 If you’re a first-time father, you may not be aware of the payments and services available to you to assist with caring for your new-born. Parental Leave Pay While your employer may pay paternity leave, there are also opportunities for you to receive paid parental leave from Services Australia. Depending on when your child was born or adopted, the mother can receive between 20 and 26 weeks of paid leave. Of those, 10-20 days will be apportioned to the mother’s partner (or the child’s biological father, if they are different) depending on when the child was born. The remaining time can be split between you and the mother at your joint discretion. A detailed breakdown of the amounts of leave you’re entitled to can be found here. How much can I be paid?
The current rate of payment is based on the national minimum wage, which is currently $915.80 per week (as of 29/5/25). How much can I take? If your partner were to have a child on the 1st of July 2025, you would be entitled to 120 days (24 weeks) of leave funded by Services Australia. Of those days, 15 would be apportioned to you automatically and the remainder can be split between you and your partner. There is also a limit to how much paid parental leave you can take at the same time. As of 1 July 2025, you can take 20 days simultaneously and the remainder must be taken at separate times. For example, if your partner decides to take 70 days, then your 60 days cannot be taken at the same time. Instead, you might decide to take the first 20 days simultaneously and then take your remaining days separately. How does it get paid? In most cases, your employer will pay your Parental Leave to you as proxy of Services Australia. Occasionally, your payment will be made to you directly from Centrelink. Details on when this will be paid by your employer or by Centrelink can be found here. Is it tax-free? No, Parental Leave Pay is taxable and subject to PAYG withholding. You can access the Services Australia guide to get further information on Parental Leave Pay and if you may be eligible. Comments are closed.
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