Parental Leave Budget Planner

Who this is for

Know the gap before the leave starts. Each month of leave gets a line for what each parent will be paid and what the household, the baby and childcare will cost, and the sheet works out the shortfall and the savings it will use.

Expectant and adoptive parents planning time off work, couples deciding how to share leave, and single parents working out how long their savings need to last.

What this helps you track

• Each parent's leave in stages, from full pay to unpaid, with dates
• Month by month income from pay, state payments and anything else
• Household, new baby and childcare costs for each month
• The shortfall or surplus each month and the savings it draws on
• Questions to settle with each employer before the leave begins

How to use it

1. Write both parents' names, the due or placement date and the savings set aside for the leave at the top.
2. On the second page, list each parent's leave stages with dates and the monthly pay you have been told, in writing where possible.
3. On the first page, give each month of the leave a line: what each parent will receive, other income, and what the month will cost.
4. Add childcare from the month someone goes back to work, and baby costs in the months you expect them to fall.
5. The surplus, the amount from savings and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add across and subtract.
6. Work through the questions with each employer and update the figures as the answers come in.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Does the planner know what parental leave pay I am entitled to?

No. Leave and pay rules differ by country and employer and change over time, so the sheet carries no rates or lengths. Enter what your employer and the paying body confirm, and check the rules where you are.

Why plan month by month instead of for the whole leave?

Pay usually changes in stages, and costs such as childcare start part way through. A month-by-month view shows when the money runs short, not just whether it does, so savings can be kept for the right months.

What goes in other income?

Anything else arriving in that month: state payments, family allowances, other earnings, rent from a lodger or regular help from family. Write only amounts you expect with some confidence.

How is this different from the baby expenses tracker?

The baby expenses tracker records what you actually spend on the baby, item by item. This planner looks ahead at the whole household's income and costs during the leave, using monthly estimates.