The new birth leave, which should come into force on January 1, will only apply from July but parents of children born or adopted between January 1 and May 31 will still be able to benefit from it, the Ministry of Health and Families announced this Friday, December 26.
The latter will in fact have “an exceptional additional period, extending until the end of 2026” to take this leave, he specified in a press release. “The date of May 31 was taken knowing that it would allow all situations to be taken into account broadly,” the ministry told AFP.
An initial schedule difficult to keep
The timetable for implementing additional leave has been the subject of numerous debates in recent months in Parliament. Initially set for July 2027, its application was brought forward in the National Assembly to January 2026, then postponed to January 2027 in the Senate – where technical constraints were notably highlighted – before finally being set for January 2026. “A deployment period of a year and a half would have been necessary to implement this reform in good conditions”, underlines the ministry in its press release. “This duration should allow employers to adapt, including in their human resources management software, and social security funds to adapt the information systems necessary for the declaration, calculation and payment of this new right.”
“This entry into force faster than expected could unfortunately lead to delays in compensation and greater administrative burden than the deployment methods initially envisaged, which were more automated,” he added.
Announced in January 2024 by Emmanuel Macron with a view to “demographic rearmament” in a context of falling birth rates, the birth leave established by the Social Security financing law could be up to two months for each of the two parents. It can be taken either simultaneously or at separate times by both parents and will be added to maternity (sixteen weeks) and paternity (28 days) leave. The government indicated that the amount of compensation would be 70% of net salary in the first month and 60% in the second.
