Maternity and paternity leave in Hong Kong: the notice rules
Fourteen weeks at four-fifths pay, five days for the father, and two notice rules that decide whether you get them without a fight: a medical certificate to your employer for maternity leave, and three months' warning for paternity leave. Checked 22 September 2026.
Tell your employer in writing, with the medical certificate
Maternity leave in Hong Kong is 14 weeks. To be paid for it you need to have been on a continuous contract with your employer for 40 weeks before the leave starts, and you have to give notice: tell your employer you are pregnant and intend to take maternity leave, and hand over a medical certificate confirming the pregnancy. Checked against labour.gov.hk on 21 September 2026.
Applies to people who are employed. Paperbump schedules this usually between week 12 and week 14 of the pregnancy. What this step involves · labour.gov.hk
Paternity leave: five days, and three months' notice to take it freely
Fathers get 5 days of paternity leave at four-fifths pay, to be taken any time from 4 weeks before the due date to 14 weeks after the birth, in one block or spread out. The paperwork rule is the one that catches people: if your partner tells the employer at least 3 months before the expected date of delivery that he intends to take it, he can then take the days with no further notice; otherwise each day needs 5 days' notice. Checked against labour.gov.hk on 21 September 2026.
Applies to people who have a partner going through it with them and are employed. Paperbump schedules this usually between week 24 and week 26 of the pregnancy. What this step involves · labour.gov.hk
Claim the child allowance on your tax return
Salaries tax gives a child allowance of HK$140,000 per child for 2026/27, up from HK$130,000 for 2025/26. For a child born on or after 1 April 2025 you can claim double — HK$280,000 — in the year of assessment the child is born and the year after. Checked against ird.gov.hk on 22 September 2026.
Paperbump schedules this between 6 months and 12 months after the birth. What this step involves · ird.gov.hk
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