Netherlands approves nine additional weeks of partially paid leave for new parents

From August 2, 2022 parents will receive nine additional weeks of partially paid parental leave during the first year after welcoming a child, the government announced on Tuesday. The change in parental leave is to give parents more opportunity to balance child care and their profession, the government stated.

Currently, all parents have the right to 26 weeks of parental leave during the first eight years after welcoming their child. Unless an agreement was made prior with the employer, however, that leave is largely unpaid. The new arrangement will allow parents nine weeks of leave at 50 percent of their original daily salary, with the payout capped at a maximum of €111.70 per day.

The nine weeks of leave must be taken in the first year, leaving the other 17 weeks for use during the following years.

“Having a child is a beautiful and special event, but a lot also changes. By paying for parental leave during the first year, we reduce the obstacles for many families to actually take advantage of parental leave”, Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Wouter Koolmees, said.

Birth mothers can take between 16 and 20 weeks of fully paid leave, in addition to the nine weeks approved this week. In 2019, Parliament boosted fully paid leave for the partners of birth mothers to five days, up from two. That was expanded in mid-2020 to five additional weeks leave at 70 percent of their full wage.

The Employee Insurance Agency, UWV, will be responsible for the nine weeks parental leave at 50 percent of the initial salary. Currently, the maximum daily wage is 223.40 euros which means the maximal daily reimbursement is 111.70 euros.