What's changing
From 1 January 2027, the Y tops up the pay of eligible staff on unpaid parental leave, bringing it closer to what they normally earn each week. The top-up is paid on top of Government Parental Leave Pay.
This briefing is a summary only. The Employer-Funded Parental Leave Policy sets out the full terms and applies if anything here differs. Read the full policy.
Top-up paid from the first day of unpaid parental leave.
Top-up paid from the first day of unpaid parental leave.
Applies to unpaid parental leave starting on or after this date.
Paid once per birth or adoption. Twins count as one.
These are three separate things that stack on top of each other. Unpaid parental leave is the time off. Government Parental Leave Pay and the Y's top-up are payments made during that time.
The top-up is only paid to staff who are entitled to unpaid parental leave under the Fair Work Act (the National Employment Standards). That entitlement comes first.
Eligible staff can take up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave, and request up to 12 more. The entitlement isn't based on gender, so any eligible parent can take it, including fathers and partners.
We'll confirm eligibility. People & Culture checks each person's eligibility for unpaid parental leave and the top-up, so there's no need to work it out yourself. If a team member asks, just point them our way.
Staff who can take unpaid parental leave are generally eligible for the top-up. These are the top-up's own conditions.
The primary carer has principal day-to-day care of the child. For the first 6 weeks after a birth, the parent who gave birth is presumed to be the primary carer. P&C confirms carer role with the employee.
These steps come from the Parental Leave page on YNet. Steps in red are where you're involved.
The employee talks through their proposed leave dates with you.
They complete the Parental Leave Notice and Eligibility Form in PandaDoc.
P&C confirms eligibility for leave and the top-up, then sends you the form to sign.
They confirm final leave dates with you and P&C.
They submit an Unpaid Parental Leave request in Tanda.
The weekly top-up is the gap between the employee's ordinary weekly earnings and the weekly National Minimum Wage (the rate Government Parental Leave Pay uses). If their ordinary earnings are at or below the minimum wage, no top-up applies, because Government Parental Leave Pay already covers their usual pay.
Full-time staff: contracted weekly hours multiplied by base hourly rate.
Part-time and casual staff: average ordinary hours over the last 3 years (156 weeks, or actual service if shorter), multiplied by current base hourly rate. Overtime and casual loading aren't included.
This is to help you understand how the top-up works. Payroll confirms the actual figure when leave starts, so it's best not to share estimates with staff.
Estimate only. It assumes the employee is eligible and uses the figures you enter. Part-time and casual hours are averaged over up to 3 years, and the minimum wage changes each 1 July, so the actual amount may differ. Nothing you enter is saved or shared.
Super is paid on the top-up, and PAYG applies.
If someone doesn't return, or resigns within 12 months of returning, they repay a share of the top-up. The share reduces for each full month worked.
Set the top-up received and the full months worked after returning. It starts on the policy's own example.
Estimate only. Based on full months worked. People & Culture confirms any repayment and the exceptions that apply.
0 months means the employee didn't return, so the full amount is repaid unless an exception applies. P&C manages any repayment and can agree a reasonable arrangement.
Select a question to see the answer.
The top-up is a new benefit that applies to unpaid parental leave starting on or after 1 January 2027. We understand that's disappointing. They keep their NES and Government Parental Leave Pay entitlements. If other leave comes first and unpaid leave starts in 2027, they may qualify, so please check with us.
Yes, if they're entitled to unpaid parental leave under the NES. Their top-up is based on average ordinary hours over up to 3 years.
Yes. Each parent can claim for their own carer role, primary or secondary, for the same child.
They receive the gap between their ordinary weekly earnings and the minimum wage, for 12 or 2 weeks. Payroll works out the exact figure when leave starts, so it's best to leave the numbers with us.
Yes. Some staff can't get Government Parental Leave Pay, for example because of their visa or residency status. They still receive the top-up for the full 12 or 2 weeks, calculated the same way as for everyone else. The Y doesn't pay an extra amount to make up for the missing government payment, so their total income during leave will be lower than for someone receiving both.
Super is paid on the top-up and PAYG applies. It isn't paid leave, so annual and personal leave don't accrue.
They can, once they've been back at work for 12 months of continuous service before their next leave starts. If the timing is close, we're happy to check where they stand.
Yes, if they'd like to. They're voluntary and by agreement, up to 10 days, and paid on top of the top-up. They don't extend the top-up or count as a return to work.
Yes. Returning to their role, or another agreed role or arrangement (including flexible work), counts.
Plans can change, and that's understandable. Because the top-up supports people returning to the Y, it's usually repaid if they don't return, though exceptions apply, such as serious illness. If they mention it, please let us know and we'll talk it through with them.
No repayment applies for genuine redundancy. The same goes for serious illness, stillbirth or the death of the child.
People & Culture
peopleandculture@ymcasa.org.au