Parental benefit and parental leave are regulated differently if you work in a neighbouring country. Here you can find out what you should always bear in mind.
Parental benefit
If you live in Germany, you are entitled to a parental benefit. This is financial support for parents, some of whom work less in the first year after the birth to raise the child. The parental benefit is also paid if you do not work less or if one parent does not work. The benefit is a minimum amount of EUR 300 and a maximum of EUR 1,870 per month. Usually, about 67% of the last net income is remunerated.
It is therefore possible to have the (unpaid) Dutch parental leave (Ouderschapsverlof) partially compensated by the (German) parental benefit. There is no entitlement to parental leave under Dutch law.
Attention: Parental benefit may have an effect on Dutch tax. It is also possible that contributions to the Dutch ‘Volksverzekeringen’ [national insurance] will have to be paid through the parental benefit in the Netherlands. If the person who works in the Netherlands applies for parental benefit, social security contributions must be paid.
Unpaid parental leave (Ouderschapsverlof)
If you want to work less time after giving birth, you can claim your right to parental leave. Your existing employment contract will remain in force during parental leave. To be eligible for parental leave, you must have been employed by your current employer for at least one year. Both you and your partner can take parental leave. This is independent of the number of hours you work. You can take parental leave once for each child under the age of eight. The amount of leave you can take each week depends on the number of hours you work. You are entitled to a maximum of 26 x the number of hours you work per week. An example. If you work 24 hours a week, then you are therefore entitled to a maximum of 624 hours (26 x 24 hours) of parental leave. This means that you can take leave for six months. If you want to take parental leave in a different way, e.g. fewer hours per week over a longer period, your employer must agree. You can take the leave as long as the child has not yet reached the age of eight.
Provided the employer does not give important reasons for not doing so, you can decide for yourself which days you take off. The leave must always be taken at one time and without interruption. Different provisions may have been agreed in the respective collective agreement.
Simultaneous pregnancy and maternity leave with parental allowance
The parental benefit is paid from the day the child is born. In most cases, the mother is then still entitled to pregnancy and maternity leave from the Netherlands. This benefit is deducted from the parental benefit. The same applies to the partner who claims parental benefit and receives WIEG from the Netherlands during the same period.
In this film you will learn more about the regulations if you live in Germany and work in the Netherlands and have a child.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW8PKure900
The parental benefit is paid from the day the child is born. In most cases, the mother is then still entitled to pregnancy and maternity leave from the Netherlands. This benefit is deducted from the parental benefit. The same applies to the partner who claims parental benefit and receives WIEG from the Netherlands during the same period.