Divide parental leave: Four possible variants

Divide parental leave: 3 important facts

Both mother and father can take up to three years of parental leave for themselves and the family. Two years of parental leave must be taken before the child’s third birthday. If both would like to take the full three years of parental leave, this is only possible if they take parental leave at the same time for at least one year before the child’s third birthday. During this time, both are released from work by the employer or work part-time. This leaves more time to get to know and care for the new family member – an opportunity that is also becoming increasingly attractive for fathers. Both partners should therefore consider whether and how the parental leave should be divided between them. The framework conditions should be kept in mind:

• Parents have a legal right to parental leave. However, the employer must be informed in good time about essential points. In this case, on time means that the application must be received in writing no later than seven weeks before the start of parental leave. The main points here are the duration, start and end of parental leave. We have summarized what else you have to consider when applying in our article “Application for parental leave?” .
• Parental leave is intended for the first three years of the child’s life. However, with the employer’s consent, up to 12 months can also be transferred in order to save them for a later date, so to speak. The transferred parental leave must be used by the child’s eighth birthday.
• Parental leave does not have to be taken in one go, you can also ask for it to be divided into two periods. You can then work full-time or part-time again for a period of time between two sections. Of course, parental leave can also be spread over several periods, but this requires the employer’s consent. We have put together more about the periods and duration of parental leave in our article “How long do you take parental leave?” .

Divide parental leave: 4 possible variants

Of course, it is not just the question of what is legally possible that is important. Personal wishes regarding family, job and free time should also be included in the decision. There are different variants that are possible with the parental leave model. Since the employer must be informed in good time, it is best to plan your parental leave in good time.

We would like to present a few parental leave variants that may help you to make your own decision:

• Together on parental leave: The father begins his parental leave immediately after the birth of the child. The mother starts her parental leave after eight or twelve weeks of maternity leave. Both can support each other in the new tasks, impressions and daily routines and get to know each other intensively as a family. An important point with this variant is the financial support of the family, since both salaries are no longer paid during parental leave. Parental allowance, which is a percentage of the previous salary, offers a way out. However, the following applies to parental allowance: 14 months are available per child, but not per parent. Assuming both parents receive parental allowance for two months, they use up a total of four months of the total entitlement.
• Part-time and parental leave: Both take parental leave but continue to work part-time. The father looks after the child in the mornings and is then relieved by the mother. In this way, both parents remain in contact with the workplace and still have time to look after their child. You can still receive parental allowance if you work a maximum of 30 hours per week.
• Change in the middle: Both agree that exactly half the time will be replaced, so for example the mother goes on parental leave for seven months and then the father for seven months. If both partners are equally attached to their job and earn a similar salary, neither of them will miss out on this fair distribution. In the case of larger income differences, it is worth doing a quick calculation in advance of how this division will affect the family allowance.
• Two partner months (classic model): One parent stays on parental leave for significantly longer. The other uses the two “partner months” to make full use of the parental allowance. As before, it is often the mothers who take longer career breaks. But more and more fathers are also interested in parental leave that goes beyond the partner months.

Maternity leave: what makes sense?

There is no general answer to the question of how expectant parents can use parental leave sensibly. For some, the most important thing is to concentrate completely on the newborn during this time, while others are doing further training or trying out a new hobby. If you and your partner take vacation at the same time, a first family vacation together is a good idea. In any case, you should use your parental leave in a way that makes sense for you and not let yourself be influenced by others.

We asked around in our community how our MomaSquad use or plan their parental leave:

“I had already considered continuing my education or starting distance learning. However, I will let everything come to me for the first time. On the other hand, I would finally have more time for my older daughter…I don’t know exactly yet!!! I just want to enjoy the first 2 months ????”

“During my last maternity leave I did further training and that was very good for me. Was busy for a weekend every 2 months (was always at home during the lunch break to breastfeed, so only gone 4 hours at a time) and otherwise we had to do hours in small groups, which we were able to organize flexibly.

It was important to me to be among people who are not primarily mothers, so that I could have other issues on my mind. In addition, it was nice to meet other mothers and babies.”

Before the actual parental leave, there is a little planning and coordination. If couples are undecided and still need some help, they can get advice from the local parental allowance office. We also offer a lot of helpful information on parental leave, for example what rights and obligations exist towards the employer or what conditions apply to a part-time job during parental leave.