Paid Parental Leave Scheme

Under current legislation, eligible employees who are the primary carer of a newborn or adopted child are entitled to 18 weeks' leave that will be paid at the national minimum wage, from the Australian government. In addition, eligible working dads and partners (including same-sex partners) get 2 weeks leave paid at the national minimum wage. In addition to this, some employers also provide paid parental leave - an employee can be paid both.

Australian employers are also required to provide 12 months of unpaid leave to permanent employees who have worked for at least 12 months prior to taking parental leave.

Criteria for 18 weeks paid parental leave

• Be in paid work
• Have been engaged in work continuously for at least 10 of the 13 months prior to the expected birth/adoption;
• Worked at least 330 hours in that 10 month period (an average of one day a week), and
• Have received an income of $150,000 or less in the previous financial year.

The Paid Parental Leave Scheme covers employees including casual workers, the self-employed and contractors.

Read more about who is eligible for Paid Parental Leave.

How much will I get paid from the Paid Parental Leave Scheme?

If you are eligible under the Paid Parental Leave Scheme, you can get taxable Paid Parental Leave payments at the level of the Federal Minimum Wage (currently $719.35 a week before tax) for a maximum period of 18 weeks.

What are my requirements for taking parental leave?

You must inform your employer of your intentions to take parental leave with at least 10 weeks notice and this needs to be in writing. Make sure to specify the start and end dates of your leave and confirm this again four weeks before the date you intend to start your leave. You can use our step-by-step guide for doing this here.

There are different rules for employees depending on 1 or both parents taking leave, or if both parents want to take leave at the same time or different times.

For more information on the Paid Parental Leave Scheme visit the Department of Human Services website.

For more information see Paternity Leave.

Last updated May 2019