Parental leave benefit

Use this service to

You can apply for a parental leave benefit. Each parent is entitled to the benefit for each child up to 15 years old, for a period ranging from 8 to 14 weeks, depending on the order of birth of the child. For children with disabilities, eligibility extends up to the age of 21 of the child, and the period of payment of benefit is extended by 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the severity of the disability.

You must submit your application the latest 7 days after the first day for which you are requesting the benefit.

You may apply for a period ranging from one day to a maximum of 5 weeks in each calendar year. If you are not entitled to parental leave benefit, you may still be entitled to insurance credits.

The maximum weeks for parental leave for each child is 18 weeks.

Who the service is for

You must have a Social Insurance number and contributions, meet the insurance requirements, and:

For employed parents:

• Have completed 6 months of continuous employment with the same employer
• Not be receiving full payment from your employer during the leave period
• Have informed your employer at least 3 weeks before the start date of the leave. In special cases, and with the employer's consent, this period may be reduced.

For self-employed parents:

• Have settled your contributions for the last two quarterly contribution periods
• Your business must not be closed during the parental leave due to law, custom, collective agreement, agreement, or suspension of operations
• Have informed the Social Insurance Services at least 3 weeks before the start date of the parental In special cases, and with the consent of the Social Insurance Services, this period may be reduced.

What you need to use the service

You will need:

• A verified CY Login account (formerly Ariadni)
• The IBAN certificate of your bank account
• The child’s birth certificate
• A Disability Certificate from the Department for Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, if applicable
• A statement from each employer that they have been informed of the parental leave, if you are an employed person.