Parental leave rights in the UK

This page is a plain-English walk-through, sourced from GOV.UK. Every rate, week count, and rule comes from official government guidance — we update it regularly to reflect rule changes. See the sources section for the full list.

Overview

Eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave and receive up to 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). For the first 6 weeks, SMP is 90% of your average weekly earnings. For the next 33 weeks it’s the lower of £194.32 or 90% of your average weekly earnings (rate from 6 April 2026).

How the 52 weeks split

Statutory Maternity Leave (SML) is made up of two parts:

• Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) — the first 26 weeks. You return to your same job.
• Additional Maternity Leave (AML) — the next 26 weeks. You return to the same job, or — if not reasonably practicable — a suitable similar role on the same terms.

You don’t have to take the full 52 weeks, but you must take at least 2 weeks off after the birth (4 weeks if you work in a factory).

How much you’ll get paid

SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks:

• Weeks 1–6: 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax)
• Weeks 7–39: the lower of £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings

Tax and National Insurance are deducted. The statutory rate normally changes each April.

When leave can start

The earliest you can start your leave is 11 weeks before your due date. Leave will start automatically the day after the birth, or if you’re off work with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the due date.

Time off for antenatal appointments

You’re entitled to paid time off for antenatal appointments. This includes any appointment recommended by a doctor or midwife — including antenatal or parenting classes. Your partner can take unpaid time off to attend up to two appointments.

Who’s eligible

You can take Statutory Paternity Leave and Pay if you’re an employee and you’re one of the following:

• The biological father of the child
• The husband, civil partner, or partner of the birth mother or adopter (including same-sex partners)
• The adopter of the child
• The intended parent if the baby is being born through a surrogacy arrangement

Eligibility criteria

• You must be an employee
• You must have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks up to any day in the qualifying week (the 15th week before the due date)
• Your average weekly earnings must be at least £129 for Statutory Paternity Pay
• You must still be employed up to the date of the birth

Notice you need to give

You must give your employer notice by the qualifying week that you intend to take paternity leave. For each individual block of leave, you then need to give at least 28 days’ notice of when you want it to start. You can change the dates if you give 28 days’ notice.

Overview

Eligible adopters can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Adoption Leave and receive up to 39 weeks of Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP). The pay structure mirrors SMP: 90% of average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then the lower of £194.32 or 90% for the remaining 33 weeks. Only one person in a couple can take Adoption Leave — the other can take Paternity Leave.

How the 52 weeks split

• Ordinary Adoption Leave (OAL) — the first 26 weeks
• Additional Adoption Leave (AAL) — the next 26 weeks

Adoption Leave can start up to 14 days before the expected placement date (or when the child arrives, for overseas adoption).

Who’s eligible

You must be an employee and have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks before being matched with a child to qualify for Statutory Adoption Pay. You must give your employer the correct notice (28 days), provide proof of the adoption, and earn at least £129 a week on average.

Time off for adoption appointments

Once you’ve been matched, the main adopter can take paid time off for up to 5 adoption appointments. The second adopter can take unpaid time off for up to 2 appointments.

Surrogacy and overseas adoption

Intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement and parents adopting from overseas have similar rights, with specific eligibility rules. See the GOV.UK guide to Adoption Pay and Leave for the detail.

Who’s not covered

Statutory Adoption Leave and Pay don’t apply if you’re arranging a private adoption, becoming a special guardian or kinship carer, adopting a stepchild, or adopting a family member.

Overview

Eligible parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) between them in the first year after the birth or adoption. The birth parent (or main adopter) ends their maternity or adoption leave early to “convert” the remaining weeks into shared parental leave for either or both of them to take. ShPP is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.

How it works

Shared Parental Leave (SPL) gives you huge flexibility:

• You can take leave at the same time as your partner or stagger it
• You can take it as one block, or split into up to three separate blocks each
• You can return to work between blocks
• The 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay are shared — they’re not additional to maternity leave/pay

Who can use Shared Parental Leave

To use SPL, both parents need to meet eligibility tests. The birth parent (or main adopter) must:

• Be entitled to Statutory Maternity Leave or Adoption Leave
• Have curtailed their maternity/adoption leave (or pay) before the SPL starts

The other parent must:

• Have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks by the qualifying week
• Pass the “employment and earnings test” (working for 26 of the 66 weeks before the due date, earning an average of £30+ a week)

SPLIT days

Each parent can do up to 20 Shared Parental Leave In Touch (SPLIT) days of work without ending their leave — on top of the 10 Keeping in Touch days for the maternity/adoption period.

How it works

• Each parent gets 18 weeks per child, taken in blocks of one week or more (unless the child is disabled, in which case days are permitted)
• You can take a maximum of 4 weeks per year per child
• You must give your employer 21 days’ written notice before the start date
• It’s an individual right — you can’t transfer your unused weeks to your partner

What you can use it for

The leave is intended for genuine parenting purposes — caring for your child, looking at new schools, spending time with family, settling a child into childcare. Your employer can postpone (but not refuse) leave by up to 6 months on business grounds, except for time taken right after the birth or adoption.

A series of reforms between 2024 and 2026 expanded UK parental rights significantly. Here’s a quick guide to the newer entitlements.

Neonatal Care Leave and Pay (in force from 6 April 2025)

If your baby is admitted to neonatal care as a neonate (28 days old or younger) for 7 or more continuous days, eligible parents can take up to 12 weeks of Neonatal Care Leave — one week for every 7 continuous days of care, up to the 12-week maximum.

• This is on top of your maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave
• The leave is a day-one right; Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (£194.32 or 90% AWE, whichever is lower) needs 26 weeks’ service and earnings of at least £129/week
• Must be taken within 68 weeks of your baby’s birth

Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave (Jack’s Law)

If your child under 18 dies, or you suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy, you can take 2 weeks of paid bereavement leave. The leave is a day-one right. Pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower — and requires 26 weeks’ continuous service. You have 56 weeks from the date of death to take it.

Carer’s Leave (in force from 6 April 2024)

If you care for a dependant with a long-term care need, you can take up to 1 week of unpaid Carer’s Leave every 12 months. It’s a day-one right available to all employees. You can take it as half-days, full days, or a single block.

Flexible Working — now a day-one right (from 6 April 2024)

Employees no longer need 26 weeks of service to request flexible working — it’s a day-one right. You can make up to 2 statutory requests per year. Your employer must consult with you and respond within 2 months. They can only refuse on specific business grounds set out in the legislation.

Protection from redundancy during and after parental leave

Since April 2024, employees on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave have extended protection from redundancy — from the day they tell their employer they’re pregnant, through their leave, and for 18 months after the birth. If their role is at risk, they must be offered any suitable alternative vacancy ahead of other employees.

Maternity Allowance (for those not eligible for SMP)

If you don’t qualify for SMP — usually because you’re self-employed, recently changed jobs, or earn below the Lower Earnings Limit — you may get Maternity Allowance from the DWP. It’s paid for up to 39 weeks at £194.32 a week if you meet the standard self-employed criteria, or between £27 and £194.32 depending on your Class 2 National Insurance contributions.

Overview

UK statutory pay is among the lower-paid parental schemes in the OECD — particularly outside the first 6 weeks. Many employers go significantly beyond statutory minimums with enhanced parental leave policies. This is often the biggest variable between workplaces, so it’s worth comparing before you accept a role.

How employer pay stacks with statutory pay

You can usually receive both statutory pay and your employer’s enhanced pay. How they interact depends on your employer’s policy:

• Full pay top-up. Your employer tops up your statutory pay to your full salary for an agreed period (e.g. 16 or 26 weeks full pay)
• Enhanced fixed weeks. A set number of weeks at full or part pay (e.g. 6 weeks full pay, 20 weeks half pay)
• Equal partner leave. Same paid leave regardless of which parent is the primary carer

Always read the wording carefully and confirm with HR or payroll before you take leave.

Common policy conditions

• A minimum service period (often 26 weeks or 1 year)
• A return-to-work commitment (frequently 6 months back)
• Repayment clauses if you don’t return for the agreed period
• Pension contributions during the paid period

09 — On top of the basics

Glossary of UK parental leave terms

Statutory parental leave has its own vocabulary — qualifying weeks, MATB1s, ShPP, LEL. Here’s what the key terms actually mean.

11 — Where this info comes from

Sources and last reviewed date

All rates and rules on this page are sourced from GOV.UK. Information is current as of 13 May 2026. Statutory rates change each April — always confirm specific amounts directly with the source.