The government of Taiwan passed legislation enhancing parental leave policies by:
Adding more flexibility to the parental leave benefit
Extending leave for pregnancy checkups
Increasing the parental leave allowance paid
The changes entered into effect on 1 July 2021.
Key details
Parental leave benefit
Parents have the right to use up to two years of partially government-paid parental leave before a child reaches age 3. Prior to the new legislation, if parents wanted to use their parental leave, they were required to use it in six-month increments.
From 1 July 2021, parents are able to apply for parental leave periods between 30 days to six months. Parental leave periods may not be less than 30 days and short periods may not be applied for more than two times. The two-year maximum total parental leave allotment until the child reaches age 3 remains.
Employees applying for a parental leave period must submit a written request to their employer at least 10 days before the start of the leave.
Parental leave allowance
Previously, employees applying for parental leave benefits from the Employment Insurance Program were entitled to a parental leave allowance of 60% of the employee’s insured salary for a maximum period of six months. As of 1 July 2021, employees who apply for the allowance will automatically receive an additional 20% wage subsidy raising the total parental leave payment from 60% to 80% of the employee’s insured salary.
Prenatal checkup
A pregnant employee is now entitled to seven days (increased from five days under previous rules) of leave for prenatal checkups during pregnancy. While the first five days are funded by the employer, the government stated that a subsidy will be paid to employers that fund the additional two days of prenatal checkup leave.
Additional resource
Regulations for implementing unpaid parental leave for raising children (opens a new window)