Paternity pay and leave
Leave
Paternity leave
You can take up to 2 weeks’ leave. You can take both weeks together or take them separately in one-week blocks. You get the same amount of leave even if you have more than one child (for example, twins).
A week of Paternity Leave is the same number of days that you normally work in a week. For example, if you only work on Mondays and Tuesdays, then a week of leave is 2 days.
Your leave cannot start before the birth. It must end within 52 weeks of the baby’s birth (or the due date if the baby is early). The start and end date rules are different if you adopt.
You must tell your employer the baby’s due date at least 15 weeks before the baby is due. And you must give your employer 28 days’ notice if you want to change the date your Paternity Leave starts.
You do not have to give a precise date for your leave. Instead, you can give a general time, such as the day of the birth or one week after.
There are different rules if you live in Northern Ireland.
Shared Parental Leave
You may also be eligible for Shared Parental Leave. You can take Paternity Leave and Shared Parental Leave in any order.
Unpaid Parental Leave
You may also be eligible for 18 weeks Unpaid Parental Leave per child, up to their 18th birthday.
You can take Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave in any order.
Leave for antenatal appointments
You can take unpaid leave to accompany a pregnant woman to 2 antenatal appointments if you’re:
- the baby’s father
- the expectant mother’s spouse or civil partner
- in a long-term relationship with the expectant mother
- the intended parent (if you’re having a baby through a surrogacy arrangement)
You can take up to 6 and a half hours per appointment. Your employer can choose to give you longer.
You can apply for leave immediately if you’re a permanent employee. You’ll need to have been doing a job for 12 weeks before you qualify if you’re an agency worker.
Leave for adoption appointments
You can take unpaid leave to attend 2 adoption appointments after you’ve been matched with a child.
You can take up to 6 and a half hours per appointment. Your employer can choose to give you longer.
You can apply for leave immediately if you’re a permanent employee. You’ll need to have been doing a job for 12 weeks before you qualify if you’re an agency worker.