During a press conference, President Emmanuel Macron announced a reform of the current parental leave, which will be replaced by birth leave for both parents. Here is the detail on the upcoming changes.
THE parental leave as we know it today is living its final hours. During his press conference at the Élysée on January 16, 2024, the Head of State announced the creation of a birth leave, which will replace parental leave. This measure aims in part to revive the birth rate in France, which has been declining since 2011, but also to better help young parents. For that, this new leave will be “better paid, shorter than current parental leave”, explained Emmanuel Macron. Both parents will be able to benefit from it, to be “with their child for six months if they wish.” Last November, Aurore Bergé, then Minister of Solidarity and Families, had already mentioned this project.
What is birth leave which replaces parental leave?
All the details have not yet been communicated by the government. But for now, at the birth or adoption of a baby, both parents can choose to stop working totally or partially to take care of their child and be with him. In this case, as an employee, they can benefit from a specific leave, which is now called birth leave.
How long is the new birth leave?
As the Head of State indicated, birth leave will be much shorter than parental leave “which can last up to three years and which keeps many women away from the job market”, underlined Emmanuel Macron. The duration of birth leave will be six months. “A couple will be able to stop for six months and will be free to choose their dates“, underlined Aurore Bergé, new Minister responsible for Equality, guest of Sud Radio on Wednesday January 17, 2024.
How much is the birth leave?
For now, the amount of birth leave was not released by the government. On the other hand, what we know is that it will be better paid than parental leave, which currently amounts to 429 euros per month. Auroré Bergé also confirms this to Sud Radio: “we are in the process of determining it so that it is proportionate to a rate much higher than the 429 euros of parental leave
Until now you can claim, under certain conditions, shared child education benefit (PreParE) paid by the family allowance fund (Caf) and which can be shared equally between the father and the mother. Remember that the PreParE can be combined with the basic allowance of the Childcare benefit for young children (Paje). Employees can also use the rights acquired on their “time savings account” to finance their leave.
Example of standard letter to request birth leave
Here is the letter to print to request birth leave from your employer:
How to benefit from birth leave, what steps?
If the government decides to maintain the same procedures as for parental leave, to benefit from birth leave, you should inform your employer in advance by a letter sent by registered mail, with acknowledgment of receipt or hand delivery against signature. This letter should specify the dates of your leave as well as its duration. Then, in general, the request must be made to the CAF. Know that Birth leave is a right for parents; an employer cannot in principle refuse it to you.