Shared Parental Leave Calculator (2026)
Shared parental leave lets parents split up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay after a birth. Enter how much maternity leave will be taken and how you want to share the rest to see how many weeks you have, what each of you is paid, and the date it must all be used by. For England, Scotland and Wales.
Mother
Partner
Weekly pay: average gross weekly pay in the 8 weeks up to the 15th week before the due week. Paid weeks are the weeks of shared parental pay each parent claims.
To share between you
40 weeks leave · 27 weeks paid
to be taken by 9 November 2027
Mother's pay
£1,943.20
£194.32 a week
Partner's pay
£3,303.44
£194.32 a week
Where the numbers come from: 52 weeks less the 12 weeks of maternity leave = 40 weeks of leave; 39 weeks less the weeks of maternity pay already paid = 27 weeks of shared parental pay, so 13 weeks of the leave are unpaid.
Pay rate: £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for a parent earning at least £129.00 a week on average. Weeks paid after 5 April 2027 will be at the new rate.
Who can take it: the parent taking leave must be an employee who has worked for their employer for 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the due week (started by 7 February 2026 if this is the due date) and is still employed. The other parent must have worked (employed or self-employed) for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due week, earning at least £30 a week in 13 of them. The mother must be entitled to maternity leave, maternity pay or Maternity Allowance and cut it short, and both parents must share main responsibility for the child. A mother on Maternity Allowance only cannot get shared parental pay herself, though her partner can.
Booking it: give each employer at least 8 weeks' notice. Each parent can usually give up to 3 notices to book or change leave, leave is taken in whole weeks, and both parents can be off at the same time. An employer cannot refuse a single continuous block, but can refuse a pattern of separate blocks; you can then withdraw the request within 15 days, or take the total as one continuous block.
How Shared Parental Leave Works
A mother can end her maternity leave early and turn the rest into shared parental leave that either parent can take. The leave available is 52 weeks less the maternity leave she takes, and the pay available is 39 weeks less the weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay (or Maternity Allowance) she has been paid. She must take at least the first 2 weeks after the birth as maternity leave, which is why the most you can share is 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay.
| Maternity leave and pay taken | Leave to share | Pay to share |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks (the minimum) | 50 weeks | 37 weeks |
| 12 weeks | 40 weeks | 27 weeks (13 weeks unpaid) |
| 20 weeks | 32 weeks | 19 weeks (13 weeks unpaid) |
Shared parental pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower (2026/27). There is no higher rate for the first 6 weeks as there is with maternity pay. All shared parental leave and pay must be taken before the child's first birthday, in whole weeks, and both parents can be off at the same time. Each employer needs at least 8 weeks' notice of each block. An employer cannot refuse a single continuous block of leave but can refuse a pattern of separate blocks; the employee can then withdraw the request within 15 days or take the total as one continuous block. A parent who is a worker but not an employee may get shared parental pay but not shared parental leave.
Who Can Take It
The parent taking shared parental leave must be an employee who has worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the baby is due, and is still working there. For shared parental pay they must also have average earnings of at least £129 a week (£125 if the 15th week before the due week ended before 6 April 2026) over the 8 weeks up to that week. The mother must be entitled to maternity leave, maternity pay or Maternity Allowance and cut it short, and both parents must share main responsibility for the child. The other parent must have worked, as an employee or self-employed, for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due week, earning at least £30 a week in any 13 of those weeks. The gov.uk planner can help map out dates; this calculator shows the weeks and pay with the working. See our guide to maternity, paternity and parental leave and the Statutory Maternity Pay calculator.
The calculator covers birth parents in England, Scotland and Wales. Adoption and surrogacy follow similar rules with different starting points, and Northern Ireland has its own regulations, so check gov.uk or nidirect for those.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many weeks of shared parental leave can we get?
Up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay, shared between you. The exact number is 52 weeks less the maternity leave the mother takes, and 39 weeks less the weeks of maternity pay already paid.
How much is shared parental pay?
£194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for 2026/27. Some employers pay more under their own schemes.
Can we both be off at the same time?
Yes. Both parents can take shared parental leave at the same time, as long as the total stays within the weeks available.
Does this tool store or send my information anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
Checked on 26 September 2026 against the Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014, the Statutory Shared Parental Pay (General) Regulations 2014, the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999 and gov.uk guidance. This is general information, not legal advice; each employer confirms eligibility and pay.
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