Parental Leave

Both parents are separately entitled to parental leave for the same child, provided they meet the conditions.

The right to parental leave also applies for adopted children, foster children and stepchildren. In these cases it is required that the child lives with you and that you are responsible for the care and upbringing of the child on a long-term basis.

Per child the parental leave amounts to a maximum of 26 times the weekly number of working hours. The Act assumes that the leave you will take up is half of the number of working hours during a consecutive period of 12 months. With the permission of the employer you can spread the leave over a shorter or longer period. Moreover, you can ask your employer to divide the leave into a maximum of six parts. In that case each separate part has to involve a minimum period of one month.

In principle, the statutory parental leave involves unpaid leave. Moreover, the employer does not have to contribute to the pension premium for the hours in which you do not work. It is possible to make other agreements under a collective labour agreement.

In the event of illness during parental leave, the leave simply continues.

You do not build up any right to holiday leave over the hours for which you enjoy parental leave.

Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities

The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities provides for paid parental leave. The total extent of this leave is a maximum of 13 times the number of working hours per week. During this leave you receive 62.5% salary over the hours for which you enjoy parental leave. Besides, the pension accrual with ABP continues in full and the university continues to contribute to the pension premium.

The university regards employees with full-time employment who take up parental leave as part-time employees. This means that the starting point is a working week of 38 hours and that the flexible duration of work (every week you work 2 hours in excess; on an annual basis this is compensated for by 96 additional hours leave) will lapse during the parental leave. For example, if you wish to continue working 32 hours during the parental leave, then the extent of the parental leave amounts to 6 hours per week. In this example you build up holiday leave over 32 hours.

If you resign from your job or are dismissed because of circumstances attributable to you within six months after paid parental leave, then you are obliged to pay back the salary received over the hours leave.

If desired, you can also take up a maximum of 13 times the number of working hours per week in unpaid parental leave immediately following paid parental leave. Over the hours for which you take up unpaid parental leave, you will not receive any salary. However, pension accrual will continue in full, but the university will not contribute to the pension premium over the hours of unpaid parental leave. This means that the pension premium will be fully passed on to you (both the employer's share and the employee's share). In so far as possible the salary administration will settle this premium directly with your salary. If this is not possible, for example because you have taken up unpaid parental leave for the full extent of the employment, you will receive an invoice.

The total right to parental leave (paid + unpaid) amounts to a maximum of 26 times the number of working hours per week.

Applying for parental leave

You have to apply for parental leave in writing no later than 2 months before its commencement with your immediate superior. In the application you state with regard to the paid and unpaid leave (if desired):

As soon as the period, extent and distribution have been definitively established, you can download a formulier (form) that is to be signed by you and your superior. The form is to be submitted to the Human Resources department of the faculty or service department.