New Entitlement Update! Female Employees Can Take 120 Days of Maternity Leave — Plus Professional HR Guidelines for Managing Leave

Starting December 7, 2025, good news for all female employees — the new labour law has been promulgated, increasing maternity leave from 98 days to 120 days. The goal is to enhance quality of life for mothers and infants, and to give employees appropriate time to recover and care for their child.

It’s not only employees who benefit. HR must also be ready to manage leave data, payroll calculations, and workforce planning smoothly — especially with a new law that directly affects leave entitlements.

Maternity Leave for Female Employees

• Up to 120 days of maternity leave per pregnancy (previously 98).
• At least 60 days of paid leave (previously 45).
  

If there are health complications (e.g., risky conditions or miscarriage), an additional 15 days may be taken with 50% pay.

Spouse-Assistance Leave

• Employees (male or female) are entitled to up to 15 working days of paid leave from the employer to assist a spouse who has given birth.
  

These entitlements reflect a modern approach that values work-life balance and a family-friendly workplace, which should be prioritized alongside performance.

Changes to maternity and other leave entitlements can be challenging for HR, which must keep systems updated: counting leave days accurately, calculating pay correctly, and planning staffing without disruption.

If your organization still uses paper forms or Excel to manage leave, errors are likely — such as exceeding entitlements, missing records, or miscalculating payroll against legal rules. That’s why an HR system with automatic leave tracking is the answer for accurate, transparent management.

One solution that simplifies leave management is Totem Leave from Sprout Solutions Thailand — a comprehensive assistant for HR that’s designed for ease of use on both web and mobile.

Because Totem Leave is cloud-based, there’s no server installation. It’s accessible anytime, anywhere, and supports multi-site organizations and remote work with flexibility.

Key features of Totem Leave include:

• Carry forward unused leave to the next year
• One-click approvals for all leave requests
• Immigration reporting reminders
• Unlimited leave policy types
• Automatic pro-rated accrual
• Customizable reports
• Full-day, half-day, or hourly leave options

The system also fully supports Thai labour law — including 120 days of maternity leave and 15 days of spouse-assistance leave — so HR doesn’t have to calculate entitlements manually, significantly reducing paperwork.

Totem Leave integrates with your HR payroll program so the system calculates pay according to leave entitlements automatically. For example:

• If a female employee takes 120 days of maternity leave, the system pays 60 days at full pay, and treats the remaining 60 days accordingly (unpaid as per policy).
• If an employee takes 15 days of spouse-assistance leave, the system records it without deducting from annual vacation.

This connection between leave tracking and payroll helps HR reduce duplicate paperwork and prevent errors in payroll, tax, and social security, while giving employees confidence that their entitlements are accurate and transparent.

A leave-tracking system isn’t just a log — it’s the heart of modern people operations, giving a balanced view of work and rest that improves:

• Employee satisfaction: staff feel entitlements are fair
• Workforce planning: HR can schedule staffing appropriately
• Compliance: the organization maintains full legal adherence

Totem Leave is more than a leave tool — it’s an HR co-pilot that helps organizations work smarter, stay compliant, and create a better experience for both employees and HR every working day.

Learn more at Sprout Solutions Thailand. Try Totem Leave free for 14 days — the automated leave-management system for modern organizations.

The year 2025 is a turning point for HR in Thailand: maternity leave rises to 120 days, helping advance quality of life and workplace equality. Organizations that adapt quickly with HR systems featuring leave tracking and integrated HR payroll will manage entitlements accurately, reduce paperwork, and improve long-term employee satisfaction.

Because structured leave management is the foundation of people-first organizations ready for sustainable growth.
You can try Totem Leave or consult the Sprout team here.

Published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette on 7 December 2025, the Labour Protection Act (No. 9) takes effect, granting up to 120 days of maternity leave for female employees and 15 days of spouse-assistance leave. For more details, please see the Royal Thai Government Gazette.

Source: Royal Thai Government Gazette