From 1 January, mutual insurers will have to pay parental leave allowances on a monthly basis rather than at the end of the leave.
Fathers and mothers are entitled to 20 days' parental leave, to be taken within four months of their child's birth. This leave, which is not compulsory, can be spread over a period of four months from the birth.
The first three days of leave are paid for by the employer, by paying the employee's normal salary. For the following 17 days, compensation of up to 82% of the normal gross salary may be granted, based on information provided by the employer.
Until now, the mutual insurance company only paid that compensation at the end of the parental leave, and the employer only had to inform the mutual insurance companies once.
However, the extension of parental leave to 20 days from 2023 makes it more likely that employees will use this leave over several months. Paying only at the end of the 20 days could also "create a financial barrier for fathers and co-parents who wish to benefit from the right to birth leave," according to the Partenamut mutual insurer.
From 1 January, the allowance will have to be paid monthly, a decision taken after consultation between mutual insurers, employers and social secretariats.
For employees, nothing changes in terms of administration: they will still have to submit a request to their mutual insurance company after the birth and inform their employer of the dates of their parental leave.
The employer will have to send an electronic information sheet to the beneficiary's mutual insurance company no later than the first working day of each of the four months following the birth of the employee's child
