Maternity leave
In accordance with Article 3:1 of the Work and Care Act, every female employee is entitled to take maternity leave from up to six weeks prior to the expected delivery date. The standard scheme involves sixteen weeks of maternity leave: six before the birth and ten after. You can start your period of leave anywhere from six to four weeks before the expected delivery date. The period of leave must start no later than four weeks before the expected delivery date.
You are entitled to post-natal maternity leave of ten weeks following delivery. The period of post-natal maternity leave will be extended to a maximum of 16 weeks or 112 days if the period of maternity leave was less than six weeks due to factors other than illness. The latter period of post-natal maternity leave can be taken in instalments. This applies to leave that remains after six weeks following delivery. This part of the leave can be taken in instalments spread across a period of no more than 30 weeks. You will need your manager’s approval.
Multiple pregnancy
In exception to the above, if you are pregnant with multiple children, your leave may commence between ten and eight weeks before the expected delivery date. Your period of leave must start no later than eight weeks before the expected delivery date. You are also entitled to post-natal maternity leave of ten weeks following delivery. The same rules apply to post-natal maternity leave as for a single birth (see above).
Additional post-natal maternity leave in the event your child is hospitalised
If your child has been hospitalised for more than seven days following delivery, you may be entitled to additional post-natal maternity leave. See the UWV website for more information.
Pregnancy and reporting a birth
You must notify your manager about your pregnancy no later than eight weeks before the expected delivery date and request maternity leave using the Maternity leave self-service option. This option can be found via the blue ‘Take action now’ button on this page.
You can report the date of birth using the same self-service option. The final day of your maternity leave will be calculated based on your baby’s date of birth. Please contact the HR Service Desk if you wish to take your post-natal maternity leave in instalments (and your manager has approved your request).
More information
- Maternity leave
- Collective Labour Agreement > articles 4.10 and 4.11