Parents and carers of children born in the new financial year will soon receive more paid parental leave benefits.
Starting 1st of July Services Australia will increase the number of Parental Leave Pay days from 110 to 120 for children born or adopted from that date.
Eligible parents, including those adopting children, can apply for the payment up to three months before the expected date the child enters their care.
Parental Leave Pay supports families who take time off work to care for a newborn or newly adopted child.
Currently, parents of children born since 1st of July 2024, receive up to 110 days of paid leave.
To qualify for the new 120-day entitlement, parents must provide proof that the child was born or adopted on or after 1st of July 2025.
The maximum number of Parental Leave Pay days is expected to increase further to 130 from 1st of July 2026.
To be eligible, parents or carers must meet both a work and income test and must not be working on the days they claim the payment.
The payment can be accessed before, during, or after any employer-funded parental leave and applies to only one child in the case of multiple births or adoptions.
The current rate for Parental Leave Pay is $183.16 per day before tax, based on the national minimum wage, which totals $915.80 for a five-day week.
