Paid parental leave increases to 18 weeks

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Paid parental leave will increase from 16 to 18 weeks in April. To be eligible for this increase, the baby must be due or born on or after 1 April 2016.

If you have pregnant employees due on or after 1 April, who intend to take parental leave, check they’re aware of the:

  • increase in the length of payments
  • form they need to complete and send to IRD

If they’ve already applied and their due date is on or after 1 April, IRD will make sure they receive 18 weeks of payments. If their baby is due before 1 April but arrives late, they need to let IRD know so they can pay the correct entitlement.