Parental leave by country / Netherlands
Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Netherlands
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 Netherlands or work on one.
Dutch mothers get 16 weeks of pregnancy and maternity leave — starting four to six weeks before the due date — paid by UWV at 100% of salary up to the maximum daily wage. Partners get one week of birth leave at full pay from the employer and up to five further weeks at 70% from UWV in the first six months. Each parent then has parental leave of 26 times their weekly hours until the child is eight, of which nine weeks are paid at 70% by UWV if taken in the first year.
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How it works
The Wet arbeid en zorg sets zwangerschapsverlof of four to six weeks before the due date and bevallingsverlof of at least ten weeks after it, totalling 16 weeks, with any unused pre-birth weeks added afterwards; the last part can be spread over 30 weeks. UWV pays the benefit at 100% of the daily wage up to the statutory maximum (the employer applies and usually passes it on). Partners receive geboorteverlof of one working week at full pay from the employer within four weeks of the birth, and aanvullend geboorteverlof of up to five weeks at 70% of the (capped) daily wage from UWV within six months. Ouderschapsverlof gives each parent 26 times their weekly hours per child until the eighth birthday; since August 2022, nine of those weeks are paid at 70% by UWV if taken in the first year, the rest is unpaid unless the CAO says otherwise. Adoption and foster-care leave is six weeks at 100% from UWV.
Worth knowing: Parental leave is counted in hours, not weeks: a parent on 32 hours a week has 832 hours, of which 288 are paid at 70% if taken in the first year.
If you run a team in Netherlands
Apply to UWV for the maternity benefit and the paid weeks of birth and parental leave, and pay the first week of birth leave yourself. You cannot refuse parental leave, only ask to reschedule it for serious business reasons. Dismissal is prohibited during pregnancy and maternity leave and for six weeks after. Holiday accrues in full during maternity and partner leave, and over the paid weeks of parental leave.
If you work in Netherlands
Tell your employer at least three weeks before you want to start pregnancy leave, with a doctor's or midwife's statement. Partners request birth leave as soon as possible and the extra weeks at least four weeks ahead. Request parental leave in writing at least two months in advance, saying how you want to spread the hours.
Parental leave and annual leave
Statutory holiday accrues in full during maternity, birth and paid parental leave; during unpaid parental leave accrual depends on the CAO. Holiday cannot be replaced by leave taken under these schemes.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Netherlands 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 Netherlands 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 Netherlands: common questions
Is maternity pay capped?
Yes — UWV pays 100% of the daily wage up to the statutory maximum daily wage. Earnings above the cap are only replaced if the employer or CAO tops up.
How much birth leave do partners get?
One working week at full pay from the employer, plus up to five weeks at 70% of the capped daily wage from UWV, all within six months of the birth.
Are the nine paid weeks of parental leave per parent or per family?
Per parent, per child, provided they are taken in the child's first year; the remaining 17 weeks are unpaid unless the CAO provides otherwise.
Does annual leave accrue during maternity or parental leave in Netherlands?
Statutory holiday accrues in full during maternity, birth and paid parental leave; during unpaid parental leave accrual depends on the CAO. Holiday cannot be replaced by leave taken under these schemes.
Source
Primary source: Wet arbeid en zorg (WAZO). 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.