Australia’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme
7. Claiming Paid Parental Leave
Parents will be able to apply for PPL prior to the birth or adoption of their child, around the same time as they are making their leave arrangements with their employer.
Application for PPL will be through the Family Assistance Office*. Parents will be required to provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate their eligibility, including work history.
Parents who claim PPL must receive their PPL payments through their employer where they are eligible to do so. Employers will make payments only to employees who have 12 months continuous service prior to the date of birth or adoption. Other parents who claim PPL will receive their payments directly from the Family Assistance Office.
Eligible parents will be able to nominate the period they are paid PPL, which may involve consideration of existing employer-funded leave. PPL must be taken after the birth or adoption of the child, and within 12 months after that event.
The Family Assistance Office will be responsible for administering the PPL scheme. It will ensure that Government funds are transferred to employers in advance of their usual payroll cycle so that they can make payments to employees, and will ensure employers and employees both know when payments to parents are to be made.
Hayley and Rob’s second child is born on 1 February, around two years after their first child. Rob has an annual salary of $60,000 and Hayley has not returned to work since the birth of their first child.
Hayley is not eligible for PPL but will receive the Baby Bonus and other family assistance. Her family receives around $12,200 in family assistance in the financial year of the birth of the new baby.
Generally calculated using 2008-09 rates.
See Appendix , Worked Example 2 for details
*The Family Assistance Office is located in all Centrelink Customer Service Centres and Medicare Australia Offices.
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