Parental leave

Parental leave enables parents to take a temporary cut to care for their child at work and strengthens family cohesion.

The entitlement to parental leave is an employment law right of employees against their employer. Employees who care for and educate their child themselves have a legal right to parental leave until the child reaches the age of three.

For births up to 30 June 2015, up to twelve months of parental leave can be transferred to the period between the child's third and eighth birthday with the consent of the employer. For births from 1 July 2015, up to 24 months of parental leave between the child's third and eighth birthday can be claimed.

During parental leave, the employment relationship is suspended. At the end of parental leave, the employment relationship is revived and the employer must re-employ the employee in accordance with the agreements made in the employment contract.

To your employer

Parental allowance offices advise and inform

The parental allowance offices in the Hessian Offices for Care and Social Affairs have the task of providing free information and advice on the conditions and effects of parental leave.

Parents and employers can also contact the service telephone of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs (BMFSFJ) directly with their questions (Tel.: +49 30 201 791 30, Mon - Thu 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.).

There must be an employment relationship in accordance with German labour law or vocational training if the training relationship is based on an employment contract.

Employees are entitled to parental leave if they live in a household with a child for whom they are claiming parental leave and care for and raise that child themselves.

Registration of parental leave

Parental leave, which is to be taken within the first three years of the child's life, must be registered with the employer in writing seven weeks before the start of the child's life.

(Only) for births from 1 July 2015 onwards, the registration period for parental leave, which is to be taken between the child's third and eighth birthday, is 13 weeks. If the registration deadline is not met, the date for the start of parental leave will be postponed accordingly.

In order for it to be clear to employers and parents for which period parental leave is claimed, the written registration must make a binding commitment to the periods for which parental leave is to be taken within two years. The postnatal maternity leave period is credited to the mother's parental leave, i.e. it is within her parental leave (Section 6 (1) of the Maternity Protection Act)! Parents should only register their parental leave for two years in order to be able to flexibly arrange the remaining time.

Every parent is entitled to parental leave.

The employer must certify the parental leave in writing.

Recreational leave may be reduced by one twelfth for each full calendar month of parental leave, provided that no part-time work is carried out with the (original) employer during parental leave.

Further information: