is happening with France’s new birth leave? Since it came into force on July 1, this new right allows parents, if they wish to extend their time off after maternity or paternity leave by one or two additional months with their newborn. While the decree was initially welcomed with, a growing wave of confusion and panic has erupted on social media since late July. Reports of lower-than-expected benefits, poor communication between and the health insurance system (CPAM), delays, and suspended supplementary health coverage have prompted green party leader Marine Tondelier—who could benefit from the leave herself—to call the situation a “scandal” on Instagram.
The French National Health Insurance Fund (urance Maladie) paints a very different picture. Contacted by Le HuffPost, its management maintains that “at this stage, it is too to claim there is a payment delay for the additional birth leaves taken in July, provided the application was submitted complete and on time.” Yet many are struggling. Here is a breakdown of the key issues causing difficulty and confusion.
When Are Benefits Actually Paid?
Who pays for birth leave, and when? For employees, it depends on a choice made by their company. If the employer salary subrogation, the company continues to pay the employee and receives the daily allowances from Social Security in return. The employer may also decide to up the salary, covering the 30% (first month) and 40% (second month) not paid by Social Security.In the more common scenario where the company does not practice subrogation or salary maintenance, the employee receives daily allowances directly from Social—70% of salary for the first month and 60% for the second. However, the payment does not arrive at the end of the like a typical paycheck, but at the beginning of the following month.
“The compensation for the additional birth leave is paid as allowances, which are paid in arrears. The first additional birth leaves could be taken from July 1 to July 31. Therefore, could not occur before August 1,” the National Fund confirmed, adding that for this first month, “the funds have started processing payments since, August 3, with transfer times averaging 24 to 48 hours.”
Could Your Employer Be Causing the Delay?
While the insurance fund claims everything is in order for complete applications, some beneficiaries are still experiencing delays. Could be at fault? Employers must transmit the request within five days of the start of the additional birth leave.
However, the Maladie reveals that incomplete forms submitted by employers account for “nearly one in four applications.” In these cases, “requests for additional information documents may be sent to employers or policyholders directly.” To address this, the institution says it has planned additional communication campaigns targeting employers to improve quality of applications and remind them of the five-day deadline.
How Much Will You Receive?
source of anxiety for the first parents receiving this benefit: how much will they actually get? Currently, Ameli.fr does not offer a benefit simulator birth leave. While figures of 70% of net salary for the first month and 60% for the second are widely circulated, several have taken to social media to express surprise at amounts that did not match their expectations.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, the government Service Public explains the calculation method, which is simple enough to replicate. First, the monthly Social Security ceiling of €4,005 (as January 1, 2026) is applied. For an employee earning €2,000 gross per month, the first month’s calculation is follows:
- Add the gross salaries of the three months preceding the leave: €2,000 x 3 =6,000.
- Multiply this amount by 0.79 to deduct employee contributions: €6,000 x 0. = €4,740.
- Divide the result by 91.25 to get a daily amount: €4,740 91.25 = €51.95.
- For the first month, multiply the daily allowance by 0.7 (% rate): €51.95 x 0.7 = €36.365.
- Finally, deduct the CSG CRDS taxes (6.7%): €36.365 x 0.933 = €33.92.
>Thus, the daily allowance paid during the first month would be €33.92. For a 31-day month like July, this in a net payment of approximately €1,051.
What Happens to Your Employer-Provided Health Insurance?A final, critical point for new parents: employer-sponsored health insurance (mutuelle). What coverage do you have during birth leave, whichends the employment contract? Again, it depends on the company’s initial choice. If there is no salary subrogation, neither the employeenow paid by Social Security—nor the company pays contributions to the mutual insurer, which can lead to suspension of the health insurance contract.This has come as a very unpleasant surprise for many employees who, being the first to use this new right, could not have anticipated the. Employees can still contact their insurer to maintain coverage by paying both the employee and employer portions—a significant cost.
While Assurance Maladie insists that primary funds have “received reinforcements in departments responsible for paying daily allowances to cope with the increase in demand linked to this benefit, as well as in teams in direct contact with policyholders to answer their questions,” the lack of official figures makes it impossible to measure true scale of the delays. One thing is certain: for who have still not received their benefits—many of whom have shared their stories the press—the situation is extremely difficult, regardless of who is ultimately responsible.
