"'Parental Leave for 1 Year and 6 Months', Is It Possible for Me?"…'Greatly' Changed Parental Leave in 2025, 'You'll Lose Out' if You Don't Know 'This'! (Q&A Summary)
"'Back in my day, even 1 year was a blessing...' That's right, until recently, parental leave was entirely limited to 1 year."
However, from 2025, the era of '1 year and 6 months of parental leave' will begin! Of course, it's not possible for everyone. I'll clarify everything confusing about whether 'I can get an extra 6 months' with a simple 'Key Q&A' summary.
Key Q&A: 'Parental Leave for 1 Year and 6 Months', What You Need to Know
Q1. Can anyone take 1 year and 6 months of leave?
A. No, it is available conditionally. One of the following two cases must apply:
- When both parents individually use 3 months or more of parental leave (encouraging co-parenting)
- When the worker is a single parent, or the child has a severe disability
If these conditions are met, each parent can use up to 1 year and 6 months, for a combined total of up to 3 years for the couple.
Q2. Has the 'post-return payment' truly been abolished?
A. Yes, it has been completely abolished from 2025. There's no longer a need to wait 6 months after returning to work; you can receive the full amount of parental leave benefits monthly during the leave period.
Q3. Have the benefit caps also increased?
A. Yes, they have. As of 2025, the monthly benefit caps are as follows:
- 1-3 months: 100% of ordinary wages (maximum 2.5 million KRW)
- 4-6 months: 100% of ordinary wages (maximum 2 million KRW)
- 7-12 months: 80% of ordinary wages (maximum 1.6 million KRW)
Q4. Can the leave be split?
A. Yes, it can. The number of times the leave can be split has increased from the original 2 times to 3 times, allowing it to be used in a total of 4 segments. This offers much more flexibility.
Benefits That 'Grow' When You 'Co-Parent'
The core of the new parental leave system implemented from 2025 is 'co-parenting'. The duration of the leave and the benefit entitlements 'increase' when parents 'jointly' participate in childcare!
Don't forget this, and plan your family's 'optimal parental leave plan' together with your spouse.
#ParentalLeave #ParentalLeave1Year6Months #ParentalLeaveBenefits #2025 #Amendment #Policy #QandA #Tips #Information #CoParenting #Couple #Childcare #MaternityLeave #PostReturnPayment #MinistryOfEmploymentAndLabor #OfficeWorker #WorkingMom #WorkingDad #MustRead #Summary
