What are the most common extra-legal benefits in Luxembourg?

The market baseline: meal vouchers, a company car or mobility budget, supplementary health insurance, a pension plan, an annual bonus, structured home working. They have become expected standards: they no longer set an employer apart. Their absence hurts, but their presence no longer wins anyone over.

What family benefits can a company offer in Luxembourg?

The classics: help with, or reservation of, nursery places, extended family leave, family health cover, family relocation services. The rarest and most Luxembourgish of all: language support for the children, because starting in the trilingual school system is the real challenge for the country's international families.

Why does a family benefit stand out more than a bonus?

A bonus is compared in euros and forgotten by the next pay run. A benefit that helps an employee's child settle into school gets talked about, by the coffee machine and on LinkedIn alike. It is employer branding made real: the company shows it understands what everyday life in Luxembourg actually looks like for its teams.

Is there a free app to learn Luxembourgish for children?

Kawi is free to start, designed for ages 3 to 6, and is built specifically around Luxembourgish, unlike general apps. Duolingo does not offer Luxembourgish at all, which is why a country-specific tool matters here. As a family benefit, one licence helps the whole household, since the parent playing alongside the child learns too.

Companies guide · parental leave

Parental leave in Luxembourg: what employers can, must and cannot do.

By the Kawi team · Updated 8 October 2026

An employee hands you a parental leave request. Can you say no, postpone it, replace them, and what happens when they come back? Here are the employer's rules, in the order they come up, with the official guichet.lu page for every detail. Parental leave is one of the things that matter for retaining international talent: handling it well is already retention.

First parental leave: no refusal, no postponement

The first parental leave is taken right after maternity leave. The employee requests it in writing no later than 2 months before maternity leave starts. If the request meets the form and deadline, you can neither refuse nor postpone it.

You can, however, refuse part-time or split leave. The employee then takes full-time leave, or gives it up.

Part-time and split leave: your agreement, and a procedure

Half-time and split leave (one day a week, or four months spread out) need your agreement. They are set out in a parental leave plan signed by both of you within 4 weeks of the request.

If you refuse:

you notify it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt within 2 weeks of the request;
you invite the employee to a meeting within 2 weeks of that refusal, to explain it and propose another option in writing;
without a signed agreement within 2 weeks of the meeting, the employee takes full-time leave, 4 or 6 months, as they choose.

Second parental leave: postponement, in specific cases

The second leave is requested at least 4 months in advance and must start before the child turns 6. You can postpone it:

by up to 2 months if several simultaneous requests disrupt the organisation, if replacement is impossible during the 4-month notice (very specific role, shortage in the sector), or if the employee is a senior manager involved in running the company;
by up to 6 months if the company employs fewer than 15 people;
until the end of the season for seasonal work during a peak period.

Postponement is notified by registered letter within 4 weeks of the request, with the reason and a new date. Without a reply within that time, the leave is accepted automatically. No postponement is possible if the child's health or certified school difficulties require the parent's presence, or if you have already agreed.

During the leave: pay, replacement, seniority

Full-time, the contract is suspended: you stop paying salary, meal vouchers and benefits in kind. The allowance is paid by the Zukunftskeess, not by you.
Part-time or split, you pay the hours worked and declare them every month.
Replacement: you can hire a replacement on a fixed-term contract, in the same role or another. Their contract starts no earlier than 3 months before the leave (or before maternity leave) and ends no later than 3 months after.
Seniority: the period counts. Annual leave not taken before full-time leave is carried over until the return.
Staying in touch: training and meetings during the leave are possible if agreed by contract amendment at least one month before; the employee can end them without consequence.

Protection against dismissal

The employee is protected against dismissal with notice from the end of the request deadline: 2 months and 1 day before maternity leave for the first leave, 4 months and 1 day before the leave for the second, then throughout the leave. Only immediate dismissal for serious misconduct remains possible.

The return: equivalent job and a meeting

At the end of the leave, the employee returns to their job or an equivalent one (pay and qualification). They are entitled to a meeting to request adjusted working hours or rhythm for up to one year. A refusal must be justified, otherwise the employee can claim damages.

If they change employer during the leave, they can continue it with the new employer's agreement (Zukunftskeess FAQ).

Preparing the conversation with your employee

Before the meeting, your employee will want to know what they will receive and when to file their requests. Share the parental leave simulator and calendar with them: they arrive with figures, and the conversation gets easier. For more on benefits, see also the family benefit missing from packages.

Help your team’s families settle in.

The Kawi company plan: the app offered to your employees’ children, so they start Luxembourg school with confidence.

Request the company plan

FAQ

Can an employer refuse parental leave in Luxembourg?+

The first parental leave, requested properly and 2 months before maternity leave, can be neither refused nor postponed. The employer can refuse part-time or split leave, by registered letter within 2 weeks, followed by a meeting.

Can an employer postpone the second parental leave?+

Yes, in specific cases: up to 2 months for disruption or impossible replacement, up to 6 months in a company with fewer than 15 employees, or until the end of a season. It must be notified within 4 weeks, otherwise the leave is accepted automatically.

Who pays the employee during parental leave?+

Full-time, the employer stops paying salary: the allowance comes from the Zukunftskeess. Part-time or split, the employer pays the hours worked and declares them monthly.

What happens when an employee returns from parental leave?+

They return to their job or an equivalent one, and can request adjusted working hours for up to one year in a meeting. A refusal must be justified.

Can you replace an employee on parental leave?+

Yes, with a fixed-term contract starting no earlier than 3 months before the leave and ending no later than 3 months after, in the same role or another.