Paternity Leave
In order to qualify for paternity leave, you must give written
notice to your employer at least 14 weeks before the beginning of the
week when the baby is due. If you are adopting a child, then you will
need to inform your employer within seven days of being told by the adoption
agency that you have been matched with a child.
Once you have informed your employer, you will then need
to tell them:
- when the baby is due or when the child is expected to be placed with
you for adoption - whether you want one or two weeks’ leave
- when you want the leave to start
Statutory Paternity Pay
To be eligible for Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), all of
the following must apply:
- you must be the biological father or adopter of the child or be the
mother’s (or adopter’s) husband, partner or civil partner, or have (or
expect to have) responsibility for the child’s upbringing - you must have worked continually for the same employer, without a
break, for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the baby is due,
or employed up to and including the week the child was matched through
adoption - you must continue to work for that employer without a break up to
the date the child is born or placed for adoption - have an average earning of at least £90 a week (before tax)
You must give your employer 28 days’ notice of the date
on which you want your Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) to start. Providing
your average weekly earnings are £90 or more, then you are entitled to
SPP at £117.18 a week, or 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings
if this is less. If you have more than one job, then you may be able to
get SPP from each employer.
Statutory Paternity Pay will be paid for one or two consecutive
weeks, and will be paid by your employer at the same time as your normal
wages. As SPP is treated as normal pay, tax and National Insurance will
be deducted. You can choose when to start getting your Statutory Paternity
Pay.
Paternity pay can start on any day of the week, providing
it is:
- within eight weeks of the actual date of birth (or eight weeks after
the expected date of birth if the baby is born early) - from the date of the child’s placement, but must be completed within
eight weeks of the date of placement
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