Parental leave - all you need to know

Employees must give notice at least one week in advance if the leave will last more than two weeks, at least four weeks in advance if the leave will last more than twelve weeks, and at least twelve weeks in advance if the leave will extend beyond one year.

You are not required to inform your employer that you are pregnant before these deadlines. However, it may be necessary to tell them earlier if you need workplace adjustments or accommodations.

You do not have to take all your parental leave consecutively. It is possible to split the leave into separate periods or combine parts of it with work. How this is organised can be agreed directly with your employer.

You can find more detailed information about this at NAV.

Parents are entitled to up to twelve months of leave (including pregnancy leave), or for as long as parental benefits are paid through the National Insurance Scheme.

In addition, each parent has the right to take up to twelve months of extra leave per birth. However, this additional leave does not apply to employees who are taking partial leave.

No. Employers are not allowed to request information about a job applicant’s pregnancy, plans to have children, or adoption during a recruitment process – whether in an interview or through other means.
This prohibition, set out in the Equality and Anti‑Discrimination Act, exists to ensure that irrelevant or discriminatory factors are not taken into account during hiring.

Yes. Pregnant employees and job applicants have the right to appropriate, individual accommodation in the recruitment process, at the workplace, and in their work tasks. The type of adjustments you are entitled to will depend on your specific needs.

We recommend having an open dialogue with your employer about what kind of accommodation is necessary for you to continue working safely. This right applies to adjustments that do not place a disproportionate burden on the employer.

You can apply for parental benefits from week 22 of your pregnancy at the earliest. NAV recommends submitting your application 4–6 weeks before the parental benefit period begins. You can apply for parental benefits digitally or by sending a paper application by post.

The father or co‑mother can start taking parental benefits from two weeks before the expected due date at the earliest. You may submit your application before the child is born. NAV recommends applying 4–6 weeks before the parental benefit period begins. You can apply for parental benefits digitally or by sending a paper application by post.

You qualify for parental benefits if you have been in paid work and earning pensionable income for at least six of the last ten months before you start your parental benefit period. Your annual income must correspond to at least half of the National Insurance basic amount (½ G).

Certain payments from NAV, your employer, or initial military service are also considered equivalent to being in active employment when calculating your entitlement.

The total parental benefit period for both parents is 245 benefit days (49 weeks) at the full rate, or 295 benefit days (59 weeks) at the reduced rate (80%).

From 1 July 2024, the parental benefit period at the reduced rate (80%) is extended to 306 benefit days (61 weeks and one day). This change ensures that parents receive almost the same total amount whether they choose 100% or 80% coverage.

When you take parental leave, NAV covers income up to six times the National Insurance basic amount (6 G). Many Tekna members earn more than 6 G, and many are covered by arrangements that ensure full salary during parental leave, including income above this limit.

Such arrangements may be set out in a collective agreement, the employee handbook, or in your individual employment contract. This is an important point to check carefully if you are entering a new employment relationship.

No. Your employer cannot require you to be available or perform work while you are on parental leave. During parental leave you are completely exempt from work, and you should not be expected to be on call, carry out tasks, or fulfil any form of work-related obligations.

You may decide yourself whether you want to take holiday during the period in which you receive parental benefits. Your employer cannot schedule holiday during this time without your consent. The same rule applies during leave taken by fathers or other caregivers in connection with the birth. Any holiday that has not been taken by the end of the holiday year must be carried over to the following year.

You are entitled to put forward salary claims and be considered in local collective bargaining agreements even while you are on parental leave. This is also often regulated by a collective agreement.

Whether you are entitled to receive a bonus while on parental leave depends on the purpose, wording, and practice of the bonus scheme in your workplace. This assessment must always be made based on the specific bonus arrangement in question. The starting point is that the scheme must be a general bonus scheme at company or group level.

As a general rule: If the bonus depends on the company’s financial results and individual performance, you are normally entitled to the bonus even while on parental leave. In this case, you will receive a bonus for the period you actually worked before the leave began.

If the bonus is a general company-wide bonus that is paid out regardless of the company’s results, the bonus must be paid to all employees, including those who are on parental leave.

As a general rule, an employee is entitled to return to the same position after completing parental leave. The employer may make certain adjustments – for example to ensure continuity in the workplace – but you are still entitled to return to a comparable position.

Your terms and conditions must be equivalent, including the level of responsibility, the content of the role, and your salary.
The employer may carry out organisational changes that are not related to your parental leave, provided these changes fall within the employer’s managerial prerogative. Such cases must always be assessed individually.

Yes. When hiring, discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy or parental leave is never permitted. During the recruitment process – whether in interviews or in any other stage – employers are not allowed to request information about a candidate’s pregnancy, adoption, or plans to have children.

Yes. Women who are breastfeeding are entitled to take the time off they need for that purpose. During the child’s first year, employees who take breastfeeding breaks are entitled to paid leave of up to one hour per working day, provided their agreed daily working hours are seven hours or more. A collective agreement or internal company policies may provide even better rights.

As a starting point, an agreement about parental leave is binding for both the employee and the employer. This means that the employee does not have a legal right to return to work earlier than the agreed date. It is therefore up to the employer to decide whether an early return can be approved.

If you wish to come back earlier than planned, you should enter into a constructive dialogue with your employer to see whether an earlier return is possible.

Each parent is entitled to up to twelve months of unpaid leave for each birth. This entitlement does not apply to employees who already have a partial leave arrangement. The unpaid leave must be taken immediately after the parents’ combined ordinary parental leave period.

• Salary and holiday pay
  You will not receive salary, holiday pay, or other employer‑funded benefits during a period of unpaid leave.
• Pension and insurance schemes
  In most cases, you will be temporarily removed from your employer’s pension and insurance schemes while you are on unpaid leave. You should clarify this directly with your employer.
  The National Insurance Scheme provides pension accrual for care work if you have had daily care responsibility for a child aged 0–5. This care‑related pension accrual corresponds to an annual income of 4.5 times the basic amount (G).
• Sick pay and care benefits
  Taking unpaid leave means you are not entitled to sick pay (salary during sickness) or care benefits (salary when staying home with a sick child) from your employer while on leave, nor during the first four weeks after returning to work.
  If you or your child becomes seriously ill, unpaid leave may therefore have significant financial consequences.
  
  Unpaid leave may also affect the basis NAV uses to calculate your sick pay. You may be entitled to reduced sick pay from NAV from day 15, provided certain conditions are met. You can read more about this in the article The right to sick pay during unpaid leave.
• Self‑certified sick leave (egenmelding)
  After unpaid parental leave, you may use self‑certified sick leave once you have been back at work for four consecutive weeks.

As a starting point, an agreement about leave is binding for both the employee and the employer. This means that the employee does not have a legal right to return to work earlier than the agreed date.
It is therefore up to the employer to decide whether an early return can be approved.

If you wish to come back earlier than planned, you should enter into a constructive dialogue with your employer to explore whether an early return is possible.