What we found
- 13% of firms have some form of clawback or minimum return obligations.
- 29% in professional services, law and consulting reported an obligation. The government reported zero.
- Several firms hold back your leave pay until you come back.
- 24% of employees aren't sure whether an obligation applied to them at all.
1 in 8 corporate employees have strings attached to their parental leave.
13% of firms have some form of clawback or minimum return obligations. 29% in professional services, law and consulting reported an obligation.
The government reported zero. The gap between public and private sector is significant.
The strictest companies require you to return for a set period and repay if you don't.
| Employer | What the policy requires |
|---|---|
| Wotton Kearney | Minimum return period and you must repay paid leave otherwise. |
| Thomson Geer | 20 weeks paid, final 6 only released if you return within 12 months. |
| Onside Law | 38 weeks repayable (100% of parental leave paid). |
It's framed as an incentive. Employees describe it as a ransom.
Several firms hold back your leave pay until you come back.
The worst lived experiences
| Employer | What employees reported |
|---|---|
| Coles | You get 8 of 12 weeks pay. Only once you return do you get the remaining 4. |
| Credit Corp Group | 12 weeks of "full pay" paid as taxable lump-sum bonuses at 3 and 6 months back at work. |
| Betashares | "I was berated and my bonus was impacted for not staying in touch during parental leave." |
| HelloFresh | "Changed policy from full pay to top-up pay while someone was already pregnant. $9,000 out of pocket. No recourse." |
| Findex | "My boss said he made someone redundant because 'we survived without them for a year'." |
| General Mills | "On paper looks great. In reality, role downgrading through loopholes." |
24% of employees aren't sure whether an obligation applied to them at all.
Clawback terms live in policy documents, which means a significant portion of the workforce is making decisions about leave without the full picture.
Source: 2026 Parental Leave Survey, data as at September 2026. Spotted an error? Correct something.
