Maternity leave
As a social parent, you may be eligible for parental leave with parental benefits in certain cases. To qualify, you must meet the requirements for receiving parental benefits, be recognised as a social parent under the Parental Leave Act, and have one of the legal parents transfer part of their parental leave to you.
If you are the social parent of a child born or adopted after January 1, 2024, you may be eligible for maternity benefit during your maternity leave in certain situations.
Who is a social parent?
A social parent is not the child's legal parent, but is a person who has a parent-like relationship with the child. Under the Maternity Act, you are a social parent in these 5 situations:
- You are the legal parent's spouse.
- You are the cohabitant of the legal parent and have lived in a marriage-like relationship with them for at least 2 years at the time your leave with the child starts.
- You are a known donor for the child.
- You are the known donor's spouse.
- You are the cohabitant of the known donor who has lived in a marriage-like relationship with the known donor for at least 2 years at the time when your leave with the child starts.
How long can I be on maternity leave with maternity benefit as a social parent?
A legal parent may share part of their maternity leave with you if you are a social parent.
As a social parent, you can have leave transferred from a legal parent to the child. Leave is the right to take time off work.
To be eligible for maternity benefit during your leave, you must meet the general requirements, including the employment requirements. This means you must either be employed or a member of a social security fund to qualify.
Read more about being a social parent and the conditions for receiving maternity benefit onborger.dk'swebsite.