Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave (2026)

Employees in Great Britain get up to 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave from day one, and since 6 April 2026 statutory paternity leave and unpaid parental leave have also been day-one rights under the Employment Rights Act 2025.

Statutory Maternity Leave: Up to 52 Weeks

Statutory Maternity Leave runs for up to 52 weeks in total: 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) followed by 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave (AML), according to GOV.UK. It is a day-one right, meaning every employee qualifies regardless of how long they have worked for their employer. Maternity leave is about time off work, not pay; Statutory Maternity Pay, where it applies, runs for a shorter maximum of 39 weeks within that 52-week period (see our guide to Statutory Maternity Pay), so the later weeks of Additional Maternity Leave can be unpaid unless the employer offers enhanced contractual pay. An employee is not required to take the full 52 weeks and can return to work earlier, subject to the notice rules GOV.UK sets out. Maternity leave also protects continuity of employment and most other contractual benefits throughout the full 52 weeks. Occupational pension rights are protected during Ordinary Maternity Leave and while the employee is being paid, but in Great Britain the Equality Act 2010 does not require them to keep building up during any unpaid weeks of Additional Maternity Leave.

Our Statutory Maternity Pay calculator estimates SMP across its 39 weeks from your average weekly earnings.

Statutory Paternity Leave: 2 Weeks, Splittable Since 2024, Day-One Since April 2026

Statutory Paternity Leave gives eligible employees 2 weeks of leave to support a partner around the birth or adoption of a child, according to GOV.UK. Since 6 April 2024, under the Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024, those 2 weeks can be taken either as a single block of 1 or 2 weeks or as two separate one-week blocks, and can be taken at any point within 52 weeks of the birth or placement for adoption, rather than only within the first 56 days as before. Before 6 April 2026, paternity leave carried a minimum-service qualifying requirement and could not be taken after a period of Shared Parental Leave; from that date, under the Employment Rights Act 2025, it became a day-one right in Great Britain, and paternity leave and Shared Parental Leave can now be taken in any order. Statutory Paternity Pay is a separate entitlement from the right to leave itself: for 2026 to 2027 the rate is £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings if that is lower, and to get it an employee still needs 26 weeks' continuous employment by the qualifying week (the 15th week before the baby is due) and average earnings of at least £129 a week. The Employment Rights Act 2025 made the leave a day-one right but did not remove these tests for the pay. Paternity leave is separate from, and can be combined with, Shared Parental Leave and any unpaid parental leave the employee is entitled to.

Shared Parental Leave: Splitting Up to 50 Weeks

Shared Parental Leave (SPL) lets eligible parents share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them, once the mother or primary adopter ends, or curtails, their own maternity or adoption leave and pay, according to GOV.UK. The remaining balance of the 52-week maternity leave entitlement, and the 39-week pay entitlement, becomes shared leave and pay that either parent can take, in one continuous block or in separate blocks, and the two parents can be off work at the same time or take turns. Eligibility for SPL depends on both parents separately meeting work and earnings tests, which GOV.UK and ACAS set out in detail. Because SPL is built out of curtailed maternity leave and pay rather than a fresh entitlement, it works as a flexible way of reallocating the maternity entitlement between two parents, not as an additional block of leave on top of it. Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) is paid at the same flat rate as Statutory Paternity Pay: for 2026 to 2027, £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings if that is lower, according to Acas.

Our shared parental leave calculator works out how many weeks of leave and pay you can share after the maternity leave you plan to take, what each parent would be paid, and the date it must all be used by.

Adoption Leave

Statutory Adoption Leave mirrors Statutory Maternity Leave: up to 52 weeks, made up of 26 weeks of Ordinary Adoption Leave and 26 weeks of Additional Adoption Leave, according to GOV.UK. It is a day-one right for the employee who is matched with a child for adoption. Where a couple adopts jointly, only one partner can take adoption leave; the other may instead be able to take paternity leave or Shared Parental Leave. Adoption leave is also available to parents having a child through a surrogacy arrangement who meet the parental order conditions, and to some employees matched with a child for long-term fostering to adopt. As with maternity leave, statutory adoption pay runs for a shorter maximum of 39 weeks within the 52-week leave period.

Unpaid Parental Leave: 18 Weeks Per Child, Day-One Since April 2026

Unpaid Parental Leave lets eligible parents take up to 18 weeks of leave per child, usable up until the child's 18th birthday, according to GOV.UK. It is separate from, and additional to, maternity, paternity and adoption leave, and, as the name suggests, it is unpaid unless an employer chooses to pay it. Before 6 April 2026, an employee needed at least one year's continuous service with their employer to qualify; since that date, under the Employment Rights Act 2025, unpaid parental leave has been a day-one right in Great Britain. Employers can ask for reasonable notice of a parental leave request and, in most cases, can postpone rather than refuse outright a request for business reasons; GOV.UK sets out the notice and postponement rules in full.

Leave Types at a Glance

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has its own maternity, paternity, shared parental and parental leave legislation, administered separately from Great Britain, with broadly the same structure and durations described above. The qualifying rules currently differ: according to nidirect, paternity leave in Northern Ireland still needs 26 weeks' service by the end of the 15th week before the baby is due, must finish within 56 days of the birth and cannot be taken after Shared Parental Leave, and unpaid parental leave still needs one year's continuous service. The April 2024 and April 2026 changes described above apply in Great Britain, so check nidirect.gov.uk before relying on them in Northern Ireland. Leave-related disputes in Northern Ireland, including pregnancy and maternity discrimination claims, go to the Industrial Tribunal, not the Employment Tribunal used in Great Britain. The Fair Employment Tribunal hears only religious belief and political opinion discrimination claims. The Labour Relations Agency (LRA), an advice and conciliation body, takes the place of ACAS.

Related guides

For the full picture of UK employment rights, see our UK employment law hub and United Kingdom laws hub. See also our guides to Statutory Maternity Pay, flexible working requests, and holiday entitlement.

This article is general information only, not legal advice, and does not cover every circumstance. Maternity, paternity, shared parental and unpaid parental leave rules can change and individual situations vary, so for advice about your specific case contact ACAS or a qualified solicitor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much statutory maternity leave am I entitled to?

Up to 52 weeks in total: 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave followed by 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave. It is a day-one right, so there is no minimum length of service required.

How much paternity leave can I take?

2 weeks, taken either as one block of 1 or 2 weeks or as two separate one-week blocks, at any time within 52 weeks of the birth or placement (since 6 April 2024). Since 6 April 2026 it has also been a day-one right in Great Britain under the Employment Rights Act 2025.

Is paternity leave a day-one right?

Yes, in Great Britain. Since 6 April 2026 the Employment Rights Act 2025 has made paternity leave a day-one right, removing the previous minimum-service requirement. Statutory Paternity Pay still has its own service and earnings tests, and Northern Ireland still has a service requirement for the leave.

What is Shared Parental Leave?

Shared Parental Leave lets eligible parents split up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them, once the mother or primary adopter curtails their own maternity or adoption leave and pay.

How much unpaid parental leave can I take?

Up to 18 weeks per child, usable up until the child's 18th birthday. Since 6 April 2026 it has been a day-one right in Great Britain, after the previous one-year service requirement was removed.

Does adoption leave work the same way as maternity leave?

Yes. Statutory Adoption Leave mirrors Statutory Maternity Leave, running for up to 52 weeks and available as a day-one right to one adopter in a couple.

Where can I check the current pay rates for maternity, paternity and shared parental leave?

For 2026 to 2027, Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Shared Parental Pay are both £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings if that is lower, according to GOV.UK and Acas. For Statutory Maternity Pay rates, see our guide to Statutory Maternity Pay.

Does Northern Ireland have the same maternity and parental leave rights?

Not entirely. Northern Ireland has its own leave legislation, and the April 2026 day-one changes are Great Britain changes: nidirect still lists 26 weeks' service for paternity leave and one year's service for unpaid parental leave. Disputes go to the Industrial Tribunal rather than the Employment Tribunal.