What is parental leave?

Following the birth or adoption of one or more children, any employee, without distinction of gender, has the possibility of benefiting from parental leave for education when he justifies at least one year of seniority within the company. But concretely, what is parental leave? What are the conditions to be met to benefit from it?

Parental leave: what is it?

Le educational parental leave is defined in the Labor Code as: the total or partial interruption of his professional activity after the arrival of one or more children in his home. Parental leave is applied both in the case of a birth and an adoption. It can take many forms; either full-time leave or a reduction in working hours.

Full-time parental leave 

This type of leave allows you not to work for a given period of time. Full-time parental leave entails a suspension of the employment contract at the level of the father or the mother.

Part-time parental leave

Part-time parental leave leads to a reduction in effective working time. During this period, the employee does not receive his full salary. Indeed, his remuneration is calculated in proportion to his working time.

Who can benefit from parental leave?

Any parent can apply for parental leave following the birth or adoption of one or more children. Parental leave can be taken simultaneously by the father and the mother.

What conditions must be met to benefit from parental leave?

Parental leave is applicable in two personal situations:

• The birth of a child;
• The arrival in the household of a child adopted or entrusted for adoption who is under 16 years of age.

Furthermore, from a professional point of view, to benefit from parental leave, the employee must have at least one year's seniority in the company. This duration is assessed in relation to the date of birth or arrival of the child in the household.

The request for parental leave can be exercised from the end of the maternity leave or the adoption leave and can go until the third birthday of the child. However, the employee must make the request to his employer at least two months before the start of parental leave or one month before, when the latter begins immediately after maternity leave.

What is the salary of the employee during parental leave?

During parental leave, the employee's salary is suspended. You will therefore not receive any salary from your employer unless you work part-time. When you work part-time, you are remunerated in proportion to your working hours. For example, if you work 80%, your employer is required to pay you 80% of your regular salary. If you take full-time parental leave, you can benefit from assistance from the CAF when certain conditions are met.

Ultimately, parental education leave allows any employee, male or female, to totally or partially suspend their professional activity after the birth or adoption of one or more children.