1. INTRODUCTION 

1.1     Parent’s Leave is available for staff to take time off work to care for their new born or adopted child.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1     All staff employed in the University are covered by this policy if their child(ren) are born or adopted after 1^st November 2019.  A pro rata entitlement is applied for staff who do not work full time

3. ENTITLEMENT

3.1     Parent’s leave entitled each parent to 9 weeks leave during the first 2 years of a child’s life or in the case of adoption, within 2 years of the placement of the child within the family. When you are on Parent’s Leave, you continue to accumulate holiday entitlements and you are considered to be in employment.

 4.    GUIDELINES

 All staff must comply with the following regulations:-

4.1       Staff must give at least 6 weeks notice to their employer by completing the Parent’s Leave Application form and returning it to HR for processing.

4.2       The leave can be taken in consecutive weeks or separate weeks provided the child is under age 2.  The current rate is €274.00 per week.

4.3       The leave cannot be transferred between parents.

4.4       Applications may be postponed for up to 12 weeks in certain circumstances, e.g. variations in volume of work, nature of duties and other reasons as outlined by the employer.

5     PROCEDURES

5.1     Staff must complete Parent’s Leave Application Form, indicating the dates of Parent’s Leave and must obtain Head of Department’s consent before sending the form to HR.

5.2.    If the applicant is paying Class A,B, C, D, E H, PRSI contributions, they must apply online at www.mywelfare.ie You must have a verified MyGovID account set up to use MyWelfare.ie  Please visit www.mygovid.ie to get a vertified MyGovID account. You will be asked to provide the baby’s PPS Number and confirm the start date of your leave.  These dates need to be agreed with your Employer in advance of your application.  If you are unable to apply online, the Parent’s Benefit Application Form can be requested from the Parent’s Benefit Section by calling the following number – 1890 690690 or email at parentsben@welfare.ie

5.3     You will be required to answer questions regarding your address, any other children, employment status and your relationship status.

5.4     Parents Benefit is paid directly into your current or deposit account.  It cannot be paid into a mortgage account.

5.5     If you pay tax, you will have to pay tax on Parent’s Benefit.  You will not have to pay the Universal Social Charge (USC) or PRSI.

5.6     The University will not provide a top up payment of salary for staff wishing to avail of Parent’s Leave.

DOCUMENTATION

 Parents Leave Application Form 2024