Tell your employer when your maternity leave starts
Employees get at least 16 weeks of paid leave in total: pregnancy leave (zwangerschapsverlof) starting between 6 and 4 weeks before your due date, then maternity leave (bevallingsverlof) after the birth. Checked against rijksoverheid.nl on 22 September 2026.
- Who it applies to
- People who are employed (in loondienst)
- On your timeline
- Paperbump schedules this usually between week 26 and week 33 of the pregnancy
- Official source
- rijksoverheid.nl
- Last checked
- 22 September 2026
What else to know
You pick the start date inside that window and tell your employer at least 3 weeks before the leave starts, so at the latest 7 weeks before your due date. The pay is 100% of your daily wage (dagloon) for the whole period, up to a capped maximum daily wage: your employer claims it from UWV, and in most cases UWV pays your employer and your salary simply carries on. Ask your midwife or doctor for the pregnancy statement showing your due date and keep it yourself. Your employer cannot refuse the leave.
Before you contact them
Who you need Your employer, and whoever handles payroll
What to ask
- Do you want the notice in writing, and in what form?
- Which start date have you recorded for my leave?
- Will my salary carry on as normal while I am away?
- Who takes over my work, and when do we hand over?
What happens next You pick the start date inside the window and tell your employer in advance.
Work out your own dates — free, nothing is sent to us