Optional motherhood it is an option, different from compulsory maternity leave, for working mothers who wish to take an optional period of time off to care for their newborn child.
This option is provided for by Italian law and provides for a certain salary to support the mother. In this article, we will provide you with all the information you need about how to apply for optional maternity leave and on the amount envisaged by Italian legislation for remuneration.
What is maternity leave and how does it work?
Optional motherhood belongs to both mothers and fathers who want to take an optional period off work to be with their child.
Of this period of parental leave can be taken in the first 12 years of life of the child.
The duration of optional maternity leave and the amount of remuneration paid vary according to the categories of workers. Thanks to optional maternity leave, natural, adoptive or foster parents can enjoy an additional period of absence from work.
Father and mother can use it at the same time, continuously or by dividing it into hours.
How long is optional maternity leave?
Both parents can optionally take time off from work in the first 12 years of the child’s life, for a maximum of 10 months, can be raised to eleven. A period of abstention from office for 10 days after the birth has become mandatory for fathers.
Optional maternity request
Find out what the requirements are for submitting an application for optional maternity leave, how to do it and what salary you are entitled to.
What are the requirements
Optional maternity leave can be requested by the following workers:
- employees;
- workers enrolled in the Separate Management, with project contracts and professionals not enrolled in other social security funds;
- self-employed workers.
However, it is not up to:
- to the unemployed;
- to domestic workers;
- to home workers.
How to apply
The application for optional maternity leave can be submitted in the following ways:
- online, through the MyInps private area and your SPID;
- through the INPS Contact Center: by dialing 803164 from a landline (free of charge) or 06164 164 from a mobile phone;
- through CAF or Patronato.
When to apply
The application must be submitted before the start of the period of abstention optional you want to request. If you send your application later, you will lose the salary from the previous days.
Remember to give your employer advance notice in accordance with the deadlines established by the collective labor agreement.
Optional maternity leave pay
During the period of optional maternity leave, what the parents will receive will be an allowance equal to 30% of the daily salary. The leave will be divided as follows:
- three months to the mother;
- three months to the father;
- three months to one of the two.
The permissible indemnity will be equal to 30% of the average salary. Only parents with a salary of less than 2.5 times the social allowance will be able to take advantage of their entire salary during the optional leave,
The new Budget Law has brought something new: in the first six years of the child, only one parent will be able to take advantage of a single month of leave with an allowance equal to 80% of the salary.