Generations of young fathers have been waiting for it, now it should become reality:

At the On July 2nd, 2019, the Austrian Parliament passed a draft law that will introduce the “dad month” from September 1st, 2019. Let me give you an overview of the new rules below:

WHAT IS DAD MONTH?
Male employees in Austria will soon have a legal right to paternity leave as a new form of parental leave. Parental leave means that an employee does not have to go to work, but does not receive any salary from the employer during this time. After the birth of a child, fathers can apply for up to 4 weeks off work for their family. In contrast to the previous regulations, they can now take this leave without the consent of their employer . However, fathers must fulfill some notification obligations towards their employers (see below).

During parental leave, fathers are protected from dismissal and dismissal. They are not entitled to salaries during their free time, but they do receive one Allowance (the “Family Time Bonus”) of EUR 22.60 per day, for a total of up to approximately EUR 700 from the state (but which is later deducted from the public maintenance payments if the father decides to claim another form of social assistance take, including parental leave). The paternal month must fall between the birth of the child and the end of the period in which the mother is legally prohibited from returning to work after childbirth (usually 6 weeks after childbirth; in some cases, e.g. g. where the mother is not entitled to parental leave, this can be 8 weeks or, in the case of multiple births, up to 12 weeks after the birth).

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Fathers who live in the same household as the child benefit from the new regulation. However, it does not appear to be necessary for the new parents to be married.

HOW DO FATHERS ACHIEVE THEIR RIGHT TO PAPAMONAT?
Fathers must notify their employers in a timely and correct manner: the first notification to the employer must be made 3 months before the expected date of birth and include the expected date of birth and the intended period of leave. The employee must then inform the employer immediately that the birth actually took place. No later than one week after the birth, the father must inform his employer of the exact start and end of the intended father’s month.

HAS THE BIG THING SUCCESSFUL?
It remains to be seen whether this new regulation will increase the number of fathers taking time off to care for their families after the birth of their children. At least now they don’t have to deal with the reservations of their employers. However, the loss of income during the papa month may mean that only families who can afford to only receive the family time bonus of around EUR 700 during the papa month will make use of the new entitlement.