Maternity and parental leave in Ireland

Irish maternity law in four points

1. 26 weeks of maternity leave.
2. Up to 16 more weeks of additional maternity leave, unpaid.
3. Maternity Benefit of EUR 299 a week for the 26 weeks, from the State, if the PRSI test is met.
4. No general duty on the employer to pay salary during the leave.

Unlike the UK, where the employer pays maternity pay through payroll (UK maternity pay rules), the Irish benefit comes from the State. Over the full 26 weeks the benefit comes to 26 x 299 = EUR 7,774, about $8,748. On a EUR 34,000 salary (EUR 653.85 a week), the gap to normal pay is 653.85 minus 299 = EUR 354.85 a week. Topping up to full pay for all 26 weeks would cost you 26 x 354.85 = EUR 9,226.10 before PRSI. Whether to do so is a policy choice, not a legal duty.

Leave rules in Ireland at a glance

Leave for fathers and partners

Maternity leave itself belongs to the mother, but the other parent has two rights of their own:

• Paternity leave: 2 weeks, taken at any point in the 26 weeks after the birth or adoption, with 4 weeks' written notice. Paternity Benefit is paid by the State to those with enough PRSI; the employer does not have to pay. We did not confirm the benefit rate this month.
• Parent's leave: 9 weeks for each parent in the child's first 2 years, paid through Parent's Benefit (rate not confirmed here).

A separate unpaid parental leave also exists; we have not checked its length this month.

Statutory sick pay: the cost that is yours

Irish sick pay is employer-paid: 5 days a year at 70% of normal pay, up to EUR 110 a day, for employees with 13 weeks of continuous service and a medical certificate from day 1. After that, the State's Illness Benefit applies, normally from day 4 after 3 waiting days.

On a EUR 34,000 salary and 260 working days, a day's pay is EUR 130.77, 70% is EUR 91.54, and the full 5 days cost EUR 457.69. The 5-day level for 2026 rests on a government decision of April 2025 to keep it there; the Citizens Information page we read was last edited in February 2025.

Holidays, PRSI and the rest of the budget

Annual leave is 4 working weeks (20 days on a five-day week), and there are 10 public holidays. Employer PRSI is 11.25%, 11.40% from October 1, 2026, plus 1.5% auto-enrollment pension for employees without a payroll pension. Whether annual leave accrues during additional maternity leave is a common question; we have not confirmed it on an official page this month, so check it with your provider before agreeing a return date.

For pay benchmarks see average earnings in Ireland and Ireland's 2026 minimum wage; the Ireland hiring guide has the full cost math.

Handling an Irish maternity leave through an EOR

The EOR, as the Irish employer, completes the employer side of the Maternity Benefit claim, runs any top-up you approve through payroll and handles the return to work. Put any top-up in writing at hiring so the EOR knows exactly what to run through payroll.

Listed EOR fees run from $99 per employee per month (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster), with Deel at $599, checked October 16 and 18, 2026 (our employer cost index). Compare deposits and exit terms on the best EOR page.