2019 saw extended unpaid parental leave with the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act, 2019 which extended unpaid parental leave from 18 to 22 weeks and a further extension to 26 weeks' parental leave by 2020.
Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 the amount of parental leave that a parent can take has increased from 18 weeks to 26 weeks.
This increase is being phased in over a 2-year period.
• From 1 September 2019, you can take up to 22 weeks parental leave.
• From 1 September 2020, you can take up to 26 weeks parental leave.
Note that this leave is unpaid.
