Maternity Protection Act meets SAP HCM – these are the current requirements
New Maternity Protection Deadlines from June 2025: What Companies Need to Know Now
With the amendment of the Maternity Protection Act in the case of miscarriage, which came into effect on June 1, 2025, important changes arise for HR administration. In particular, companies using SAP® HCM face specific adjustments in system configuration and processes. This article explains the new regulations and how to implement them correctly in SAP®.
What is changing in the Maternity Protection Act?
On February 14, 2025, the Bundesrat approved the draft law to amend the Maternity Protection Act. The most important change concerns maternity protection periods following a miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy.
Overview of the new staggered protection periods:
Previously, affected women were only protected from dismissal for four months following a miscarriage from the 12th week of pregnancy. However, maternity protection periods were not granted. This now changes fundamentally, as of June 1, 2025:
- Miscarriage from the 13th week: up to 2 weeks of maternity protection
- Miscarriage from the 17th week: up to 6 weeks of maternity protection
- Fehlgeburt ab der 20. Woche: bis zu 8 Wochen Mutterschutz
During these protection periods, employers are generally not allowed to have the affected women work. An exception applies only if the woman explicitly agrees to work.
What does this mean for HR administration?
The new regulations have direct impacts on various HR processes:
Documentation and record-keeping
- Recording the stage of pregnancy in the case of miscarriages
- Documentation of the corresponding protection periods
- Management of possible employee exception declarations
Continued payment of wages and payroll processing
- Calculation of maternity pay entitlements according to the new periods
- Correct assignment to the different wage types
- Coordination with health insurance providers regarding reimbursement claims
Working hours and attendance management
- Blocking of working hours during the protection periods
- Consideration in vacation planning and capacity planning
SAP® HCM: What needs to be maintained and where?
To correctly implement the new maternity protection regulations in SAP® HCM, the following adjustments are required:
In infotype IT0080, maternity leave, parental leave, and the type of birth are recorded. Based on this information, the system automatically calculates the corresponding periods.
In the event of a miscarriage, the type of birth is also selected in IT0080, and the actual date of delivery is entered.
Then, via >> Edit → Recalculate Absence << the maternity protection period can be automatically recalculated—based on the entered date of delivery in combination with the selected type of birth.
This means that data entry is already fully completed. No additional manual entries in other infotypes are necessary—the central maintenance via IT0080 is sufficient.
Do you need support in implementing the new maternity protection regulations in your SAP HCM system? As experienced SAP HCM consultants, we are happy to assist you at any time.
