Key takeaways

The gender super gap is concerning – in general, women have lower super balances than men.
The fact that women are more likely than men to take time out of the workforce to have and raise children, means the gap will likely persist.
To help address this gap, superannuation is paid on government-funded Parental Leave Pay.

Is super paid on parental leave?

One of the more concerning features of Australia’s superannuation system is the gender super gap – in general, women have lower super balances than men.

While the gap is narrowing, the fact that women remain more likely than men to take time out of the workforce to have and raise children means the gap will likely persist.

To help address this gap, superannuation is paid on government-funded Parental Leave Pay.

What are the types of paid parental leave?

There are two main types of paid parental leave: government-funded and employer-funded.

Recent statistics indicate that 68% of employers offer access to paid parental leave (either to both women and men or to women only), in addition to the government scheme. If your employer offers a paid parental leave scheme, you could benefit from both types of leave as receiving one generally doesn’t affect your eligibility for the other.

How do you qualify for government-funded Parental Leave Pay?

To qualify for Parental Leave Pay, you need to meet a few eligibility criteria. In particular, you need to meet all of the following:

If you meet each of these requirements, you can make a claim.

How much is government-funded Parental Leave Pay?

The key factors in working this out are the number of days you can claim, and the rate of payment.

Days you can claim

This table shows you how many days’ paid parental leave you can claim:

If your child’s date of birth or adoption is from	Your family can get up to
1 July 2024	110 days, or 22 weeks based on a 5-day work week
1 July 2025	120 days, or 24 weeks based on a 5-day work week
1 July 2026	130 days, or 26 weeks based on a 5-day work week

If you’re a single parent, you’ll get all available Parental Leave Pay days. If you have a partner, some of your Parental Leave Pay will be reserved for them to use – you can decide together how to share the days.

Rate of payment

The rate of Parental Leave Pay usually changes on 1 July each year. For the 2025-26 year, the payment for Parental Leave Pay is $189.62 a day before tax, or $948.10 per 5-day week (this is based on the weekly rate of the national minimum wage).

Is super paid on parental leave?

Super hasn’t always been paid on Parental Leave Pay. This changed with the passage of the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (More Support for Working Families) Bill 2023 on 18 March 2024.

If you get Parental Leave Pay for a child born or adopted from 1 July 2025, the ATO will make a 12% superannuation contribution on this payment, paid directly to your super fund. The lump sum superannuation contribution, including an interest component, will be paid after the end of each financial year in which government-funded Parental Leave Pay is paid, starting in July 2026.

The government, not your employer, is responsible for the superannuation contributions which are administered by Services Australia. Once you’ve completed your Parental Leave Pay claim, you don’t need to do anything further – the contribution will be paid automatically if you’re eligible.

If you share Parental Leave Pay with a partner, each person is eligible for a superannuation contribution on their share of the payment.

Superannuation strategies for parents on paid parental leave