The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 amended by the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021 provides statutory leave for a relevant parent within the first two years of a child’s life, or in the case of adoption, within two years of the placement of the child with the family. Parent’s leave is available to each parent. The Act also provides for the payment of parent’s benefit from the Department of Social Protection to employees who have made the necessary PRSI contributions and satisfy the eligibility criteria for payment. Parent’s Leave and Benefit will increase from 5 weeks to 7 weeks for parents of children born or adopted from July 2022. Employees who had taken 5 weeks’ parent’s leave prior to 1 July 2022 will now have an entitlement to an additional 2 weeks’ leave provided the child is under two years of age.
