Updated on
02/09/2025
Parental leave
What is the purpose of parental leave? – Parental leave allows parents to spend quality time with and care for their child during the crucial early childhood period. This leave ensures parents can focus on their child's upbringing while maintaining job security.
What are the conditions for parental leave? – The parent must raise the child at home during parental leave and dedicate themselves primarily to the child's care and development.
What the parent must do:
- The parent must have an employment contract that remains valid throughout the entire parental leave duration.
- They must be continuously covered by Luxembourg social security for at least 10 working hours per week during the 12 months immediately before starting parental leave.
- During the leave period, the parent must actively care for the child.
- Depending on which type of parental leave you choose, you may be completely prohibited from working or only permitted to work part-time.
- For non-continuous parental leave, the parent must reduce their working hours by 20% per week for up to 20 months, or divide the leave into 4 separate one-month periods.
- During full-time parental leave, the parent must not engage in any professional activity whatsoever. This is a mandatory legal restriction.
What the parent may do:
- During part-time parental leave, the parent may only work part-time for the same employer. The total monthly working hours cannot exceed half of the hours worked before taking parental leave.
- If you change employers during parental leave, you can continue the leave if your new employer agrees. Alternatively, you may interrupt the leave without having to repay any parental allowance you've already received.
Can both parents apply for parental leave? – Only one parent can take parental leave at any given time. When both eligible parents apply simultaneously, they must specify in their applications who will take the first leave and who will take the second. If they cannot agree, the first parental leave goes to the parent whose surname comes first alphabetically.
What is the difference between the 1st and 2nd parental leave? – The first parental leave begins immediately after maternity or adoption leave ends. If neither parent takes this first leave, the right to it expires permanently. Parents then only qualify for the second paid parental leave, which must be taken before the child turns 6 years old.
What happens if I have switched workplaces less than 12 months before applying for parental leave? – Changing jobs during the 12 months before parental leave requires your new employer's consent. If you change employers while on parental leave, you can continue the leave with the new employer's agreement, or interrupt it without repaying any allowance already received.
Can I get fired during my parental leave? – Your employer cannot dismiss you with notice during parental leave. This protection against standard dismissal begins on the last day of the application submission period and continues throughout the entire parental leave duration, whether full-time, part-time, or non-continuous.
During this protected period, your employer cannot give you termination notice or invite you to a preliminary dismissal interview.
During this protected period, your employer cannot give you termination notice or invite you to a preliminary dismissal interview.
However, this protection has limits. It only applies to ordinary dismissals, not cases of serious misconduct. If you commit serious misconduct, your employer can still dismiss you immediately without notice through extraordinary dismissal procedures.
Other useful words to check out
Special Leave (Leave for Personal Reasons)
Unjustified absence (absence injustifiée)
Tax (Impôt)
Tax class (classe d’impôt)
Unjustified absence (absence injustifiée)
Tax (Impôt)
Tax class (classe d’impôt)