Parental leave in Luxembourg: options, 2026 allowance, and procedures
A baby is on the way: how long can you take off, and with what income? Parental leave is paid, but its deadlines are strict: a letter sent too late can cost you your first leave. Here are the options, the 2026 amounts, and the steps to take, whether you are a resident or a cross-border worker.
This page is part of our series on family life and paperwork in Luxembourg.
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Practical guide · trigger.lu
Parental leave in Luxembourg: options, 2026 allowance, and procedures
- Full-time
- 4 or 6 months, working at least 10 hours per week
- Part-time
- 8 or 12 months at half-time, working at least 20 hours, with agreement
- Split
- over 20 months, 40-hour contract, with agreement
Details
Your option depends on your contract on the date of your application. Once the leave has started, you can no longer change it.
- 1st leave
- 2 months before maternity leave, or before adoption leave starts if you adopt
- 2nd leave
- 4 months before the requested date
- Cost
- free
Details
Send a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt, written on plain paper.
- Full-time
- they cannot refuse a request submitted properly, unless you changed employer in the 12 months before the leave
- Other options
- refusal possible, by registered post within 2 weeks
Details
- Without postponement within 4 weeks: 2nd leave automatically accepted In case of refusal, they must offer you an interview. If no plan is signed 2 weeks later, you are entitled to full-time leave (4 or 6 months). For the 2nd leave, they can request a postponement by registered post within 4 weeks: up to 2 months maximum, or 6 months if the company has fewer than 15 employees.
- Deadline
- at the latest 15 days after your request to your employer (2nd leave: after their response)
- If you live abroad
- add a recent residence certificate showing your family
- What you need
- form certified by your employer
- bank details (RIB)
- pregnancy certificate (1st leave)
- birth certificate, as soon as you have it
Details
The "Parental leave allowance application" form is also available on cae.public.lu and MyGuichet.lu.
This is for you if
- You are expecting a child or adopting, and you have been working in Luxembourg for at least one year.
- You are a French, Belgian, or German cross-border worker affiliated with Luxembourg social security.
- Your child is under 6 years old and you have not yet taken your parental leave for them.
This is not for you if you are looking for maternity leave: it precedes parental leave, follows its own rules, and will have its dedicated guide on trigger.
Key figures to remember
| Item | Value | Year or date |
|---|---|---|
| Length of affiliation | 12 continuous months prior to leave (up to 7 days of interruption tolerated in total) | 2026 |
| Minimum working time | 10 hours per week, under one or more contracts | 2026 |
| Full-time | 4 or 6 months | 2026 |
| Half-time (contract of at least 20 hrs) | 8 or 12 months, with employer agreement | 2026 |
| Split (40-hr contract) | 8 hours per week for 20 months, or 4 one-month periods over 20 months, with employer agreement | 2026 |
| Full-time allowance, 40 hrs | €2,771.33 to €4,618.88 gross per month | CAE amounts in effect since June 2026 |
| Half-time allowance, 40 hrs | €1,385.67 to €2,309.44 gross per month | Since June 2026 |
| Split allowance 8 hrs per week | €554.27 to €923.78 gross per month | Since June 2026 |
| Split allowance 4 × 1 month | Full-time limits for each month of leave | Since June 2026 |
| Notice period 1st leave | 2 months before the start of maternity leave; for adoption, before adoption leave starts | 2026 |
| Notice period 2nd leave | 4 months before the requested date | 2026 |
| Child's age limit | Leave starts before age 6 (12 years in case of adoption) | 2026 |
The lower limit corresponds to the social minimum wage (SSM, the legal minimum wage for an unqualified worker), and the upper limit to 5/3 of this amount. The limits are reduced pro-rata below 40 hours. Your 13th month bonus and gratuities are included in the average salary; your overtime is not. They follow the index: the last increase was on June 1, 2026.
Who is eligible, and when
Entitlement is individual: each parent has their own, and it cannot be transferred to the other. You must raise the child in your household, be registered with Luxembourg social security under an employment contract for 12 months, and remain registered throughout the leave. For cross-border workers, social security affiliation is what counts, not your address.
- 1st leave: begins right after maternity or adoption leave. If no one takes it at that time, it is lost (except for a single parent raising their child alone).
- 2nd leave: the other parent takes it at the same time or later, before the child turns 6.
If your permanent contract (CDI) includes a probation period, you can only apply for leave once probation is finished.
What happens to your employment contract
Full-time, your contract is suspended: your employer stops paying your salary and the CAE takes over. Part-time or split, your employer pays for the hours worked and the CAE tops it up. The allowance is taxable and subject to social security contributions, just like a salary. Alongside another income, it often goes on an additional tax card (15%, 21%, or 33% depending on your tax class).
Labor law protects you against dismissal with notice throughout the leave, and even before: starting 2 months and 1 day before maternity leave (1st leave), or 4 months and 1 day before the 2nd leave. Gross misconduct remains an exception, and a fixed-term contract (CDD) still ends on its end date. Upon your return, you get your position back or an equivalent position.
A numerical example
Léa, 32, lives in Bertrange and works 40 hours a week. Her average gross salary over the 12 months before her leave is €5,200 per month. She takes the 1st leave, right after her maternity leave.
- 6 months full-time: €5,200 exceeds the cap, so the CAE pays €4,618.88 gross per month, i.e. 6 × 4,618.88 = €27,713.28 gross in total.
- 4 months full-time: 4 × 4,618.88 = €18,475.52 gross.
- 12 months part-time: her employer pays 50% of her salary, €2,600. The CAE adds half of her average salary, capped at €2,309.44. Monthly gross income: 2,600 + 2,309.44 = €4,909.44. Over one year, the CAE also pays €27,713.28.
Working part-time over 12 months therefore yields the same CAE amount as 6 full-time months, without leaving work.
The net amount then depends on tax and social security contributions: compare it with your payslip to estimate the difference.
Common mistakes
- Missing the 2-month deadline for the 1st leave: the employer can then refuse, and the 1st leave cannot be postponed to later.
- Applying during the probation period: the application is not admissible; only the 2nd leave remains possible after probation.
- Resigning or terminating by mutual agreement during leave: you must repay all allowances received. Check our guide on resignation before deciding.
- Putting the child in daycare during full-time leave: it is a few hours a week at most, declared in writing to the CAE, otherwise it can reclaim the entire allowance.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, if they have been affiliated with Luxembourg social security for 12 months and meet the other conditions. If your country of residence pays a similar benefit (PreParE in France, Elterngeld in Germany), notify the CAE: the two cannot be combined for the same child and the same period, but a differential top-up (complément différentiel) may be paid depending on the other parent's situation.
Yes. The 2nd leave can be taken at the same time as the 1st. In that case, indicate the other parent's national identification number (matricule) on the application to the CAE.
Not during the protected period, except for gross misconduct. It ends when the leave ends: you then return to your position or an equivalent position.
The leave must begin before the child turns 6, or 12 in the case of adoption (at most 6 years after the end of adoption leave, or after the court ruling if you did not take it).