New parents in Ireland, both north and south, are entitled to Paternity Leave from their employment to support a partner and care for a new baby.

In this context, a “partner” includes the spouse or civil partner of the pregnant woman and a person of either sex in a long term relationship

Some employers have company paternity leave arrangements which are more generous than the statutory entitlement, so you should check your employment contract.  Paternity leave is in addition to paid annual leave.

Paternity Leave entitlement in Ireland

You qualify for 2 weeks Paternity Leave if you work full time, part-time or casual hours and you don’t need to have worked for your employer for a certain length of time. See Paternity leave (citizensinformation.ie)

You must be one of the following to get Paternity Leave

• The father of the child
• The partner (spouse, civil partner or cohabitant) of the mother of the child
• The parent of a donor-conceived child

You should apply in writing to your employer at least 4 weeks before you wish to take paternity leave.

Paternity pay in Ireland

Your employer does not have to pay you when you are on Paternity Leave but some employers do, so you should check you employment contract.

If you have enough PRSI contributions, you can get Paternity Benefit from the Department of Social Protection (DSP).  You should apply for Paternity Benefit at least 4 weeks before the date you intend to start  paternity leave

Cross border issues

Live South & Work North:  you may be entitled to statutory Paternity Leave and paternity pay from your employer so do check with them. See Paternity leave | nidirect

Live North & Work South: employers are not obliged to pay employees who are on paternity leave, although some do. You may qualify for Paternity Benefit  |Citizens Information  from the Department of Social Protection if you have sufficient PRSI contributions, if you don’t have sufficient PRSI you should ask that your record of National Insurance contributions be transferred from Northern Ireland.

Updated:  August 2022

This webpage is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep it up-to-date, errors may occur.  It is very important that you check with the relevant body to ensure the information is current and is applicable to your situation: – North /  South

If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don’t hesitate to get in touch.