One scheme, not two

Australia used to run a separate payment for fathers and partners. It does not any more. There is a single pool of Parental Leave Pay that a family shares, with a set number of days reserved for a partner so the pool cannot simply be absorbed by one parent.

Parental Leave Pay is a government payment, usually delivered through your employer. It is separate from unpaid parental leave, which is an entitlement under the Fair Work Act and comes from your employer. You need to plan both, because qualifying for the payment does not give you the right to be away from work, and taking the leave does not by itself pay you.

How many days you get

The number depends on your child's date of birth or adoption:

From 1 July 2026: 130 days, or 26 weeks based on a 5 day work week
From 1 July 2025: 120 days, or 24 weeks
From 1 July 2024: 110 days, or 22 weeks

If you lodged a pre-birth claim before 1 July 2026 your balance will show 120 days. Once Services Australia receives proof of birth or adoption confirming the child arrived on or after 1 July 2026, an extra 10 days is added automatically. You do not need to claim again.

The reserved partner days

If you have a partner, part of the pool is reserved for them and cannot be transferred:

From 1 July 2026: 20 days
From 1 July 2025: 15 days
From 1 July 2024: 10 days

Single parents get all the days, and may choose to give approval to share them with another parent. The rest of the pool is for you and your partner to divide between you.

There is a ceiling on taking days simultaneously. For a child born or adopted from 1 July 2025 you can take up to 20 days at the same time as each other; before that date the limit was 10 days. Exemptions to that limit exist and have to be reported to Services Australia.

What it pays

Parental Leave Pay is based on the national minimum wage, and the rate usually changes on 1 July.

2026-27: $200.94 a day before tax, or $1,004.70 per 5 day week
2025-26: $189.62 a day, or $948.10 per 5 day week

The rate that applies is the one for the financial year of the day you are claiming for, not the year your child was born. Leave that straddles 1 July is therefore paid at two different rates. It is a taxable payment.

For a child born or adopted from 1 July 2025, the Australian Taxation Office also pays a superannuation contribution on your Parental Leave Pay, calculated at the superannuation guarantee rate and paid automatically into your fund after the financial year ends. There is no separate claim.

The tests you have to meet

To get Parental Leave Pay you must be caring for a newborn or recently adopted child, meet the income test, meet the work test, meet the residency rules, and have registered or applied to register the birth with your state or territory registry. You cannot work on the days you are paid, except for allowable reasons, and there are claiming timeframes to meet.

Unpaid parental leave at work

The Fair Work Act entitlement is separate and larger. Employees can access up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave initially, and can request up to a further 12 months. Both parents can each take up to 12 months, or 24 months in total with their employer's agreement, and they do not have to take it at the same time.

You are eligible if you have worked for your employer for at least 12 months before the date or expected date of birth. Casual employees must also have been employed on a regular and systematic basis for at least 12 months. If you have another child while staying with the same employer, you do not have to serve another 12 months.

Notice matters: you must give your employer at least 10 weeks' notice before starting unpaid parental leave, and confirm the dates. Less notice is allowed only where 10 weeks was not possible, or by agreement.

Continuous and flexible leave

Leave can be taken as one unbroken period, as flexible days, or as a combination. Flexible unpaid parental leave can be up to 130 days for a child born or placed on or after 1 July 2026, taken as single days or blocks, and used any time within the first 24 months of the birth or placement. Flexible days come out of your 12 months rather than being added to it, and they are unpaid.

A pregnant employee's continuous leave can start up to 6 weeks before the expected birth, or earlier if the employer agrees. Employees adopting a child under 16 can also take 2 days of unpaid pre-adoption leave for interviews or examinations.

Where to get help

Services Australia is the governing authority for Parental Leave Pay and the Fair Work Ombudsman for unpaid parental leave, and the two answer different questions. Claim the payment early — pre-birth claims are accepted — and give your employer the 10 weeks' notice separately, in writing. If you are covered by an award or enterprise agreement, check it too: employer-funded paid parental leave sits on top of the government payment and is not reduced by it.

Paternity and partner leave in Australia