Work-life balance

You are entitled to 16 weeks of pre-maternity and maternity leave in total. The starting date of the pre-maternity leave depends on the expected date of delivery. You can take pre-maternity leave 4 to 6 weeks before the expected due date. The maternity leave lasts at least ten weeks. The length of the actual leave period depends on the date the baby is born.

In addition to maternity leave, you are also entitled to parental leave, provided that this is taken before your child is eight years of age. The parental leave entitlement is 13 weeks of partially paid leave (you will receive 70% of your salary if you take parental leave in the first year of the child's life; if you take parental leave in the second to eighth year of the child's life, you will receive 62.5% of your salary) and 13 weeks of unpaid leave.

As a partner, you are also entitled to leave. This applies to the following types of leave:

• Birth leave
  Your are allowed to take up the number of leave days reasonably required during the time of childbirth.
• Partner leave
  In addition to the birth leave, you are entitled to partner leave equal to once your number of working hours per week. So, if you work for example 32 hours a week, you will be entitled to 32 hours of partner leave. Partner leave can be taken in the first 4 weeks following the delivery date. Your salary will continue to be paid throughout your partner leave. You can choose to take this leave all at once or to spread it out. 
• Additional partner leave
  As of 1 July 2020, as a partner, you are also entitled to additional partner leave of 5 times the number of hours you work in one week (maximum 5 weeks). During the additional partner leave, your salary will be continued to be paid for 70%, by the UU.

In the event of a seriously ill partner, parent or child, needing nursing or care at home, you are also entitled to take care leave. Partial salaries will continue to be paid during at least 2 working weeks per 12 months.

Through participation in salary saving schemes, you can save up for long-term (partially) paid leave (sabbatical).