The number of people who have availed of Parent’s Benefit in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and as of October 2025 is set out in the table below:
|
Year
|
Total Claims Awarded
|
|
2022
|
75,603
|
|
2023
|
78,189
|
|
2024
|
90,660
|
|
October 2025
|
82,284
|
A detailed gender breakdown is not available for full-year figures. However, gender specific data is published on a quarterly basis. The most recent data for Q3 2025 indicates that 12,387 males and 18,210 females were in receipt of Parent’s Benefit. These figures are available in my Departments quarterly statistic reports which can be found on gov.ie .
Parent’s Leave and Benefit have increased from two weeks at the introduction of the scheme in 2019 to nine weeks since August 2024, while rates of payment have increased from €250 in 2022 to €299 from January 2026.
By providing both parents with nine weeks of non-transferrable paid leave, and thereby effectively ring-fencing leave for fathers, Parent’s Leave and Benefit are expected to encourage both parents to avail of their leave entitlement.
The Programme for Government commits to ‘Introduce Pay-Related Parents Benefit and explore other payments where a similar model could be applied.’ It is expected that by linking Parent’s Benefit rates to the parents’ actual earnings, fathers will be further encouraged to avail of their leave entitlement. Work is ongoing within my Department to examine potential models for a Pay-Related Parent’s Benefit.
