Paid parental leave in New Zealand in 2026: the weekly rate, the weeks and who qualifies
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Paid parental leave in New Zealand pays eligible employees and self-employed parents up to $811.05 a week before tax, for up to 26 weeks, funded by the Government and administered by Inland Revenue (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). The maximum rate applies from 1 July 2026. Most parents get the lower of their usual weekly earnings or that maximum.
What paid parental leave actually pays
Paid parental leave is a weekly payment from Inland Revenue, separate from the unpaid leave your employer has to hold your job open for, and the two run on the same clock but different rules (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). The maximum weekly rate rises every 1 July, and the table below shows the last five years so you can see the trend.
The maximum paid parental leave rate is $811.05 a week before tax for the year 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, up from $788.66 the year before (Inland Revenue, retrieved 9 September 2026).
| Period | Maximum weekly rate (before tax) |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 | $811.05 |
| 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 | $788.66 |
| 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 | $754.87 |
| 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 | $712.17 |
| 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 | $661.12 |
(Inland Revenue, retrieved 9 September 2026.)
You are paid the higher of your ordinary weekly pay or your average weekly income over the best 26 weeks of the previous 52, capped at the maximum rate for the period (Inland Revenue, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you work for more than one employer, Inland Revenue combines the income when it calculates your payment. The minimum rate for a self-employed parent who meets the work test is $239.50 a week before tax for 2026/27, up from $235, and is pegged to 10 hours at the adult minimum wage of $23.95 an hour (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).
How much is NZ paid parental leave?
The maximum is $811.05 a week before tax for the year 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, and you are paid the lower of your usual weekly earnings or that maximum, for up to 26 continuous weeks (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you earn less than the maximum, you are paid your own average or ordinary weekly pay, whichever is higher.
Is paid parental leave going up in 2026?
Yes. From 1 July 2026 the maximum weekly rate rose from $788.66 to $811.05 before tax, and the self-employed minimum rose from $235 to $239.50 a week (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). The rate is reset every 1 July, so a new figure applies again from 1 July 2027.
Do fathers get paid paternity leave in NZ?
Not under a separate scheme called "paternity leave". A father or non-birth partner can take up to 2 weeks of unpaid partner's leave, or become the paid primary carer if the birth mother transfers her paid parental leave entitlement to them (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). The "partner's leave is unpaid" section below covers the transfer route in full.
What are the requirements to get paid parental leave?
You must have worked for the same employer for at least an average of 10 hours a week in the 6 months immediately before the baby's due date, or before the date you become primary carer of a child under 6, and take the leave in one continuous period (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Self-employed parents have a comparable work test administered by Inland Revenue.
When can I apply for paid parental leave in NZ?
Applications are made to Inland Revenue and can start before the birth once you know your due date; Inland Revenue's paid parental leave applications page sets out the timing and the myIR process for your situation. Applying early avoids a gap between your last pay and your first payment.
What is the shortest maternity leave?
There is no legal minimum length. You can return to work at any point once you and your employer agree, and doing so before using your full 26 weeks of primary carer leave and payments simply ends both early; it does not reduce anyone else's entitlement. If you plan to return early, tell your employer in writing before you go back.
Who is eligible for primary carer leave and payments
Primary carer leave is the leave your job is held open for while you care for a new child, and it runs alongside, but is legally separate from, the paid parental leave payment. The table below sets out the four types of parental leave Employment New Zealand recognises and what each one is worth.
Primary carer leave is up to 26 weeks and is the leave type that lines up with the 26 weeks of paid parental leave payments, and the table below compares it with the other three leave types.
| Leave type | Length | Paid or unpaid | Qualifying test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary carer leave | Up to 26 weeks, one continuous period | Paid via IR's parental leave payment if eligible | Averaged 10+ hours a week for 6 months with the same employer before the due date or care date |
| Partner's leave | 1 or 2 weeks | Unpaid | 6 months' service for 1 week; 12 months' service for 2 weeks |
| Extended leave | Up to 52 weeks minus primary carer leave taken (12+ months' service) or up to 26 weeks minus primary carer leave taken (6 to 12 months' service) | Usually unpaid (paid only if primary carer leave taken was under 26 weeks) | 6 or 12 months' service, averaged 10+ hours a week |
| Negotiated carer leave | Negotiated with your employer | As agreed | For employees who do not qualify for primary carer leave |
(Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026. Our sources do not publish further detail on negotiated carer leave beyond its existence and eligibility trigger, so anything agreed is between you and your employer.)
To be the primary carer eligible for the leave and the payment, you must be pregnant or have given birth (including as a surrogate), be the spouse or partner of the birth parent taking on primary responsibility for the child's care under a transfer or succession of the payment, or be someone else taking on permanent responsibility for a child under 6 through adoption, a whāngai arrangement or an Oranga Tamariki permanent care agreement (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you are eligible and the pregnancy ends in miscarriage, or the baby is stillborn or dies, you remain entitled to the full 26 weeks of leave.
What counts as a continuous period of leave?
Primary carer leave has to be taken as one unbroken block. Once you return to work, you stop being eligible for primary carer leave for that child, which is why most parents plan the whole 26 weeks, or their intended shorter block, before they start it, rather than dipping in and out.
Can I get paid parental leave for a child who isn't newborn?
Yes. The scheme covers any child under 6 who comes into your permanent care, not only a birth, which includes adoption and some whāngai and Oranga Tamariki arrangements, subject to the same work test (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).
Does it matter if I have more than one baby at once?
No. The weekly payment amount is the same whether you are having one baby or twins or more, though the underlying leave and childcare planning obviously differ.
Partner's leave is unpaid
Partner's leave lets a spouse or partner take time off around the birth, but Inland Revenue does not pay for it. The table above compares its length with the other leave types; the detail is below.
A spouse or partner, of any gender and not necessarily the biological parent, married, in a civil union or in a de facto relationship with the primary carer, can take 1 week of unpaid partner's leave after 6 months with the same employer, or 2 weeks after 12 months, averaging at least 10 hours a week (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). It cannot be taken by someone who has already transferred their own paid parental leave entitlement to their partner, or by a partner who has already had the payment transferred to them, since in that case they are the paid primary carer instead.
How do I transfer paid parental leave to my partner?
The birth parent can transfer some or all of the remaining paid parental leave payment to their eligible spouse or partner, who then becomes the paid primary carer for that period; Inland Revenue's transfers of paid parental leave page sets out the rules and the application steps. This is the main route to a longer paid stretch for a non-birth parent, rather than a separate paternity payment.
Extended leave: the unpaid year most families don't use in full
Extended leave is the unpaid stretch that can follow primary carer leave, where a parent wanting more than 26 weeks off finds the extra time, usually without extra pay.
With 12 months or more of service, averaging 10 or more hours a week, you can take up to 52 weeks of extended leave minus whatever primary carer leave you used; the full 26 weeks of primary carer leave still leaves up to 26 weeks of extended leave on top (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). With 6 to 12 months' service, the cap is 26 weeks of extended leave minus primary carer leave taken.
Does my employer have to pay me during extended leave?
Not under the Act. Some employers offer extra paid leave as part of their own policies, but the legal entitlement is unpaid, and Inland Revenue payments continue during it only if unused weeks remain from your original 26-week allocation (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).
How to apply
You apply to Inland Revenue, not your employer, and applications can generally start once you know your due date, well before the baby arrives; the applications page at ird.govt.nz sets out exactly when for your situation and links through to myIR to start the application (Inland Revenue, retrieved 9 September 2026). Applying ahead of the birth, rather than after, is what keeps your first payment close to your last pay cheque instead of leaving a gap.
What information does Inland Revenue need for the application?
Inland Revenue's application process draws on your IRD number, employment or self-employment details and the child's expected or actual birth date; the exact document list is set out on the applications page, and myIR is the portal used to submit and track it.
Do I choose tax codes differently while on paid parental leave?
If you are getting other payments from your employer at the same time as paid parental leave, using the wrong tax code can under or overpay your tax; Inland Revenue's choosing the right tax codes page covers this specific overlap.
What paid parental leave does not cover
Paid parental leave is income replacement, not a lump-sum grant, and it stops well before most families' costs do. It is one of three separate Inland Revenue payments new parents commonly ask about, and the table below shows how they differ.
Paid parental leave, Best Start and Working for Families are three separate Inland Revenue payments with different rules, and the table below is the quick comparison.
| Payment | Runs from Inland Revenue | Income-tested? |
|---|---|---|
| Paid parental leave | While on leave, up to 26 weeks, up to $811.05/week | No, capped at your own earnings up to the maximum |
| Best Start | Typically starts once paid parental leave ends, until age 3 | Yes, from age 1 for a child born before 1 April 2026; from birth for a child born on or after |
| Working for Families | Ongoing while you have dependent children | Yes |
(Inland Revenue, retrieved 9 September 2026. Working for Families detail sits with Inland Revenue, not this cluster.) Neither scheme is KiwiSaver-related; how a KiwiSaver balance is treated after a death sits with Inland Revenue's own guidance, not with this page.
QuoteHub's read is that the payment gap is the real planning problem: even at the maximum $811.05 a week, a household used to two incomes usually takes a genuine drop, and that gap is exactly what income protection and a right-sized life insurance policy are built to soften if something goes wrong during or after leave. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Where to go next in this cluster
Our new-baby checklist hub sets out every step in order. Once the numbers are clear, most parents want the payment that follows: Best Start covers the weekly amount and the income test. For cost, raising a child in New Zealand, year by year uses Stats NZ's own data. On insurance, adding a baby to health insurance covers each insurer's newborn rules, and the new-parent insurance checklist sets out what to sort first. Use our life insurance calculator and income protection calculator to size cover, then compare life insurance quotes or income protection quotes, start a free comparison, or browse the life insurance guide, income protection guide, making a will in New Zealand, who gets your life insurance payout, Jobseeker Support, free will service, health insurance guide and health insurance companies compared.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub compared the leave payment against ordinary earnings and the gap is the part people miss: the rate is capped, so anyone earning above the maximum takes a real pay cut for up to 26 weeks, and Best Start does not begin until that payment stops, so the two never top each other up at the same time.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Paid Parental Leave NZ 2026: Rates, Weeks and Who Qualifies. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/new-baby/paid-parental-leave-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- Employment New Zealand: Parental leave payments to increase from 1 July
- Inland Revenue: Employees, how we work out your paid parental leave entitlement
- Inland Revenue: Paid parental leave overview
- Inland Revenue: Applications for paid parental leave
- Inland Revenue: Transfers of paid parental leave
- Inland Revenue: Working for Families and paid parental leave
- Inland Revenue: Choosing the right tax codes when on paid parental leave
- Employment New Zealand: Primary carer leave
- Employment New Zealand: Partner's leave
- Employment New Zealand: Extended leave
- Employment New Zealand: Types of parental leave
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