Partner leave? Does that exist? Absolutely, because as a father or partner you are equally entitled to leave. Officially, this is called birth leave. Previously, partners received 2 days of leave after the birth of a baby. Birth leave had already been extended to the number of hours of 1 working week. From 1 July 2020, you can get an additional 5 weeks of leave.
The WIEG Act
The additional partner leave is arranged in the Act on the Introduction of Additional Birth Leave (WIEG Act). This is good news for the whole family, because a lot changes with the arrival of a baby. As a partner, you automatically receive the hours of one working week as leave. You must take this within 4 weeks after the birth. That might be insufficient. Because you want to support the new mother after the birth. Also, many practical matters need to be arranged.
Leave from 5 days to a total of 6 weeks
From 2020, the leave scheme has been further expanded and you can take up to 5 weeks of additional birth leave. The aim is to make more birth leave for partners more common.
Taking additional birth leave
There are a number of rules for taking the additional birth leave:
- You must first take the regular partner leave.
- You can take up to 5 working weeks of additional birth leave.
- You must take these extra weeks of leave within 6 months after the birth. (Note: during the extra leave, you receive a maximum of 70% of your salary from the UWV.)
When are you entitled to partner leave?
You can apply for birth leave if you are the partner of the child's mother. According to the law, this is the case if you:
- Are married to her.
- Are her registered partner.
- Live with her unmarried.
- Acknowledge her child.
Applying for additional leave
Are you sure you want to spend more time with your family after the birth? Then arrange it immediately with your employer. Are you still unsure or do you want to see how everything goes after the birth first? You can also do it after the birth. Just make sure you do it at least 4 weeks before you want the leave to start.
Find more information about leave here.