Paid parental leave extends to 26 weeks and now includes superannuation contributions

Parents of children born or adopted from 1 July 2026 access an extra two weeks of government-paid leave; super contributions are now paid on that leave, closing a key retirement savings gap for women.

In a nutshell: Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave increased from 24 to 26 weeks (130 days) from 1 July 2026 — the final step in an increase from 18 weeks in 2023. Super contributions are now paid on that leave, administered by the ATO directly to the employee’s fund. Twenty days of the total leave are reserved for the non-primary carer, encouraging shared parenting. The Medicare Levy Surcharge income threshold also rose, reducing the surcharge for some households.