Parental leave by country / Switzerland
Maternity, paternity and parental leave in Switzerland
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 Switzerland or work on one.
Swiss mothers get 14 weeks of maternity leave paid at 80% of salary, capped at 220 francs a day, by the federal loss-of-earnings scheme (EO), and may not work for eight weeks after the birth. Fathers get two weeks of paternity leave at the same rate within six months of the birth. Switzerland has no statutory parental leave beyond these; anything longer depends on the employer or a collective agreement.
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How it works
Maternity compensation under the Erwerbsersatzgesetz runs for 98 days from the birth at 80% of average earnings, up to 220 francs a day, for mothers insured with AHV for nine months and working for at least five of them; the Code of Obligations bans work for eight weeks after the birth and lets the mother refuse work up to the sixteenth week. Since January 2021 fathers (and, since 2024, the wife of the mother) have two weeks — ten working days — of leave at the same rate, taken in a block or as individual days within six months. Adoption leave of two weeks was added in 2023. Dismissal is void during pregnancy and for 16 weeks after the birth. There is no statutory parental leave, and no obligation on employers to top up the 80%, though many do.
Worth knowing: Maternity compensation is a federal insurance benefit rather than an employer obligation, which is why Swiss employers often present a salary top-up as a benefit — nothing requires it.
If you run a team in Switzerland
Claim the EO compensation from your compensation office and pass it on, topping up to full salary only if the contract or a collective agreement requires it. Observe the eight-week work ban and the dismissal protection until 16 weeks after the birth. Paternity leave cannot reduce annual holiday, and the notice period is extended by the days of paternity leave not yet taken.
If you work in Switzerland
Maternity compensation starts on the day of the birth and stops early if you return to work. Fathers must take the ten days within six months. There is no statutory parental leave: check your contract or collective agreement for unpaid leave options and plan holiday accordingly.
Parental leave and annual leave
Holiday may not be reduced for maternity leave of up to two months or for paternity leave. Under Art. 329b, absences beyond that may reduce holiday by one-twelfth per full month.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Switzerland 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 Switzerland 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 Switzerland: common questions
Is maternity pay 100% of salary?
No. The federal scheme pays 80% of average earnings up to a maximum of 220 francs a day (about 5,880 francs a month). Many employers and collective agreements top this up, but nothing requires it.
How long can a mother stay away after the 14 weeks?
She may refuse to work until the 16th week after the birth, but the extra two weeks are unpaid. Beyond that, only the contract or collective agreement provides leave.
Is there parental leave in Switzerland?
Not by statute. Some cantons and public employers offer more, and collective agreements sometimes add unpaid leave, but the federal minimum is 14 weeks of maternity and two of paternity leave.
Does annual leave accrue during maternity or parental leave in Switzerland?
Holiday may not be reduced for maternity leave of up to two months or for paternity leave. Under Art. 329b, absences beyond that may reduce holiday by one-twelfth per full month.
Source
Primary source: Erwerbsersatzgesetz (EOG) Arts. 16b–16k; Obligationenrecht Arts. 329f–329g, 336c. 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.