Maternity and parental leave in the Netherlands 2026

Dutch maternity leave: at least 16 weeks

The leave has two parts: 6 weeks of pregnancy leave before the due date (10 for a multiple birth) and at least 10 weeks of maternity leave after the birth. If the baby stays in hospital for more than 7 days, up to 10 extra weeks are added.

The money flows through you. The employer keeps paying salary and receives the UWV benefit in return. Business.gov.nl does not state the benefit level or the maximum daily wage, so check both with UWV, and agree who covers any difference for a high earner.

Leave rules in Netherlands at a glance

Birth leave for partners: 1 week, then 5 more

• Birth leave: 1 week within 4 weeks of the birth, at 100% of salary, paid by the employer.
• Additional birth leave: 5 weeks within 6 months, with a UWV benefit of 70% of salary. A collective labor agreement (CAO) may require you to top it up.

On EUR 35,546 a year, the employer-paid week is 35,546 / 52 = EUR 683.58. Belgium has a similar rule for its first 3 days; see Belgian birth leave.

How Dutch parental leave works in hours

Parental leave is counted in hours, not weeks: 26 times the weekly hours, per child and per parent. On a 40-hour week that is 26 x 40 = 1,040 hours. The first 9 weeks are paid by UWV at 70% of the daily wage if taken in the child's first year; the remaining 17 weeks are unpaid. Because the hours can be spread until the child turns 8, a Dutch employee may work a shorter week for months instead of taking one long break.

Sick pay: the largest leave cost for Dutch employers

When an employee falls ill, you pay at least 70% of normal wages for up to 104 weeks. In the first year the payment must reach at least the minimum wage; in the second it need not. Illness caused by pregnancy, childbirth or organ donation is paid at 100%. For employees over state pension age the duty is 70% for 6 weeks.

On EUR 35,546, 70% is EUR 24,882.20 a year, so two full years of illness cost EUR 49,764.40 in wages alone. Business.gov.nl does not state waiting days, so we do not quote any.

Holidays and the 8% allowance

Statutory holiday is 4 times the weekly hours each year, 160 hours on a 40-hour week; it accrues from the first day and expires 6 months after the end of the year it was earned. There are 11 public holidays. A holiday allowance of at least 8% of gross wages is mandatory, and our sample employer cost is 28.0% of base salary including it (see the Netherlands cost breakdown). Check pay against the Dutch minimum wage and average Dutch salaries.

Dutch leave through an EOR

An EOR keeps paying salary during maternity leave and claims the UWV benefit, applies the CAO top-ups and manages the two-year sick pay process. Ask how it bills you for a long sick pay period, and what happens to that duty if you end the EOR contract while the employee is still ill.

EOR list fees run from $99 (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster) per employee per month, and Deel lists $599, all checked October 16 and 18, 2026 (employer cost index). See our ranked EOR providers.