Ireland has four separate kinds of family leave, and three of them have almost the same name. Parents regularly mix up parent's leave and parental leave, which is an easy mistake to make and an expensive one: one is paid and runs out on your child's second birthday, the other is unpaid and lasts until they are twelve.
They are not alternatives. If you qualify, you can use all four. Here is what each one is, and the date each one expires.
The short version
- Maternity leave
- Birth mother · 26 weeks paid, plus up to 16 unpaid · €299 a week · starts before the birth
- Paternity leave
- The other parent · 2 weeks · €299 a week · use it within 6 months of the birth
- Parent's leave
- Each parent · 9 weeks each · €299 a week · use it before the child turns 2
- Parental leave
- Each parent · 26 weeks per child · unpaid · use it before the child turns 12
The one that catches people out
Parent's leave and parental leave are different entitlements under different rules. Parent's leave is 9 weeks, it is paid through Parent's Benefit, and it disappears on your child's second birthday. Parental leave is 26 weeks, it is unpaid, and you have until your child's twelfth birthday to use it.
The apostrophe is the only thing separating them in writing, so when you are reading your contract or an HR email, check which of the two it actually means.
When does each one run out?
Enter your child's date of birth to see the last day for each type of leave.
Knowing which leave is which is half of it. The order they are taken in is the other half. Your date carries across, so you will not type it again. See my full plan →
These dates come from the standard rules and are a guide, not a decision. Extensions and different rules apply in some situations, including adoption, a premature birth, and a child with a disability or long-term illness. The Department of Social Protection decides every benefit claim, and leave itself is an employment right under the Workplace Relations Commission. Always confirm on the official pages.
Maternity leave
For the birth mother. It is 26 weeks paid, followed by up to 16 further weeks that are unpaid if you want them. While you are on it you can claim Maternity Benefit, currently €299 a week, if your PRSI record meets the conditions.
This is the one that starts before the birth. You must begin your leave at least two weeks before the end of the week your baby is due, and no earlier than sixteen weeks before it. Within that window you choose the day, not your employer: the Act says the leave commences on such day as the employee selects. Tell them in writing at least 4 weeks beforehand, and apply for the benefit at least 6 weeks beforehand, or 12 weeks if you are self-employed.
There is a full walk-through in our guide to Maternity Benefit, including the PRSI conditions and the MB2 and MB3 certificates.
Paternity leave
For the other parent, whoever that is: this is not limited to fathers. It is 2 weeks, and Paternity Benefit pays €299 a week if you meet the PRSI conditions.
The deadline is the thing to watch. You can start it at any point in the first 6 months after the birth or the adoption placement, and after that it is gone. Apply 4 weeks before you plan to take it, or 12 weeks if you are self-employed.
Parent's leave
For each parent, separately. It is 9 weeks each, paid through Parent's Benefit at €299 a week, and you can take it in separate weeks or all in one go.
You have to use it in the first 2 years after the birth or the adoption placement. Tell your employer at least 6 weeks before you want to start, and apply for the benefit at least 4 weeks before.
Twins do not double this one. Parent's Benefit is paid once whether you have one baby or more, so twins bring one payment, not two. Parental leave works the opposite way: parents of twins or triplets can take more than 26 weeks in a year.
Parental leave
For each parent, for each child: up to 26 weeks, and it is unpaid. There is no benefit attached to it, which is why it is the one people forget they have.
You have until your child's 12th birthday, or their 16th if they have a disability or a long-term illness. Some conditions come with it:
- You generally need to have worked for your employer for a year. Between 3 months and a year, you may be able to take pro-rata leave if your child is close to the age limit.
- Give your employer at least 6 weeks' notice.
- Take it in one continuous block, or in blocks of at least 6 weeks, unless your employer agrees to something more flexible.
- With more than one child, you are limited to 26 weeks in any 12-month period unless your employer agrees to more.
Can your employer say no?
Citizens Information puts it in one line: your employer can only refuse parental leave if you are not entitled to take it. Entitlement is not something they grant you, so the conversation is about dates, not about permission.
What they do have is a power to postpone, and it comes with a procedure attached. It can move the leave by up to 6 months, once only, or twice if the reason is seasonal variations in the volume of work. And it has to happen before the confirmation document is signed: once that is signed the date is settled and cannot move without further written agreement from both of you. The full procedure, including the notice you give and the notice they owe you, is in the guide to stacking your leave.
An email saying a whole period is closed is not a postponement. The power in the Act operates on leave you have already notified, after consulting you, with notice in writing. If nobody may take parental days over a given fortnight, you have not been postponed, because you have not yet asked. Put the request in writing anyway, with the notice the Act requires, and see what comes back. A postponement has to meet the conditions above and is limited. Anything else is a refusal, and a refusal has its own route.
That route has a clock on it, and it is the part nobody mentions. Raise it with your employer first. If that does not settle it, you or your employer can refer the complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission, using its online complaint form, within 6 months of the issues arising. The limit can be extended by a further 6 months, but only where there is reasonable cause for the delay. Six months goes quickly when you are hoping it will sort itself out.
Who decides what
It is worth knowing who to contact when something goes wrong, because it is not the same body for all four. The leave is an employment right, and disputes with an employer go to the Workplace Relations Commission. The payments are decided by the Department of Social Protection. Parental leave has no payment attached, so only the employment side applies to it.
If a claim for Maternity, Paternity or Parent's Benefit is turned down and you think the decision is wrong, you can appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. You have 60 days from the date of the decision, so it is worth acting quickly.
Putting them in order
Most families use them in sequence: maternity leave first, paternity leave in those first six months, then parent's leave to stretch the cover through the first two years, and parental leave later on, often around school holidays. Each one has its own notice period and its own expiry date, and the only one you can leave until later without losing anything is parental leave.
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Official sources
- Citizens Information: Maternity Benefit
- Citizens Information: Paternity Benefit
- Citizens Information: Parent's Benefit
- Citizens Information: Parental leave
- gov.ie: Maternity Benefit
Facts checked against the official pages on 29 July 2026, and the section on whether your employer can say no, including the Workplace Relations Commission time limit, on 14 September 2026. This is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice, and it does not decide your eligibility. The Department of Social Protection decides benefit claims, and the Workplace Relations Commission handles leave disputes with an employer. Rates and rules are set in legislation and the annual Budget and can change; always confirm on the official pages linked above.