The self-employed who are parents will enjoy 16 weeks of benefit from January

PATERNITY AND MATERNITY EQUALIZE

As of 2021, self-employed parents will be able to enjoy 16 weeks of paternity leave. From January 1 they will have the same benefit time as mothers.

Andrea González01:05 10/12/20 The self-employed who are parents will enjoy 16 weeks of benefit from January

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One of the novelties that the year 2021 will bring for self-employed workers is the extension of paternity leave. As of January 1, self-employed parents will be able to enjoy 16 weeks of benefit, which is the same period of time established for maternity for women. This means that, from that date, the leave for the birth and care of a child for both parents will be equal for the first time.

This process to equate both permits -maternity and paternity- to which all workers are entitled, stems from the Royal Decree Law on Labor Equality 6/2019, approved in March 2019. It included 49 measures to equalize treatment and opportunities in employment and occupation between men and women, among which is the intention to guarantee that in the care of newborn children -or adapted children- there are no distinctions based on gender.

This comparison has been introduced progressively. Although now both can enjoy more than 100 days, at the beginning of this Law, men only had five weeks. These gradual extensions are included in the Royal Decree Law on urgent measures to guarantee equal treatment and opportunities between women and men in employment and occupation.

Until 2017, self-employed fathers could only enjoy five weeks of paternity leave. Period that, with the entry into force of Royal Decree 6/2019, went from 5 to 8 weeks for the rest of the year. In 2020 the duration increased to 12 weeks throughout the year and, with the start of 2021, parental leave will increase to 16 weeks.

The 16 weeks for both parents can be divided:

This new period of time may be established and distributed as follows:

Certain cases of extension of this period are established:

Amount of benefit

Like temporary disability, benefits for paternity or maternity will be 100% of the regulatory base, which will be calculated from the six months prior to the time of discharge. Therefore, to calculate this base, it will be necessary to divide the amount for which they contributed during this time by 180. If, for example, a self-employed worker who contributes for the minimum has just had a child and requests their respective leave, to To calculate your benefit you will need to multiply 944.40 x 6, which would result in 5,666.40. And then divide the amount by 180, which would give 31.48 euros.

Therefore, 31.48 euros would be, in this case, the amount of daily benefit that the self-employed could opt for during the time they are on sick leave. But, this is not the only help that can be received by self-employed fathers and mothers who have had -or fostered- a child. Self-employed workers can also opt for a series of bonuses that came into force with the Law of Urgent Reforms for Self-Employment.

Bonuses for maternity and paternity

Since 2018, self-employed fathers and mothers have at their disposal three bonuses applicable to three different assumptions to reduce, or exempt them from paying their fee to the RETA (Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers).

-Bonus of 100% of the self-employed quota for common contingencies for a period of 12 months to those workers included in the RETA who are affected by any of these assumptions:

How to request the benefit?

To apply for paternity leave, the self-employed person will have to present the following documents to Social Security:

After sending the documents, Social Security will notify the interested party in the following days. He will begin to receive the income from the month following the one in which the benefit was recognized.

self-employed january paternity