Employers: rules for partner leave in the Netherlands

The rules for leave available to partners of women who have recently given birth were recently changed in the Netherlands. Their partners can now take up to five weeks’ extended leave after the birth of the child. How does this affect you in your capacity as an employer?

Partner leave

First of all, an employee has the right to take a week’s paid leave (corresponding to their working hours per week) after their partner has given birth. This leave must be taken within four weeks after the child is born.

Since last year, partners have also become entitled to up to five weeks’ extended partner leave (corresponding to five times their working hours per week). They are expected to take this leave within six months of their partner having given birth. In other words, partner leave can span up to six weeks in total.

Employers: how to deal with partner leave

In order to be eligible for the extended leave, partners have to have taken the initial one-week partner leave. Rather than being paid their salary, partners on extended partner leave will receive a benefit from the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). The employer is expected to apply for this benefit.

The benefit amounts to up to 70% of the employee’s daily pay and is capped at 70% of the standard maximum daily pay. If you, in our capacity as the employer, choose to continue paying your employee 70% or more of their salary over the course of their leave, you get to keep the UWV benefit.

More information

Please do not hesitate to contact our legal advisers to find out more about partner leave in the Netherlands or other rules governing employers. You can use the contact form below. Alternatively, you can email your question to international@acconavm.nl.