Elternzeit (parental leave) is a statutory entitlement under the Bundeselterngeld- und Elternzeitgesetz (BEEG, Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act) that permits employed parents to take up to three years of unpaid, job-protected leave per child. Leave may be taken until the child reaches the age of three, with up to twelve months transferable to the period between the child's third and eighth birthday with the employer's agreement. Both parents are independently entitled and may take leave simultaneously or in alternating phases.
Employees must notify their employer in writing at least seven weeks before the planned start of leave, specifying the duration and any part-time working arrangements. During Elternzeit, the employment contract remains in force and the employer is prohibited from issuing a dismissal notice. Parents working part-time of up to 32 hours per week during Elternzeit retain their leave entitlement and continue to receive a partial Elterngeld (parental allowance) payment.
Employers must reserve the employee's position or an equivalent role at the same grade and compensation level upon return. If organisational changes make the original role unavailable, the employer bears the burden of demonstrating equivalence. International assignees and EU nationals working in Germany are generally covered by the BEEG on the same basis as German nationals, provided they are subject to German social insurance.