Parental Leave Pay through your employer or Centrelink, and how to claim

The same government money can reach you through payroll or straight from Services Australia. The rule is precise, and it decides your claim steps.

Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026

In short

Your employer must pay your Parental Leave Pay if you have worked for them for at least a year, they are Australian based, and you take a continuous block of at least 8 weeks of weekdays while still employed. Otherwise Services Australia pays you every 2 weeks. You can claim in myGov up to 3 months before the birth.

When your employer pays you

Your employer must deliver your Parental Leave Pay through payroll when all these conditions are met:

you have worked for them for at least one year before the birth or adoption;
they are Australian based;
you ask for a continuous block: your first Parental Leave Pay for this child, starting on a weekday, 5 weekdays a week, no weekends, for at least 8 weeks in a row, not based on part-time days;
you stay employed by them until at least the end of the block;
the block falls within a year of the birth or adoption.

Services Australia sends the money to your employer once your claim is finalised. You are paid on your usual payday after your first Parental Leave Pay day, with normal tax withheld, and you can salary sacrifice it. Your employer does not have to add superannuation (the ATO pays a separate super contribution).

If you have worked there less than a year, your employer can still pay you if you both agree, but the employer must register and opt in before you submit your claim.

When Centrelink pays you

Services Australia pays you directly, every 2 weeks, if:

you do not have a job, or your employer does not pay it;
you are self-employed;
you receive an income support payment;
your days are part time or include weekends;
your baby died or was stillborn and you ask to be paid directly.

It withholds tax at 15% unless you ask for another rate. Changing your days during an employer-paid block can also move the payment to Services Australia.

Every deadline in one table

Step	Timeframe
Talk to your employer	At least 10 weeks before the expected birth
Earliest claim	3 months before the expected birth or adoption
After a pre-birth claim	Tell Services Australia within 56 days of the birth, with proof of birth
To be paid from the date of birth	Claim and give proof of birth within 14 weeks (100 days)
Latest claim, first parent	52 weeks after the birth or adoption
Latest claim, other parents	2 years
Use all days by	2 years after the birth or adoption

How to claim, step by step

Talk to your employer and agree your leave; tell them whether you want them to pay your Parental Leave Pay.
Agree the days with the other parent. Only claim the days you will use.
Create myGov and link Centrelink. You may need to prove your identity.
Get your documents ready: the claim lists the supporting documents you need.
Claim online: sign in to myGov, then Make a claim or view claim status, Make a claim, Families, Get started, and Apply for Family Assistance (including Paid Parental Leave). If days are being shared, the other parent approves them in their own Centrelink online account before you submit.
Track your claim in myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app.
After the birth, select Add Newborn and give proof of birth. You can enrol your baby in Medicare in the same step with the Newborn Child Declaration (see Medicare for your baby).

If you cannot claim online, call the Centrelink families line on 136 150, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm. For help in another language: 131 202.

Working on a Parental Leave Pay day

You are working if you work one hour or more, including keeping in touch with your workplace (a meeting, on-the-job training, getting familiar with your role before your return). Move the day or return it to your balance in your Centrelink online account: My Family, then Parental Leave Pay Circumstances. The birth mother must not work within 14 days after the birth, even for an allowable reason.

Questions parents ask

Is Paid Parental Leave paid by my employer or Centrelink?

It is government money. Your employer delivers it through payroll when you have worked there at least a year, the employer is Australian based and you take a continuous weekday block of at least 8 weeks; otherwise Services Australia pays you directly.

When can I apply for Parental Leave Pay?

Up to 3 months before the expected birth or adoption. The first parent must claim within 52 weeks of the birth; to be paid from the birth date, claim and give proof of birth within 14 weeks.

How often is Parental Leave Pay paid?

Through your employer, on your normal payday. From Services Australia, every 2 weeks into your bank account, after the days you selected.

Can I do keeping in touch days on Parental Leave Pay?

Working one hour or more, including meetings or training to keep in touch, counts as working. You must move that day or return it to your balance in your Centrelink online account.

Sources

Services Australia — Getting your Parental Leave Pay checked October 13, 2026
Services Australia — How to claim Parental Leave Pay checked October 13, 2026
Services Australia — Claiming timeframes for Parental Leave Pay checked October 13, 2026
Services Australia — Paid Parental Leave scheme for employers checked October 13, 2026
Services Australia — If you work on a Parental Leave Pay day checked October 13, 2026

Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.