Big change to paid parental leave
From July 1, Services Australia will lift the number of Parental Leave Pay days from 110 to 120 for children born from that day.
Parents, including of adoptive children, will be able to claim up to three months before the date they expect the child to 'enter their care'.
Parental Leave Pay is intended to support families and caregivers who have taken time off work to care for a newborn or newly adopted child.
Currently, parents with children born since July 1, 2024 receive 110 days of paid parental leave, including any claims before July 1, 2025. Services Australia will increase the number of Parental Leave Pay days from July 1. Credit: News Regional Media
For the new maximum of 120 days, a parent or carer will have to provide proof that their child was either born or adopted from that date.
The maximum number of Parental Leave Pay days is expected to rise again to 130 from July 1, 2026.
In order to be eligible for the payments, a parent or carer must pass a work and income test and not be working the days they receive the payment.
The payment is available before, during, and after employer-funded leave and is only available for a single child in the event of multiple children.
The current payment for Parental Leave Pay is $183.16 per day before tax or $915.80 per five-day week.
That is based on the weekly rate of the national minimum wage.
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