Parental leave in France (2026)

Last reviewed: 7 November 2026

In short: Maternity leave is 16 weeks for a first or second child and 26 weeks from the third. The other parent has 3 days of birth leave plus a paternity leave with 4 compulsory and 21 optional days. Social security pays daily allowances, and dismissal is barred during maternity leave and restricted for 10 weeks afterwards.

RuleWhat applies
Maternity leaveTaking parental leaveEmployees in the private sector have 16 weeks of maternity leave for a first or second child (6 weeks before and 10 weeks after the birth) and 26 weeks from the third child (8 + 18). Twins: 34 weeks (12 + 22). Three or more children: 46 weeks (24 + 22). At least 8 weeks must be taken, 6 of them after the birth. [1]
Paternity leaveTaking parental leaveThe other parent living with the mother has a birth leave of 3 working days, followed by paternity and childcare leave in calendar days: a compulsory period of 4 days straight after, and an optional period of 21 days (28 days for multiple births). The leave must be taken within 6 months of the birth (longer in some cases, for example hospitalisation of the child). [2]
Parental leaveTaking parental leaveAn employee with at least 1 year of seniority may take full-time parental education leave (part-time is also possible). It lasts 1 year and can be renewed twice for one child, until the child's 3rd birthday at the latest. For twins it ends at the latest when the children start nursery school. For three or more children it can be renewed 5 times, until the 6th birthday. Since 1 July 2026 each parent also has a supplementary birth leave of 1 or 2 months (splittable in two periods of one month), taken after maternity, paternity or adoption leave within 9 months of the birth. [3]
Pay during leaveTaking parental leaveNo salary from the employer during maternity or paternity leave unless a collective agreement says otherwise. Health insurance pays daily allowances: the base daily wage is the last 3 gross salaries divided by 91.25, capped at the monthly social security ceiling (EUR 4,005 a month in 2026), minus a flat 21%, with a minimum of EUR 11.12 and a maximum of EUR 104.02 a day. The supplementary birth leave is paid by social security at 70% of net salary for the first month and 60% for the second (Ministry notice of 1 April 2026). Parental education leave is not paid by the employer. [1]
Job protectionTaking parental leaveMaternity: the employer cannot end the contract during the leave or during paid holiday taken straight after it, even for serious misconduct. For 10 weeks after that, dismissal is possible only for serious misconduct or when the contract cannot be kept for a reason unrelated to the birth. Paternity leave: no dismissal during the leave except serious misconduct or inability to keep the contract. After maternity or parental leave the employee returns to the previous job or a similar one with at least equal pay. [1]

Notes

  • The supplementary birth leave was created by the 2026 social security financing law and applies to children born or adopted from 1 January 2026. For births from 1 January to 31 May 2026 the 9-month period runs from 1 July 2026.
  • Collective agreements can pay more than social security, up to full salary. The 70% and 60% rates come from the Ministry notice of 1 April 2026, which said the implementing decrees were still to come.

Sources

  1. Ministère du Travail (Code du travail numérique), fiche from Service-Public.gouv.fr: Congé de maternité d'une salariée du secteur privé - Code du travail numérique (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources
  2. Ministère du Travail (Code du travail numérique), fiche from Service-Public.gouv.fr: Congé de paternité et d'accueil de l'enfant d'un salarié du secteur privé - Code du travail numérique (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources
  3. Ministère du Travail (Code du travail numérique), fiche from Service-Public.gouv.fr: Congé parental d'éducation à temps plein pour un salarié du secteur privé - Code du travail numérique (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources

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