The Darmstadt Regional Council is simplifying the legally required reporting of pregnant and breastfeeding employees
Employers in southern Hesse can now more easily report the employment of pregnant or breastfeeding women online. The Darmstadt Regional Council (RP Darmstadt) points to a revised version of the digital notification procedure, which has been available since the end of September 2026. The new version 2.0 is intended to simplify the reporting process and reduce administrative effort.
According to the Maternity Protection Act, employers are obligated to immediately notify the responsible occupational health and safety authority of the employment of a pregnant or breastfeeding woman as soon as they are informed of the pregnancy or breastfeeding period. For workplaces in southern Hesse, the Darmstadt Regional Council is responsible.
Fewer questions and a new upload function
According to the regional government, the revised online procedure takes into account feedback and requirements from previous users. The aim is to make the legally required notification faster and clearer.
A key innovation is the dynamically adapted questions. This means employers only need to provide the information relevant to the specific case.
Furthermore, risk assessments can now be uploaded directly via the online form for the first time. This allows the required documents to be submitted in one go, eliminating the need for a separate submission channel.
A further simplification concerns the responsibility: Based on the specified place of employment, the system automatically determines which of the Hessian regional councils is responsible for the notification.
Reporting obligation under the Maternity Protection Act
The obligation to notify arises from Section 27 Paragraph 1 of the Maternity Protection Act. It applies to employers as soon as an employee has informed them of her pregnancy or breastfeeding.
In Hesse, the regional councils (Regierungspräsidien) assume the responsibilities of the relevant occupational safety and health authorities. They monitor compliance with legal requirements for the protection of pregnant and breastfeeding employees.
The new online procedure is intended to simplify both the reporting process by employers and the processing by the authorities.
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The digital process is available to employers in Hesse. The responsible authority is automatically assigned based on the place of employment.
The most important information
- Procedure: Maternity Protection Notification, Version 2.0
- Available since: End of September 2026
- Target group: Employers with pregnant or breastfeeding employees
- Legal basis: Section 27 Paragraph 1 of the Maternity Protection Act
- The responsible authority in southern Hesse is the Darmstadt Regional Council
- New features: Dynamic questions, upload of risk assessments and automatic assignment of the responsible authority
- Online form: Access maternity leave notification directly
(DARMSTADT – RED/RPDA)
