sharing Paid Parental Leave between parents: how it works in 2026

the basics: 22 weeks of PPL, shared

from 1 july 2025, families receive 22 weeks (110 payable days) of Paid Parental Leave per child. the payment is made at the national minimum wage rate — currently $915.80 per week before tax (as of january 2026).

both parents can claim from this single pool. there's no longer a separate "Dad and Partner Pay" — it's all one scheme. either parent can be the primary claimant, and you choose how to divide the weeks between you.

to be eligible, each parent must individually meet the work test (10 of the 13 months before the birth or adoption, working at least 330 hours in that 10-month period) and the income test (individual adjusted taxable income under $168,865 in 2025-26).

the "use it or lose it" reserved weeks

of the 22 weeks, 2 weeks are reserved for each parent. these are non-transferable — if one parent doesn't take their reserved weeks, those weeks are forfeited. they can't be given to the other parent.

this means the split works like this:

the policy intent is straightforward: encourage both parents to take at least some leave. research consistently shows that when dads take parental leave early, they stay more involved long-term. the reserved weeks create a gentle financial nudge in that direction.

taking leave at the same time

up to 2 weeks can be taken concurrently — meaning both parents receive PPL at the same time. this is ideal for the first weeks after birth or placement, when having both parents home makes the biggest difference.

concurrent leave comes out of your total 22-week pool. so if both parents take 2 weeks concurrently, that uses 4 weeks from the pool (2 weeks x 2 parents), leaving 18 weeks to be taken individually.

you don't have to take concurrent leave — it's optional. but if you can afford to have both parents off work at the same time, those early weeks together can be genuinely valuable.

flexible start dates and gaps

PPL doesn't have to be taken in one continuous block. you can take it in chunks, with gaps in between, up until 2 years after the birth or adoption. this gives families real flexibility to plan around work commitments, childcare availability, and financial needs.

for example, one parent might take 12 weeks from birth, return to work, and the other parent could take their 10 weeks starting when the baby is 6 months old. or you could alternate — one parent on for 8 weeks, the other for 8 weeks, then the first parent takes their remaining 4 weeks later.

the only rule is that PPL must be taken in blocks of at least one day at a time (you can take single days), and all weeks must be claimed within 2 years of the child's birth or adoption date.

employer top-up interaction

since 1 october 2023, employer-paid parental leave does not reduce or affect your government PPL entitlement. the two schemes run in parallel.

this means if your employer offers 12 weeks of paid parental leave at full salary, you can receive that andthe government PPL at the same time. for those 12 weeks, you'd get your full salary from your employer plus $915.80/week from the government.

some employers structure their parental leave as a "top-up" to the government rate. check with your HR team about how they handle the overlap — some will pay the difference between the government rate and your normal salary, while others pay their full amount on top.

use our Paid Parental Leave calculator to estimate your total entitlement and plan your leave dates.

how to decide the split

there's no single best split — it depends on your incomes, your employers' leave policies, and your family preferences. here are some common approaches:

• maximum time for birth parent:one parent takes 20 weeks, the other takes their 2 reserved weeks. total coverage: 22 weeks with minimal disruption to the second parent's work
• even split: each parent takes 11 weeks. works well when both parents have similar incomes and flexible employers
• staggered handover: birth parent takes 14 weeks, then the other parent takes 8 weeks. gives the baby a longer total stretch with a parent before childcare starts
• later block for partner: partner takes their 2 reserved weeks concurrently at birth, then takes a longer block (say, 6-8 weeks) later in the year when the birth parent returns to work

remember that PPL is paid at the minimum wage ($915.80/week), not your actual salary. if one parent earns significantly more, there's a bigger financial hit when that parent takes leave — unless their employer tops up the difference.

frequently asked questions