Working during parental leave
Young mothers or fathers on parental leave are also allowed to work during parental leave. However, there are a number of rules to follow. But what is allowed and how is income counted towards parental allowance?
Basic rules for working during parental leave
In general, employees on parental leave can still work. However, the professional activity may be a maximum of 30 hours per week. This also applies to the second and third year of parental leave if parental allowance would no longer be paid.
Any earnings during parental leave are counted towards parental allowance. The assessment basis is then the difference between the income before parental leave and the income during parental leave. In most cases, working part-time while receiving parental allowance is not worthwhile. A part-time job usually only makes sense during parental leave for those parents who want to stay connected to their careers.
New employer during parental leave
Employees on parental leave can also work part-time for a maximum of 30 hours with another employer. However, this must be requested from the original employer four weeks before the start of employment. This can be useful if an employee wants to reorient themselves professionally during this time or if the actual employer is very far away.
An employee on parental leave can also take up self-employment on a 30-hour basis during this time, although this also requires the employer's consent. However, if the employer does not respond to the application within four weeks, consent is deemed to have been given.
If an employer wants to reject the application, he must give reasons for this. He can reject the application if he urgently needs someone for the relevant position anyway and the position can also be filled part-time.
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Parental allowance, but no parental leave for the self-employed
Since parental leave can only be requested by employees, it is not available to self-employed people. However, you can also apply for parental allowance. However, since they are often unable to withdraw from their professional activities for the entire period in which they receive parental allowance, they must also adjust their workload in this case.
However, because the working hours cannot be recorded by the self-employed in the same way as by employees, the income earned while receiving parental allowance is taken into account. The basic rule applies that a self-employed person may earn a maximum of 75 percent of their net income before receiving parental allowance during this time in order to be entitled to parental allowance.
Anyone who wants to work on parental leave or while receiving parental allowance must observe part-time limits and know that the income will be counted towards parental allowance. Employees must obtain approval from their employer if they want to work for another employer or independently during parental leave.
