Parental, Adoption and Commissioning Parental Leave

South Africa’s new parental, adoption and commissioning parental leave have officially been signed into law effective 1 January 2020. These new leave types, considered by many as a historic victory for parents, children and families, cater for new parents who do not qualify for maternity leave. This includes fathers, adopting parents and those undergoing surrogacy.

Parental Leave

New parents, other than the mothers giving birth, are entitled to 10 consecutive days of unpaid parental leave once per year when their children are born. If they are a contributor to UIF, they will also have a right to claim for parental leave. They will no longer be allowed to take Family Responsibility Leave for the birth of a child.

Adoption Leave

Adoption leave applies to those adopting a child under the age of two. One parent will be entitled to 10 consecutive weeks of unpaid Adoption Leave, while the other parent will be entitled to Parental Leave (as discussed above).

Commissioning Parental Leave

This leave applies to parents using a surrogate. The primary caregiver will qualify for 10 consecutive weeks’ of unpaid Commissioning Parental Leave, while the other parent will be entitled to Parental Leave (as discussed above).

There are currently no UIF benefits for Adoption and Commissioning Parental leave. These will only come into effect 1 April 2020.

Capturing on SimplePay

To capture this correctly on SimplePay, terminate the employee by ending their service on the system and use an appropriate UIF Code. The following UIF codes have been added for these new leave types:

• UIF Code 18: Commissioning Parental
• UIF Code 19: Parental Leave

For additional information and assistance, consult the following help pages:

• Maternity Leave
• Parental and Commissioning Parental Leave
• Family Responsibility Leave
• Ending an Employee’s Service

Team SimplePay