employer can only refuse if they have reasonable business grounds).

The number of days of Government-funded PPL that employees are entitled to are set out above, and will increase by 2 weeks each year until 2026.

In addition to these minimum entitlements, enterprise agreements, workplace policies or employment contracts may provide other employer-funded benefits.

Does parental leave affect your super?

From 1 July 2025, the Federal Government will pay superannuation on paid parental leave.

Currently, minimum standards do not require employers to make super contributions on payments made under the PPL scheme or during a period of unpaid leave. However, enterprise agreements, workplace policies or employment contracts may provide these benefits.

Union members are continuing to campaign to secure superannuation on all periods of parental leave, including unpaid leave.

The PPL scheme does not prevent you from making voluntary super contributions during parental leave, and some parents choose to do so to ensure their balance continues to grow during this important time.

Can you take paid parental leave at half pay?

Government-funded PPL must be paid according to your normal pay cycle. For example, if you usually receive a fortnightly payment, then this is how you will receive your parental leave pay. It is not possible to take this amount at half pay, over an extended period.

If you have employer-funded leave, your enterprise agreement, employment contract or workplace policies may allow you to take leave at half-pay.

What about unpaid leave?

If you have confirmed your eligibility for PPL and have been employed for at least 12 months (excluding any unauthorised absences), then you have the right to take up to 1 year of unpaid leave from work.

There is nothing to stop you from accessing both at the same time – meaning you can organise both paid and unpaid leave concurrently. However, because the work test and minimum period of employment for the PPL scheme and unpaid parental leave are slightly different, there may be some circumstances where you may qualify for one before you qualify for the other.

Some enterprise bargaining agreements, policies or contracts also provide paid parental leave and/or top up payments on top of the Government’s PPL scheme. This means that you will receive payments from both your employer and the Government during this time.

Eligibility for payment from your employer is dependent upon your Award and agreements, so it is advisable to discuss this prior to your leave period commencing. 

When can I start parental leave?

If you are pregnant, you can start your unpaid parental leave up to 6 weeks before your due date. If you would like to begin your leave sooner than that, it is possible to arrange this with your employer.

If you are not giving birth, such as in the case of a partner or an adoption, then your leave will commence on the date of birth or placement of the child. Payment under the PPL scheme does not commence until after the child has been born.