If you're looking to hire employees in the Netherlands or just add a new team member working in a "country with many names," you need to understand that parental leave is an integral part of Dutch employment laws.
Although it's still not as generous as the UK, you can enjoy up to 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave.
Work-life balance is essential for the average Dutch citizen – the OECD Good Life Index 2019 ranked the Netherlands as the country with the best work-life balance in the world.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the basics of parental leave in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and explain how you can comply with the law. If you have more questions, we'll also provide you with resources that can help so you can continue to hire new international employees.
The Netherlands has had a parental leave policy since 1991. But from then to now, the legislation has undergone some changes.
The original version of the leave law was to provide employees with six months of unpaid, part-time parental leave. Due to low parental acceptance, the legislation was changed to:
In 1995, Dutch employees were entitled to 26 weeks of part-time vacation for more than six years.
By 1996, this period had been extended for a further two years (for a total of eight years).
By 2001, the leave policy had been simplified
16 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Two days of paid paternity leave.
Up to 26 weeks of part-time unpaid parental leave for eight years (employers can refuse as this is not a statutory right).
In the case of adoption, parents can take up to six weeks of leave. However, employees must be notified three weeks before the start of the holiday. They are free to take immediate breaks or spread out their breaks.
Parents can apply for an adoption allowance from the Dutch Employees Insurance Agency (UWV) and receive 100% of their salary, up to a total of 4,660 per monthEUR 59.
All this still does not increase the number of parents who take parental leave. In order to encourage more parents to take parental leave, the Netherlands** wants to introduce a new regulation that will come into force on 2 August 2022.
The new rules guarantee all parents at least nine weeks of paid parental leave. **Pay 70% of the parent's salary – reimbursable if received within the first 12 months of the child's birth. Parents are also entitled to 17 weeks of unpaid parental leave, for a total of 26 weeks.
Parents must meet the following criteria to apply for parental leave in the Netherlands:
The individual must live or work in the Netherlands (self-employed).
Individuals must insure themselves under the Health Insurance Act (ZVW).
Let's get to know the specifics of maternity leave the Dutch way.
According to the Dutch maternity leave law, mothers are entitled to 16 weeks of leave. The law divides it into 4 to 6 weeks of leave (known as maternity leave) and 10 to 12 weeks of leave (known as maternity leave), with the former being taken before childbirth and the latter after childbirth.
If the baby is born before the due date, the mother takes 16 weeks of leave starting the day after birth. The same applies if the mother gives birth after the due date.
In the case of multiple births, the policy extends the period of maternity leave by four weeks. If the baby is hospitalized immediately after delivery for any reason, maternity leave will begin the day after the doctor discharges the mother and baby.
Yes! Both pregnancy and maternity leave are 100% paid.
Dutch law requires employees to be paid in full, capped at $219 per dayEUR 28. It is taxable. If a mother takes nine weeks of parental leave in the first year of the child's life, they will receive 50% of their salary.
If an employee becomes ill before maternity leave, they will receive a sickness benefit equivalent to their salary. If they are unable to work at the end of their maternity leave due to pregnancy, they will receive the same sickness benefits for up to 104 weeks.
Self-employed mothers can benefit from the Self-Employed Maternity Benefits Program. The amount paid depends on the gross income in the year preceding the birth and cannot exceed the minimum wage.
The father or partner (including same-sex couples) is entitled to paid full-week (five-day) paternity leave after childbirth. The father or partner must take leave within four weeks of giving birth.
They can get an additional five weeks of unpaid paternity leave for the first six months after giving birth. They can also choose to extend their vacation period to these six months instead of taking it all at once.
But this is not always the case.
Prior to the new rules, the policy gave partners five working days off. If you go back to the early 2000s, there were only two days of paid paternity leave for a father or partner.
During the first five days of paternity leave, the employer pays the employee full salary.
If a father or partner takes an additional five weeks of unpaid leave, they can receive benefits from UWV equal to 70% of their standard salary. They are also entitled to 9 weeks of paid parental leave – 50% paid.
If you need more information about the Netherlands vacation program, Business is a great place to start.
They did a good job of explaining various aspects of the leave policy. If you want to talk to someone, you can also contact the Dutch employee insurance agency. The UWV also provides an employee portal** for employers, where they can handle issues such as reporting leave requests or getting pregnant.
Another option worth exploring is the EU's.
Having a parental leave policy in place is beneficial for both employers and employees.
For employees, they can take some time off work to recover from the rigors of pregnancy, bond with a newborn, or take care of their own mental health. It's a great way for employers to keep their employees motivated and motivated. It's also an incentive to attract and recruit top talent.
Running a consistent, distributed benefits program can be overwhelming at times. You might consider hiring a global team of HR experts to manage the complex laws and regulations that come with a distributed benefits plan.