Since 1 July 2026, parents welcoming a child have benefited from a new right: additional birth leave. This long-awaited measure supplements the existing arrangements—maternity leave and paternity leave—to give families valuable time with their newborn, together with financial compensation. Here is everything you need to know to benefit from it.

What is birth leave?

Additional birth leave is a new right granted to each parent when a child is born or adopted. It is separate from the existing maternity, paternity and child-welcome leave: it is added to them once those entitlements have been used up. In practical terms, each parent may take 1 to 2 months of additional leave, during which they receive compensation from the French Family Allowance Fund (CAF).

The government has stated two objectives: to strengthen support for young families during the first weeks of a child's life and to encourage both parents to share infant care more evenly.

Who is eligible?

Birth leave is available to all working parents, whether they are:

• Employees in the private or public sector
• Civil servants
• Self-employed workers, craftspeople or traders
• Members of the liberal professions

The main condition is that the parent must be professionally active. Unemployed parents are not eligible for this new scheme, although they may continue to benefit from the existing parental education leave.

As regards the children concerned, the scheme applies to births occurring from 1 January 2026, as well as to adoptions from the same date.

How long does it last and how can it be split?

Each parent is entitled to one to two months of additional leave per birth or adoption. This leave can be split into two periods of at least one month each, making it possible to organise it around the family's needs. For example, a parent may take the first month immediately after maternity or paternity leave, then a second month a few weeks later.

Important: birth leave can begin only after the end of the maternity, paternity or child-welcome leave to which the parent is entitled. It therefore comes at the end of the sequence of birth-related leave and does not replace any of it.

How much compensation is paid?

Compensation is calculated on the basis of the last three months of net salary before work stops, within the monthly French Social Security ceiling, set at €4,005 on 1 January 2026:

• First month: 70% of capped net salary
• Second month: 60% of capped net salary

For example, a parent earning €2,500 net per month will receive about €1,750 in the first month and €1,500 in the second month of leave. For people whose salary exceeds the Social Security ceiling, compensation will be calculated on that ceiling, with a maximum of about €2,803 in the first month and €2,403 in the second.

Self-employed workers will benefit from a calculation method adapted to their situation, based on their declared professional income.

What is the deadline for taking this leave?

The rule varies according to the child's date of birth:

Births from 1 July 2026: the additional leave must be taken within 9 months following the birth or the child's arrival in the household.

Births between 1 January and 30 June 2026 (or premature births whose expected date was after 1 January 2026): the leave may be taken between 1 July 2026 and 31 March 2027.

These deadlines must be strictly observed: once the deadline has passed, the right to additional leave is lost.

How do you apply?

The application process takes place in two stages:

• With the employer: the employee informs their employer of their intention to take the leave, giving sufficient notice. The employer cannot refuse it: this is a right, not a request for permission.
• With the CAF: the compensation claim is submitted directly on the CAF website or by post. Implementing decrees published in the Official Journal in June 2026 set out the exact application procedure.

How is it different from parental education leave?

Parental education leave already exists and allows parents to reduce or suspend their professional activity until the child turns three. However, it is poorly compensated—about €450 per month through PreParE—and causes a significant drop in income for many families.

Birth leave, by contrast, is taken just after the birth, is better compensated—up to 70% of salary—and lasts for a shorter period. It targets the most intensive period of early infant care, when parents need time the most.

A welcomed social advance, with some reservations

Family associations and trade unions have generally welcomed the measure, which responds to a longstanding demand. Several nevertheless point out that compensation of 70% followed by 60% remains below the level offered in other European countries such as Sweden, where parental leave is compensated at 80%. There are also calls for the scheme eventually to be extended to unemployed parents.

Pending any future improvements, birth leave represents tangible progress for French families—and a right that can be claimed immediately if you welcome a child in 2026.