Paid Parental Leave Australia: How Much is Centrelink Paid Parental Leave? Eligibility and Payment Dates are here The Paid Parental Leave scheme provides financial support to eligible parents to take time off work after a birth or adoption. The scheme The paid Parental leave scheme was introduced on 1 April 2011. As part of the expansion of the scheme, the Government is completing a comprehensive 4 phase evaluation of the Paid Parental Leave scheme.
Paid Parental Leave Australia
As of July 1, 2025, the weekly rate of parental Leave pay from Centrelink is $915.80, or 183.16 per day, before tax. You can claim up to 110 Parental Leave Paydays, but you must use them within the first 22 weeks or 154 calendar days after the birth of your child.
Paid Parental Leave in Australia is a government-funded scheme that provides financial support to eligible working parents who are caring for a newborn or adopted child. The amount you receive is based on the national minimum wage and the financial year in which you take leave. The current rate is $183.16 per day before tax. or $915.80 per five-day week. You can use up to six weeks of flexible Parental Leave Pay flexibly before your child’s second birthday, you can also hold onto days and use them later. But you must use them within two years of your child’s birth or adoption.
How Much is Centrelink Paid Parental Leave?
Your paid From December 9, 2025, the weekly rate of parental Leave pay from Centrelink is $915.80, or 183.16 per 5-day week, before tax. The rate is the same for everyone, regardless of how many hours they worked or how much they earned before going on leave. The rate of parental Leave Pay changes on July 1 each year, and depends on when in the financial year you take your leave. The rate you get is based on the financial year of the day or days you are claiming. Here are some other things to know about the parent Leave Pay in Australia:
- You can receive before during or after any paid or unpaid employer-funded leave.
- The Paid Parental Leave scheme will expand to 26 weeks in July 2026
- Super annuation will be paid on it from July 2025.
- You can use the Department of Human Service Payment Finder to find and compare the payments you may be eligible for.
Splitting leave – you can split the 20 weeks between you and take it in blocks as small as one day at a time over 2 years.
Australia’s government Parental Leave has been expanded by two weeks as we progress toward 26 weeks in 2026. From July 1 parents will receive 22 weeks of Paid Parental Leave, up from 20 weeks, resulting in more support as parents take time to care for their newborn. The scheme will continue to expand each year until the Government around$24,000 in government-funded parental leave. Centrelink may pay Parental Leave Pay directly or the employer may deliver it.
Payment periods – You will get your funds in instalments either fortnightly or 6 -6-weekly. You will get a piece of payment advice each time funds are deposited into your account.
For a child born ao adopted before 1 July 2025, you can b=get it for up to 18 weeks which is 90 payable days. It will include both:
- A continuous Paid Parental Leave period of up to 12 weeks which is 60 payable days
- 30 Flexible Paid Parental Leave days.
Paid Parental Leave Australia: Eligibility
To be eligible for paid Parental Leave in Australia, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be caring for the child born or adopted after July 1, 2025
- Be an Australian Resident
- Have worked for at least 10 of the 13 months before the child’s birth or adoption
- Meet the income test and work test
- Met the residency rules
- Register or apply to register the child’s birth with the state or territory birth registry
- Not be working on your Parental Leave Pay days except for allowable reasons
To get parental leave pay you need to make a claim to be caring for your newborn or adopted child and be one of the following:
- The birth mother of the newborn child.
- The partner of the birth mother,
- The child’s biological father.
- The partner of the child`s biological Father
- The child’s adoptive parent
- Gaining parents in a surrogacy arrangement
- The partner of a gaining parent in a surrogacy arrangement
- A person caring for a child under exceptional circumstances.
Paid Parental Leave Australia: Payment Dates
The payment date for paid parental leave in Australia depends on whether the employer pays the employee or services Australia pays directly, The employee will usually get their first payment 14 days after the nominated start date. The employee can check the status of their claim online through their Centrelink account linked to my Gov.
The number of paid parental leave days an employee can get depends on the child’s date of birth or adoption:
- July 1, 2025: Up to 100 days, or 20 weeks based on a 5-day workweek
- July 1, 2025: Up to 110 days, or 22 weeks based on a 5-day workweek
- July 1, 2025: Up to 120 days, or 24 weeks based on a 5-day workweek
Conclusion
Paid parental leave in Australia is a payment from Services Australia that allows eligible parents to take time off work after the birth or adoption of a child. On 1 April 2025, parental leave pay increased from 100 days to 110 days. If you have multiple births, for example, twins or triplets, you can only get Parental Leave Pay for one child.
Mark Delyn focuses on education, learning methods, and academic trends. Her work supports students, educators, and lifelong learners with practical and timely insights.
