“They lead families to make wrong decisions”: 4 myths about parental leave

Hthere are several myths circulating in about parental leave that “lead families to make wrong decisions and sometimes with real impact on their family life”. On this path, the lawyer and parental rights consultant Marta Esteves explains which are the most common. 

“ These myths, which are rooted in our culture and which quickly become ‘refutable truth’, may not be as true as that and may have a very high cost, be it monetary, be it in parents’ rights and ultimately in tranquility for families”, can be read in a communiqué sent to News to Minutes. 

Four Myths

The four most common myths, according to Marta Esteves, are as follows: 

1. Early parental leave must begin on the day of the baby's birth – “In fact, the mother may choose to start the initial parental leave up to 30 days before the expected date of delivery. These days are optional and count for the total of 120 or 150 days to which you are entitled. Then, depending on the date, time and day of the week when the baby is born, but also on the mother and father’s working hours, the initial leave can begin on the very day of the baby’s birth, and up to four days after that date”;
2. Dad can't take most of his leave – “In fact, after the 42-day period of compulsory enjoyment of the mother after birth, the remaining period, until all remaining days of leave, can be freely distributed among the parents. This means that the father can enjoy most, or even all, of those days, without any legal limitation”;
3. The amount received of parental allowance is discounted IRS and Social Security – “In fact, parental benefit is a social benefit paid by Social Security that is exempt from IRS and is not subject to social security discounts. Moreover, it is not accounted for as income in the annual IRS declaration and may even positively influence the amount to be paid or any reimbursement”;
4. Once licensed it is no longer possible to change – “In fact, it is possible to change the licence periods already communicated. If there are changes, parents must submit a new application to Social Security, with the new periods, within the legal deadline. And also communicate the new periods to their employer.”.

The lawyer explains, quoted in the same statement, that “unfortunately, we still see a great disinformation on the part of the society and wrong information has real consequences for families, since, of no use the rights provided for in the Law, if families do not know them or know how to use them correctly”.