Paternity leave

Paternity leave is granted for births after 3 June 2006. Paternity leave entitles fathers affiliated to the C.C.S.S. to the payment of daily allowances, under certain conditions. Paternity leave cannot be substituted for family leave, legally or contractually paid by the employer.

Eligibility conditions

On the birth of his child, the new father must:

  • belong to the C.C.S.S.
  • meet the same working period condition as that stipulated for the reimbursement of medical expenses (see the "Basic conditions" section).

When the leave period begins, the beneficiary must prove a loss of wages as a result of the temporary work stoppage (which is not the case for example, for unpaid leave).

The request for payment of daily allowances must be sent to the fund within three months of the end of the paternity leave.

Leave period covered

Sundays and holidays included, for leave the start date of which is set

  • up to 15 December 2023 or before, the length of paid leave is:
    • 12 days in the case of a single birth,
    • 19 days in the case of multiple births or if the household already has two dependent children as defined in the legislation on family benefits.
  • from 16 December 2023 and thereafter, the length of paid leave is:
    • 21 days in event of a single birth,
    • 28 days in event of multiple births or if the household already has at least two dependent children as laid down in family allowance legislation.

Leave may be taken in part or in its entirety but cannot be split.

Commencement of the leave

The father is free to choose the start date of the paternity leave any time from the birth to the newborn's four-month birthday. This deadline can be extended in the event that the child is hospitalised.

Formalities

Regardless of the start date for the leave, there is no need to inform the fund of this beforehand. However, it is your responsibility to notify your employer as set out in the legislation (ref. Law no. 1309 of 29 May 2006), which stipulates a general notice period of two weeks.

At the end of the paternity leave period and within three months of the end of this leave at the latest, send us a form requesting the payment of daily allowances completed by your employer, which must include:

  • the start dates and end dates for the birth leave granted by the employer under family leave
  • the start and end dates of the paternity leave
  • the information appearing on the payslips for the three months prior to the month during which you stopped work (gross salary amounts and number of working hours).

On the same document, you must also provide:

  • the child's birth date,
  • the mother's registration number, if she is affiliated to the C.C.S.S. or the C.A.M.T.I.
  • the number of dependent children already in the household (prior to the birth),
  • the amount and type of other benefits that you have received during the paternity leave period.

You must attach a birth certificate or a photocopy of the family record book to this form.

Attention! Any request sent after the three-month deadline shall not result in benefits being paid

Benefit amount

Calculating the daily allowance

The amount of the daily paternity benefit is equal to 90% of the father's average gross daily salary over the 12 months prior to the start of this leave. This average daily salary is calculated under the same conditions as health and maternity insurance.

The deduction of other types of benefit

Benefit amounts paid under illness, accident, disability with total incapacity for work, workplace accident, occupational illness or unemployment insurance is deducted from the daily paternity benefit for each day the benefits overlap.

Benefit payment

Given any deductions indicated above, the benefit payment is calculated by multiplying the daily allowance amount by the number of days of work interruption subject to daily allowances.