Starting in 2025, Spain has introduced a new support measure for families with young children. Parents whose child is born, adopted, or taken into guardianship between August 2024 and July 2025 are now entitled to two additional weeks of paid leave to care for their baby. This initiative is part of a broad reform aimed at improving work-life balance, and is already available for application.
Previously, families were only eligible for eight weeks of unpaid leave to care for a child under eight. Now, the state will compensate two weeks of this period, while single parents are entitled to four weeks. The new rules allow these days to be used flexibly—at any time until the child turns eight. Authorities estimate that more than 365,000 parents across the country will benefit from this change.
Who is eligible for the benefit
The right to additional paid weeks is granted not only to salaried employees, but also to self-employed individuals and public sector workers. The main requirement is to be officially employed or have an equivalent status, and to have the necessary insurance contribution record. Importantly, each parent must apply for leave individually, even if the leave is divided between them.
The payment applies to families where a child is born between August 2, 2024, and July 30, 2025. For those who become parents after July 31, 2025, the process is simplified: the right to additional weeks is already included in the standard leave package, and no extra applications are required.
Application procedure
To receive the two paid weeks, you must notify your employer in advance—at least 15 days before the intended start date of your leave. The employer will then issue a special certificate required for submitting your application. The application is processed through the online portal, where you need to select the “subsequent period” option and upload all necessary documents.
You may submit your application two weeks before your leave begins. Once the application is registered, the system will issue confirmation, and further notifications will be sent to your email. Parents can decide when to use the additional days—it can be during the child’s adaptation to kindergarten or at the start of school.
Updates to the leave system
The parental leave reform has changed the traditional structure. For children born after July 31, 2025, six weeks of leave are now mandatory, with another eleven weeks that can be taken during the child’s first year (or twenty-two weeks for single parents), plus an additional two weeks available until the child turns eight. For families whose child is born between August 2024 and July 2025, similar rules apply with slight differences: ten additional weeks during the first year and two paid weeks that can be claimed starting in 2026.
If the child was born before August 2024, the new rules do not apply: parents are only eligible for six mandatory and ten additional weeks of leave during the first year, without the option to receive extra paid weeks.
European context
The introduction of these new measures comes from the need to align Spanish legislation with European standards. The EU directive on work-life balance mandates expanding parental rights and equalizing conditions for workers in various categories. Spain began implementing these requirements in 2024, and starting in 2025, the system will be fully in effect.
To inform families, the authorities launched a large-scale notification campaign via email and SMS. In addition, a special online portal has been created where families can get advice and complete all paperwork remotely. The new measure is designed to make life easier for parents and give them more flexibility in choosing when to take parental leave.
