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Parental leave notice (Ireland)
Ireland · in English · for employees
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15 questions · about 6 min
Made for use in Ireland
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For an employee in Ireland who will take unpaid parental leave for a child under 12 (16 if the child has a disability or long-term illness). The notice names the child and date of birth, the dates and number of weeks, and whether the leave is one continuous period or a pattern you ask the employer to agree to. Give it at least six weeks before the leave starts; you and your employer then sign a confirmation document at least four weeks before. Hand it in or email it.
- Made for use in Ireland
- Last updated November 3, 2026
- Document in English
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- I want to take unpaid parental leave to spend the summer with my young child in Ireland.
- My child is starting school and I want time off work in Ireland to help them settle in.
- I would like to take parental leave in Ireland one day a week rather than in one block.
- My employer in Ireland wants my request for parental leave in writing with the dates.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Town and county (e.g. Ennis, Co. Clare; or Dublin 8)
- Your Eircode
- Date
- Person you are writing to, as you would address them (e.g. Ms Byrne)
- Employer
- Employer's postal address (street, town and county, and Eircode on separate lines)
- Child's name
- Child's date of birth
- First day of leave
- Last day of leave
- Weeks of parental leave
- How you will take the leave
- Pattern of days or hours you propose (only if not one continuous period)
Common questions
- How much parental leave can I take in Ireland?
- Up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave for each child, taken before the child's 12th birthday, or 16th if the child has a disability or long-term illness. An employee with a year's continuous service has the full 26 weeks; with less, the entitlement can be shorter. Your job is kept for you, and the leave counts as service for your other employment rights.
- Can my employer refuse or postpone parental leave in Ireland?
- An employer cannot refuse leave that you are entitled to and gave proper notice for. It can postpone it if the leave would have a substantial adverse effect on the business, by telling you in writing at least four weeks before it was due to start, and only to a date within six months of the one you asked for. Taking the leave in days or hours needs the employer's agreement.
- What is the difference between parental leave and parent's leave in Ireland?
- Parental leave is unpaid: 26 weeks per child under 12. Parent's leave is a separate, shorter leave for the first two years after a birth or adoption, paid by the Department of Social Protection as Parent's Benefit if you have enough PRSI contributions. They are given and noticed separately; this notice is for parental leave. Citizens Information explains both.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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