Keeping in touch days

Employees can go back to work for a ‘keeping in touch day’ during their unpaid parental leave.

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Taking keeping in touch days

Employees who are taking a continuous period of unpaid parental leave can agree with their employers to attend work for a ‘keeping in touch day’.

A keeping in touch day is when an employee performs work that will help with their transition back to work at the end of their unpaid parental leave. This can include remote and in-office work, as required by the employer.

Employees can’t take keeping in touch days when they’re on flexible unpaid parental leave.

Employees are paid as normal for performing work on a keeping in touch day.

Tip: Different types of unpaid parental leave

Unpaid parental leave can be taken as:

For more information, go to Types of parental leave.

How many keeping in touch days an employee gets

Employees can, by agreement with their employer, take up to 10 keeping in touch days for each of:

  • the first 12 months of their unpaid parental leave period
  • an agreed extended period of unpaid parental leave of up to 12 months.

An employee is entitled to take up to 10 keeping in touch days for each of these periods of unpaid parental leave even if that period is less than 12 months.

This means that an employee who extends their period of unpaid parental leave beyond the first 12 months can take up to 20 keeping in touch days.

Keeping in touch days don’t change the length of the unpaid parental leave period.

An employee doesn't have to use keeping in touch days if they don't want to.

Example: Entitlement to 10 keeping in touch days for the first 12 months of unpaid parental leave

Dwayne takes 9 months of unpaid parental leave to look after his newborn daughter.

He can take up to 10 keeping in touch days during the 9 month leave period with his employer’s agreement.

Dwayne decides to extend his leave period by 3 months. This won’t allow him to take any more keeping in touch days. This is because he can take up to 10 keeping in touch days for the first 12 months of unpaid parental leave.

Example: Entitlement to keeping in touch days for additional period of unpaid parental leave

Aisha is taking 12 months of unpaid parental leave for the birth of her twins.

She can take up to 10 keeping in touch days during the 12 month leave period with her employer’s agreement.

With the approval of her employer, she extends her unpaid parental leave for another 5 months.

Aisha can take up to a further 10 keeping in touch days during her extended 5 month leave period, with her employer’s agreement. This is because an employee is entitled to take up to 10 keeping in touch days for each unpaid parental leave period, even if one of those periods is less than 12 months.

Types of work on keeping in touch days

Keeping in touch days are a good way for employees on unpaid parental leave to stay up to date with their workplace and to refresh their skills to assist their return to work. The purpose of the work must be for the employee to keep in touch with their employment to help their eventual return.

Work on a keeping in touch day may include:

  • refreshing skills
  • participating in a planning day
  • doing training, or
  • attending a conference.

The work must only be for the purpose of keeping in touch.

How keeping in touch days can be worked

An employee can work their keeping in touch days:

  • as a part day
  • 1 day at a time
  • a few days at a time, or
  • all at once.

If an employee works a keeping in touch day as a part day, a full day is deducted from their balance of keeping in touch days.

Example: Working keeping in touch days as part days

Josh is taking 10 months of unpaid parental leave following the birth of his son.

While Josh is on leave, his employer asks him if he’d like to attend a work conference that runs over 2 and half days. Josh decides to go. He agrees with his employer to use some of his keeping in touch days to attend.

Josh is paid for the 2 and half days he spends at the conference.

Even though Josh only worked for 2 and half days, 3 days are deducted from his balance of 10 keeping in touch days. This is because a part day counts as a full day for his keeping in touch day balance.

When employees can take keeping in touch days

Employees and employers have to agree to the keeping in touch days and when they will be worked.

Employees can’t access keeping in touch days within the first 14 days (2 weeks) of the child’s birth or date of placement.

After the first 14 days, an employee can suggest or request a keeping in touch day, and the employer can agree to it.

After 42 days (6 weeks) since the child’s birth or date of placement, the employer can suggest or request a keeping in touch day, and the employee can agree to it.

Payment for keeping in touch days

An employee gets their normal wage and accumulates leave entitlements for the time they work on a keeping in touch day.

Employees receiving the Australian Government’s Parental Leave Pay should consider how keeping in touch days may impact their payments. More information can be found on the Services Australia website.

Employees can also accrue leave during a keeping in touch day. Learn more at Accruing and taking other leave during parental leave.

Example: Payment for keeping in touch days to help with a return to work

Georgia has taken 12 months unpaid leave to look after her newly adopted child. Three months into her leave, Georgia’s workplace gets a new computer system and everyone needs training in how to use it.

To help Georgia's transition back to work after her leave, her manager Alex asks if she'd like to come in for a keeping in touch day. This means Georgia can do the training with everyone else. Georgia agrees and is paid her normal wage for coming to work.

To practise her new skills, Georgia asks Alex if she can come in for a keeping in touch day once a month for the rest of her leave. This is a further 8 keeping in touch days. Alex agrees.

For each keeping in touch day that Georgia works, she:

  • is paid for the time worked
  • accrues leave for time worked.

Source reference for page: Fair Work Act 2009 sections 79A–79B

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