Page 43 - EQA Employee Handbook Feb 2020 v1

3.9.2 Rules about parent's leave

The legislation governing parent’s leave is the Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019.

You must meet certain criteria to be eligible to take parent’s leave. You must:

• Be a relevant parent – see ‘Who can take parent’s leave?’ below:
• Take the leave within 52 weeks of the birth of the child or in the case of adoption, from the date the
child is placed with you (the placement date) of placement of the child
• Give at least 6 weeks’notice to your employer

The legislation only provides for the minimum entitlement to parent’s leave. Your contract of
employment may give you more rights.

3.9.3 Who can take parent’s leave?

Relevant parents can take parent’s leave for eligible children. A relevant parent is one of the
following:

• A parent of the child
• A spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the parent of the child
• A parent of a donor-conceived child as provided for under section 5 of the Children and Family
Relationships Act 2015
• The adopting parent or parents of a child
• The spouse, civil partner or spouse of the adopting parent of the child (if the parents have not
adopted jointly).
• Each member of a married couple of the same sex, a couple that are civil partners of each other, or a
cohabiting couple of the same sex

3.9.4 How can I take parent’s leave?

You can take this leave as:

• One continuous period of 2 weeks leave or
• Periods of not less than one week

Parent’s leave cannot be transferred between parents – except in specified circumstances such as
the death of one of the parents.

3.9.5 How much will I get paid during parent’s leave?

If you have enough PRSI contributions, you will get a weekly Parent’s Benefit of €245 per week. This
is paid by the Department of Employment and Social Protection (DEASP). Your employer does not
have to pay you while you are on parent’s leave. However, some employers do pay or top up your
pay during the leave period – this is set out in your contract of employment.

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