Additional Birth Leave: What Changes on July 1st!

Starting July 1, each parent will be eligible for up to two months of additional paid leave after a birth or adoption. This leave is granted in addition to maternity leave, paternity and childcare leave, as well as adoption leave.

This leave is an individual right: it cannot be transferred to the other parent. Both parents can take it at the same time, alternately, or split it into two separate one-month periods.

The scheme applies to parents of a child born or adopted on or after January 1, 2026, as well as to situations where the birth was initially scheduled for that date.

The leave is open to private-sector employees, public-sector workers (including military and medical staff), self-employed workers, job seekers, artists/authors, and individuals covered by the agricultural insurance scheme, subject to meeting the affiliation requirements of their respective schemes.

The leave must be taken within 9 months following the child’s birth or arrival in the home. It can only begin after the end of the statutory maternity, paternity, or adoption leave.

Parents whose child was born between January 1 and June 30, 2026, benefit from a transitional arrangement: the 9-month window to take the leave starts from July 1, 2026 (the date the scheme enters into force), rather than from the child’s birth. Therefore, they have until March 31, 2027, to claim it.

Employees receive daily allowances paid by the CPAM (Primary Health Insurance Fund), calculated based on their average salary over the last three months (capped at €4,005, which is the 2026 Social Security ceiling) as follows:

• 70% of the capped salary for the first month
• 60% of the capped salary for the second month

To find out about the specific rules for self-employed workers, job seekers, and other special circumstances, you can visit: https://www.ameli.fr/assure/remboursements/indemnites-journalieres-maladie-maternite-paternite/conge-supplementaire-naissance-indemnites-journalieres. For public sector employees, rules vary depending on the branch of the civil service and employment status; for more details, see: https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F39693.

Please note, however: this additional birth or adoption leave cannot be combined, during the same period, with certain other benefits or allowances. In particular, it cannot be received at the same time as daily allowances for sick leave or workplace accidents, unemployment benefits, the shared child-rearing benefit (PreParE), the free choice of childcare supplement (CMG), the daily parental presence allowance (AJPP), or the daily caregiver allowance (AJPA).

Employees must inform their employer at least 1 month before the start of the leave, specifying the chosen dates and, if applicable, how the leave will be split. This notice period is reduced to 15 days when the leave immediately follows paternity or adoption leave and it is not possible, given the duration of that initial leave, to meet the standard 1-month notice period. The Ministry of Labor provides a letter template that you can use as a baseline for your request, available here: https://code.travail.gouv.fr/modeles-de-courriers/conge-supplementaire-de-naissance-comment-informer-son-employeur

Self-employed workers must submit their request via the online portal available at https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/ starting July 1.

Job seekers must also submit their application through the online portal at the following address: https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/. Additionally, they must notify France Travail at least 1 month before the leave begins, either through their personal online account or by contacting their advisor.

For public sector employees, the application process varies depending on the branch of the civil service and employment status. More information is available at: https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F39693