Legislature Passes Third Reading for Implementation Next New Year's Day
The Legislative Yuan on the 13th passed the third reading of draft amendments to the Act of Gender Equality in Employment and the Employment Insurance Act, and the Ministry of Labor's childcare package will take effect next New Year's Day. The amendments cover maternity leave, pregnancy checkup and paternity leave, parental leave without pay, allowances, and corporate childcare tax incentives, with maternity leave seeing its first major revision in over 40 years, aiming to support workers in balancing career and childcare, with the support system shared by the government and enterprises.
Maternity Leave 14 Weeks, Paternity Leave 14 Days
Key points include extending maternity leave from 8 weeks to 14 weeks, ensuring female employees have ample time to recuperate after childbirth and arrange childcare. Pregnancy checkup and paternity leave is increased from 7 days to 14 days, allowing spouses to jointly share care for mother and infant from pregnancy through childbirth. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han said the negotiated version has included full-salary subsidies for maternity leave to reduce the burden on enterprises; the Executive Yuan originally planned 12 weeks of maternity leave plus 10 working days of checkup leave, and it was finally passed as 14 weeks at third reading.
Leave Extended to Before Age 9 With Increased Allowances
Considering care needs as children transition from kindergarten to lower elementary grades, parental leave without pay eligibility is raised from under age 3 to under age 8 / before reaching age 9, limited to 2 years. Parental leave allowances are expanded simultaneously, after both parents receive the full 6 months they may each claim an additional 3 months, up to 9 months per person and up to 18 months combined for both parents. The current 30-day day-based parental leave will be doubled and upgraded to 60 days of childcare leave, with the same applicable age, available when personal care is required for child illness, suspension of childcare or classes, vaccinations, childcare and school parental activities, and guardians selected or modified by the court including grandparents may also apply.
Double Deduction for Corporate Childcare With Lenient Transition
For enterprises providing childcare facilities and childcare measures, 200% of expenditures may be deducted from current-year income, raising employers' willingness to provide corporate childcare through tax incentives. Regarding transition between the old and new systems, Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Director-General Huang Chi-ya explained that benefits can only be provided after the provisions take effect, but will be認定 leniently. As long as the right to claim still exists on New Year's Day, the new law applies, for example maternity leave spanning New Year's Day can transition from 8 weeks to 14 weeks; those whose children are under age 9 and have not exhausted the 2-year leave may apply the 2-year leave and 60-day childcare leave, with wage subsidies provided by the Bureau of Labor Insurance.