Parents of twins to get extra parental leave in Denmark
A plan to give additional parental leave to parents of twins, agreed in the 2023 budget, has now been finalised.
Following the agreement in the 2023 budget, adopted in May, the new parental leave rules have now been formalised.
The new rules give parents of twins a total of 26 extra weeks of parental leave compared to parents of a single baby.
The additional 26 weeks are split up evenly, so that each parent is entitled to 13 weeks. The leave must be taken within a year of the birth. It cannot be transferred between parents and is therefore comparable to the “earmarked” parental leave that was introduced in a reform to the provisions in 2022.
READ ALSO: Danish parliament passes new law for 'earmarked' parental leave
However, parents will be able to share the leave with a “social parent” or registered third guardian of the children.
The rules will apply to all parents who have two or more children at the same birth and thereby replace existing rules that gave additional benefits to the parents of triplets.
The new rules are expected to come into force from May 1st next year (and will therefore apply to children born from that date onwards), with a bill scheduled to be tabled on January 1st 2024.
“There’s probably no-one other than parents of twins who knows what it takes to have thwo children at the same time. That’s why it’s good that we’ve now agreed on a concrete model that will ensure two extra hands at the beginning of parental leave. That will benefit parents and children alike,” Minister of Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said in a statement.
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Following the agreement in the 2023 budget, adopted in May, the new parental leave rules have now been formalised.
The new rules give parents of twins a total of 26 extra weeks of parental leave compared to parents of a single baby.
The additional 26 weeks are split up evenly, so that each parent is entitled to 13 weeks. The leave must be taken within a year of the birth. It cannot be transferred between parents and is therefore comparable to the “earmarked” parental leave that was introduced in a reform to the provisions in 2022.
READ ALSO: Danish parliament passes new law for 'earmarked' parental leave
However, parents will be able to share the leave with a “social parent” or registered third guardian of the children.
The rules will apply to all parents who have two or more children at the same birth and thereby replace existing rules that gave additional benefits to the parents of triplets.
The new rules are expected to come into force from May 1st next year (and will therefore apply to children born from that date onwards), with a bill scheduled to be tabled on January 1st 2024.
“There’s probably no-one other than parents of twins who knows what it takes to have thwo children at the same time. That’s why it’s good that we’ve now agreed on a concrete model that will ensure two extra hands at the beginning of parental leave. That will benefit parents and children alike,” Minister of Employment Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said in a statement.
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