Check eligibility

Updated for FY2026–27

26 weeksof government Paid Parental Leave, from 1 July 2026

A plain-language guide to Australia's Paid Parental Leave scheme — what you're owed, who qualifies, and how it stacks with unpaid leave and your employer's own policy.

Check your eligibility See the leave timeline

PPL DAILY RATE · 2026–27

$200.98AUD / day, before tax
Total entitlement130 days (26 weeks)
Reserved for second parent20 days (4 weeks)
Superannuation on PPL12% employer-paid
Use-byBefore child turns 2

How the weeks stack up

Paid leave, then unpaid leave — end to end

Government Paid Parental Leave is only one layer. Most families combine it with unpaid leave protected under the Fair Work Act, and some employers add paid leave on top.

18 weeks shared
4 weeks reserved
up to 52 weeks unpaid
Shared PPL pool22 of 26 weeks, split however suits your family
Reserved parent weeks4 weeks "use it or lose it" for the second parent
Unpaid parental leaveFair Work Act entitlement, extendable to 104 weeks

Figures reflect the scheme from 1 July 2026. Children born before this date fall under the prior 24-week entitlement — see the FAQ below.

The building blocks

Four things that make up your leave

Government

Paid Parental Leave

Paid at the national minimum wage by Services Australia, usually through your employer's payroll. Gender-neutral and shareable between parents.

Government

Superannuation on leave

A 12% super contribution is now paid on top of PPL, deposited to your fund after the financial year ends — it won't appear in your regular pay.

Fair Work Act

Unpaid parental leave

Up to 12 months unpaid leave for employees with 12 months' service, with the right to request a further 12 months your employer can only refuse on reasonable business grounds.

Employer

Employer top-up

Many employers pay their own parental leave on top of the government scheme — check your enterprise agreement, policy or contract for the details.

Before you apply

Are you eligible?

  • ✓
    The work testWorked at least 330 hours across 10 of the 13 months before your child's birth or adoption, with no more than a 12-week gap between shifts.
  • ✓
    Income testYour individual income, or your family's combined income, needs to fall under the relevant annual threshold set each financial year.
  • ✓
    Primary carerYou need to be the child's primary carer on the days you claim — this can rotate between parents across the leave period.
  • ✓
    ResidencyYou must meet Australian residency rules at the time of your claim, with limited exceptions for some visa holders.

IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHERE TO START

3 steps

to get your claim moving

  • Ask HR for your employer's parental leave policy and how it interacts with PPL.
  • Create a myGov account and link it to Centrelink, if you haven't already.
  • Submit your PPL claim from 3 months before your child's expected arrival.

Common questions

Frequently asked

What if my child was born before 1 July 2026?

Your entitlement is set by your child's birth or adoption date, not the date you apply. Births between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 fall under the 24-week (120-day) scheme; from 1 July 2026 onward, it's 26 weeks (130 days).

Can I take PPL and my employer's paid leave at the same time?

Many families "stack" the two — for example, 12 weeks of full-pay employer leave followed by the government PPL period — rather than taking them concurrently, since that maximises total paid time off. Check your employer's policy for how they sequence it.

Do PPL days have to be taken Monday to Friday?

No. Days can be claimed on weekdays, weekends or public holidays, in single days or blocks, as long as you're the child's carer and not working that day. This flexibility is why the entitlement is measured in days rather than calendar weeks.

Is Parental Leave Pay taxed?

Yes. It's treated as assessable income, and tax is typically withheld before you receive it — the daily rate quoted is the amount before tax.

What happens to the 4 reserved weeks if the second parent doesn't use them?

They're forfeited rather than transferred to the primary carer — the reservation exists to encourage more even sharing of care between parents.