Lithuanian parliament to consider extending paid parental leave until child turns eight

A proposal to allow parents to use unused parental leave and benefits until their child reaches eight years old will be submitted to Lithuania’s Seimas on Tuesday, LRT reports.

Social Democrat MP Rūta Miliūtė will present amendments to the Labour Code and the Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance Law, aiming to give parents who did not use their full parental leave entitlement before their child turned three the option to claim it later. Currently, parents lose unused benefits if they return to work early.

“If approved, this would create a more flexible system for balancing work and family life, positively impacting demographic trends,” Miliūtė said. She noted that many EU countries already offer more adaptable parental benefit schemes.

Under the current rules, each parent is entitled to a non-transferable two-month portion of parental leave, which must be used before the child turns 18 or 24 months. The proposed changes would allow unused leave of up to 12 months to be claimed until the child turns eight.

Miliūtė argued that extending the benefit period would encourage fathers to take a more active role in childcare beyond the early months. The amendments, if passed, would take effect next year.