Parental Leave Letter

Parents do a lot for their children. They can always go that extra mile only for their children. They sacrifice, work hard, and change their lives completely, only for their child. Realizing these efforts of parents, many organizations and country laws have come up with the law of parental leave. There are two types of leaves, one is maternity or paternity leave and the other is parental leave. One can apply for this leave after notifying his/her employer by writing a parental leave letter; however, before discussing the same, let us know a little more about parental leave.

One can opt for this leave when the baby is delivered, the child is undergoing some surgery or treatment, or any other situation, wherein the child needs his/her parents the most. The difference between this leave is that unlike paternity leave or maternity leave, which needs to be taken within a specific span of pregnancy and delivery, parental leave can be taken by both the parents at different times, so that at least one of them is with the child.

Eligibility for Parental leave:

A parent, who has worked with the employer for a minimum of 13 weeks, is eligible for parental leave. A new mother, a couple who has adopted a child, a person with a single parent, who wishes to strengthen the bond with that particular child, etc., are all eligible for this leave.

Duration:

Another positive point is that some organizations and state laws permit combining pregnancy leave and parental leave. Usually a pregnancy leave is of 17 weeks and parental leave of 35 weeks. Both clubbed together comes to 52 weeks. Only parental leave is approximately of 37 weeks.

Time -Off Leaves:

Parental leaves only (we are not speaking of maternity or paternity leaves), are usually unpaid leaves as per the law in most of the organization. The only condition is that one can take a leave and when one returns, the employer has to give him/her the job back. Thus, one does not lose his/her job. Some organizations might permit you to work from home for some time, so that you can make some money in this period; however, you would have to discuss about the same with your employer.

Rules for some countries:

In Central Europe, parental leave is given due importance. People in Slovakia and Czech Republic firmly believe that a mother should be with the child at least till the child is 3 years old, thus they get a 3 years parental leave. Also, for the first two years, the state pays 256 Euros per month for the child, and in the third year, it is 164.22 Euros. It is similar for Austria as well. Sweden also provides parental paid leave of 16 months for every child. The state and the employer share the cost.

The rules differ in every country, and you need to confirm the same with your employer. To make it easier for you to apply for a parental leave, we have provided a sample parental leave letter given below.

Sample Parental Leave Letter

12th December 2011

Janice. C. Peterson
Jr. Engineer
Filbert Corporations
Tech Street
TX - 19025
Email: janic@filbert.com
Extn: 2014

To,
Mr. Miller
HR Manager
Filbert Corporations
Tech Street
TX - 19025

Subject: Parental leave letter

Dear Mr. Miller,

I am writing this letter to request you to sanction a parental leave for me, starting from 26th December 2011, extending up to 26th February 2012. My son aged 8 would undergo a leg surgery, and in this crucial phase, I need to be with my child.

He hurt his leg while cycling, and the doctors say that a rod has to be inserted in his leg. This would be a painful phase for him. In addition, we must assure his utmost care to avoid any infection or surgery failures. Thus, I wish to be with my child.

I request you to grant me a parental leave, and allow me to fulfill my responsibilities towards my child. I would be highly obliged to you for the same.

Thank you

Regards

Janice. C. Peterson

This sample letter can be used to write your leave application letter or you can use it as a reference, and frame a letter as per your requirements. Make sure you send this letter at least two weeks before you plan to go on leave, and confirm the details of the leave application and procedure with your company HR. Also, you can review Leave Application Letter and Leave Extention Letter for sample letters.