Paternity leave

Gringo180 · 20-02-2017 10:54am #1

Was told I need to show a birth cert to avail of Paternity leave in my job. Wanted to take the 2 weeks off the week my wife was due and the following week. How can I do that now if it takes a few weeks after birth to receive a birth cert?

ibarelycare · 20-02-2017 11:40am

The law only allows for statutory paternity leave to be taken after the child is born. You don't need to produce a birth cert, just a cert from your partner's doctor. Pass this information onto your employer:

You can choose to take paternity leave at any time in the 26 weeks following the birth or adoption. You must notify your employer in writing that you intend to take paternity leave and provide your intended dates no later than 4 weeks before your leave. You will be required to provide a certificate from your spouse or partner's doctor confirming when your baby is due, or confirmation of the baby’s actual date of birth if you apply for leave after the birth has occurred.

Source

Burgo · 20-02-2017 12:31pm

ibarelycare wrote: »

The law only allows for statutory paternity leave to be taken after the child is born. You don't need to produce a birth cert, just a cert from your partner's doctor. Pass this information onto your employer:

Source

I have just been approved for paternity myself from work and the above is correct, I just used a letter from the hospital to my missus stating the expected due date and that was good enough.

Gringo180 · 20-02-2017 1:47pm

ibarelycare wrote: »

The law only allows for statutory paternity leave to be taken after the child is born. You don't need to produce a birth cert, just a cert from your partner's doctor. Pass this information onto your employer:

Source

So my HR department were wrong to say I needed to produce a birth cert? I knew it didnt sound right in the first place.

Gringo180 · 20-02-2017 1:50pm

Burgo wrote: »

I have just been approved for paternity myself from work and the above is correct, I just used a letter from the hospital to my missus stating the expected due date and that was good enough.

I actually asked would a note from the doctor suffice and she said I needed to provide a birth cert

ibarelycare · 20-02-2017 2:02pm

Gringo180 wrote: »

So my HR department were wrong to say I needed to produce a birth cert? I knew it didnt sound right in the first place.

Yes they're wrong. You should ring citizens information to verify, and then tell HR the information you received. It doesn't make sense to have to produce a birth cert since many fathers will want to take time off as soon as the baby is born, and a birth cert won't be available by then.

Gringo180 · 20-02-2017 2:16pm

ibarelycare wrote: »

Yes they're wrong. You should ring citizens information to verify, and then tell HR the information you received. It doesn't make sense to have to produce a birth cert since many fathers will want to take time off as soon as the baby is born, and a birth cert won't be available by then.

Okay thanks for the replies. Knew it was wrong when she said it to me but didn't want to say anything in case she was indeed correct.

MarkR · 20-02-2017 2:19pm

You'll probably need the birth cert after, when the company needs to claim from the goverment for the time off. I looked into it when my son was born. A week before the benefit came in. :rolleyes:

ibarelycare · 20-02-2017 2:28pm

MarkR wrote: »

You'll probably need the birth cert after, when the company needs to claim from the goverment for the time off. I looked into it when my son was born. A week before the benefit came in. :rolleyes:

What do you mean about the company claiming from the government?

MarkR · 20-02-2017 2:33pm

ibarelycare wrote: »

What do you mean about the company claiming from the government?

I'm only guessing, but if the company is going to be paying out 2 weeks wages through payroll, I would have thought it would be something like sick leave over a few days, when you have to send off details to the state?

I'm not up on either of them, so I could be waaaay off.

Burgo · 20-02-2017 2:48pm

MarkR wrote: »

I'm only guessing, but if the company is going to be paying out 2 weeks wages through payroll, I would have thought it would be something like sick leave over a few days, when you have to send off details to the state?

I'm not up on either of them, so I could be waaaay off.

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Paternity-Benefit.aspx

A form you and your employer need to fill in.

Gringo180 · 20-02-2017 2:56pm

Only getting paid off the state afaik.

justinmg1 · 20-02-2017 3:01pm

Op when my lad was born there was an office in the post natal ward in galway that i was able to go in on the day he was born, register him and was handed a birth cert there and then. Could you check if that service is offered wherever you are? Worth a call i suppose

Bandana boy · 20-02-2017 3:02pm

ibarelycare wrote: »

What do you mean about the company claiming from the government?

Paternity leave like maternity is covered by Govt up to €230 a week
If you earn more than that the company may top that up themselves to standard pay but are not required to by law and many firms do not.

Bubbles75 · 20-02-2017 3:08pm

HR might be mixing up Paternity leave and Parental leave.. need birth cert for the latter...

ibarelycare · 20-02-2017 3:09pm

Bandana boy wrote: »

Paternity leave like maternity is covered by Govt up to €230 a week
If you earn more than that the company may top that up themselves to standard pay but are not required to by law and many firms do not.

Yeah I know, but the company doesn't claim anything from the government. It's up to the employee to apply for the paternity benefit for himself.

Big Bag of Chips · 20-02-2017 3:41pm

Gringo180 wrote: »

Wanted to take the 2 weeks off the week my wife was due and the following week.

You need to consider that babies can often be up to 2 weeks late. "Due date" doesn't mean a whole lot!

Ghekko · 20-02-2017 6:45pm

Big Bag of Chips wrote: »

You need to consider that babies can often be up to 2 weeks late. "Due date" doesn't mean a whole lot!

Guessing op's wife is being brought in on time if he is booking the days off. Or is it a case that they need to be booked and not a more casual agreement that time off starts when baby arrives? Would be a right pain if she went over by 2 weeks and he had to go back to work straight away :eek:

Big Bag of Chips · 20-02-2017 6:52pm

It doesn't sound like she's being brought in because he says 'the week she's due' rather than 'the week she's being brought in'!! Most places are flexible in that they accept a baby is due around a date, and let arrangements regarding time off being loosely booked but not actually being taken before the baby arrives.

judeboy101 · 20-02-2017 6:59pm

Gringo180 wrote: »

So my HR department were wrong to say I needed to produce a birth cert? I knew it didnt sound right in the first place.

Teacher here. We have to produce birth cert within two weeks of taking paternity leave. It's in the legislation. Plus we have to give 4weeks notice before taking, ergo, unless the missus us having an elective c-section, a teacher cant be guaranteed they will be able to use the paternity leave to be at the birth.

SeanPuddin_ · 20-02-2017 7:31pm

Just gone through the process.

Doctor's note stating expected date into HR and signed a form. Rang in day after birth. Took two weeks off. Got PSC card sorted, applied online for paternity and got €372 per week for two weeks with everything taken into account.

Not a painless process but handy enough. Interesting is most people's perception to the paternity leave. Most think the gov gave 2 weeks paid bizarrely. I think we're hard done by

Big Bag of Chips · 20-02-2017 7:34pm

judeboy101 wrote: »

a teacher cant be guaranteed they will be able to use the paternity leave to be at the birth.

You don't have to use it to be at the birth! At least you dint have to prebook it for the birth. Very few woman have elective births, either an elective section or a planned induction. If your wife goes into labour in the middle of the night you ring in work the next morning telling them you won't be in! If she goes into labour in the middle of the day, you tell them you're going home!

My husband is a teacher...

Gringo180 · 21-02-2017 10:32am

Just an update on this. It states on my companies policy "There is no statutory entitlement to paternity leave ie leave for fathers on the birth of a child".

A quick google on citizens advice says the opposite.

ibarelycare · 21-02-2017 10:39am

Gringo180 wrote: »

Just an update on this. It states on my companies policy "There is no statutory entitlement to paternity leave ie leave for fathers on the birth of a child".

A quick google on citizens advice says the opposite.

They probably haven't updated it since the new legislation came in. Legislation trumps contract. Just talk to HR again with the information that you now know,.

Gringo180 · 21-02-2017 10:42am

ibarelycare wrote: »

They probably haven't updated it since the new legislation came in. Legislation trumps contract. Just talk to HR again with the information that you now know,.

Yeah i will do thanks.

Burgo · 21-02-2017 11:48am

Gringo180 wrote: »

Yeah i will do thanks.

Yeah the new legislation only came in on September 1st of last year, so it's still relatively new.

ted1 · 21-02-2017 8:23pm

Gringo180 wrote: »

Was told I need to show a birth cert to avail of Paternity leave in my job. Wanted to take the 2 weeks off the week my wife was due and the following week. How can I do that now if it takes a few weeks after birth to receive a birth cert?

From experiences those might be bad weeks to take , if your wife is in hospital for a few day then you'll gain nothing all the baby does it feed and sleep , I'd recommend waiting a week then taking two weeks.
Also if you are booking these off now have you considered what happens if she's early or late

Paternity leave

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