Parental leave by country / Ireland
Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Ireland
How long each parent can be away, who pays and how much, the notice rules and the job protection — in plain English, whether you run a team in Ireland or work on one.
In Ireland mothers get 26 weeks of maternity leave with a state Maternity Benefit, plus 16 optional unpaid weeks; the employer is not obliged to pay salary but many top up. Fathers and partners get two weeks of paternity leave with Paternity Benefit. Each parent also has nine weeks of parent's leave in the child's first two years, paid by Parent's Benefit, and 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child under 12.
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How it works
Maternity leave is 26 weeks, of which at least two must be taken before the due date and four after the birth, followed by up to 16 weeks of additional unpaid leave. Pay comes from the Department of Social Protection as Maternity Benefit — a flat weekly amount for employees with enough PRSI contributions — and the employer need only pay if the contract says so, though salary top-ups are common. Paternity leave is two consecutive weeks within six months of the birth, paid by Paternity Benefit. Parent's leave, introduced in 2019 and extended to nine weeks per parent in August 2024, must be taken in the first two years and carries Parent's Benefit. Parental leave is 26 weeks per child, unpaid, until the child turns 12 (16 for a child with a disability), in blocks or by agreement. All periods count as service, and the employee returns to the same job.
Worth knowing: Parent's leave (nine weeks per parent, paid by benefit) and parental leave (26 weeks per child, unpaid) are different entitlements with similar names; they can be combined.
If you run a team in Ireland
You must grant the leave; you are not required to pay for it unless your contract provides. Certify the employee's leave for the Department's benefit claim, keep the role open, and continue to accrue annual leave and public holidays. Parent's leave and parental leave requests need six weeks' notice; you may postpone parental leave once for business reasons.
If you work in Ireland
Give your employer four weeks' notice with a medical certificate for maternity leave and apply to the Department of Social Protection for the benefit at least six weeks before you start. Paternity, parent's and parental leave each have their own notice periods — four to six weeks. Check your contract for salary top-ups; the state benefits are flat-rate.
Parental leave and annual leave
Annual leave and public holidays accrue during maternity, paternity, parent's and parental leave, and leave that could not be taken can be taken later.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Ireland annual leave page — 20 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Long leaves are where leave records go wrong quietly: holiday that kept accruing for months and was never credited, a return date nobody diarised, a reduced entitlement applied where the law forbids it. In Ireland the rules above decide what is owed on return, and the record has to show it. A tracker like Leavo keeps the leave, the accrual and the approvals in one place so the return is a date, not a dispute. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Parental leave in Ireland: common questions
Does my employer have to pay my salary during maternity leave?
No, unless your contract or a collective agreement says so. The state pays Maternity Benefit; many employers top it up to full salary for some or all of the 26 weeks.
Can parent's leave be taken in one block?
Yes — nine weeks in one block or in separate weeks, any time before the child's second birthday (or second anniversary of adoption).
Is unpaid parental leave really unpaid?
Yes. The 26 weeks per child under the Parental Leave Acts carry no state benefit and no employer obligation to pay, but they count as service and preserve your job.
Does annual leave accrue during maternity or parental leave in Ireland?
Annual leave and public holidays accrue during maternity, paternity, parent's and parental leave, and leave that could not be taken can be taken later.
Source
Primary source: Maternity Protection Acts 1994–2004; Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016; Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019; Parental Leave Acts 1998–2019. Benefit rates and ceilings change every year and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme — confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.