Adoption Leave
- Adoption leave can be taken by one person from a couple adopting a child on or before the first day of placement begins.
- The leave is to a maximum of 52 weeks, made up of 26 weeks Ordinary Adoption Leave and 26 weeks Additional Adoption Leave.
- Statutory Adoption Pay is paid at the same level as Statutory Maternity Pay.
- gov.uk: Adoption pay and leave overview
Bereaved Partners Paternity Leave
- Introduced in April 2026
- Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave gives employed, bereaved fathers and partners, a day-one right to extended paternity leave in the first year of a child’s life if they are in the tragic circumstances of losing the child’s mother or primary adopter.
- Entitled to up to 52 weeks of leave, dependent on the date of the bereavement. Leave can last until the child's first birthday.
- No statutory entitlement to pay
- gov.uk: Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave overview
Carer's Leave
- Carers leave is a statutory entitlement allowing employees to take up to one week off work every 12 months to provide or arrange care for a dependant with long-term needs.
- Employers are entitled to carers leave from their first day of employment.
- The one week of leave can either be taken in a whole week or taking individual days or half days throughout the year.
- gov.uk: Unpaid carer’s leave
Maternity Leave
- Maternity Leave is taken by pregnant women around the time they have a baby. No length of service is required for maternity leave.
- Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks made up of 26 weeks Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave.
- The employee should notify you of their due date formally via a form issued by their doctor or midwife called a MATB1 form. This is usually provided after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
- Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid for a maximum of 39 weeks, which includes 6 weeks at 90% and 33 weeks at the current rate of SMP.
- Before maternity leave, pregnant women are also entitled to take leave to attend antenatal appointments.
- gov.uk: Maternity pay and leave pay
Neonatal Care Leave
- Neonatal Care Leave is a day one right and can be taken by employees whose baby enters neonatal care for seven consecutive days or more within the first 28 days of life.
- Neonatal pay is paid at the statutory rate. The employee must have been employed continuously by the employer for a least 26 weeks up to the qualifying week (the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth).
- Where neonatal care leave and pay applies, parents can take up to 12 weeks of leave and pay. This is until 68 weeks after birth.
- gov.uk: Neonatal Care Pay and Leave overview
Parental Leave
- Parental Leave is unpaid leave which can be taken to care for a child under the age of 18.
- It can be taken in one-week blocks by employees who are the natural or adoptive parents, or who have formal parenting responsibility for a child with extra care demands.
- Both parents can take leave in respect of the same child, There is no qualifying period and can be taken from day one of employment (from 06 April 2026).
- The entitlement for leave is 18 weeks in total, four weeks in any one year, per child.
- Employees are expected to give 21 days' notice of their request to take parental leave.
- gov.uk: Unpaid parental leave overview
Parental Bereavement Leave
- Parental Bereavement Leave is given to employees who lose a child under the age of 18, or who suffer a stillbirth from the 24th week of pregnancy.
- The leave is two weeks for employees who have 26 weeks service, paid at the statutory entitlement rate.
- Parental Bereavement Leave can be taken as a two-week block or two individual weks within 56 days of the bereavement.
- gov.uk: Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave overview
Paternity Leave
- Paternity Leave can be taken by an employee who has responsibility for a baby, alongside the mother (for example the biological father or the partner of the biological mother).
- Statutory paternity leave lasts for up to two weeks. This can be taken in one continuous block or can be taken in two seperate blocks of a week. Leave is to be taken in the 12 months of birth or placement.
- Paternity leave can also be taken by those adopting. There is no qualifying period for paternity leave and can be taken from day one of employment (from 06 April 2026).
- An employee taking paternity leave is entitled to Statutory Paternity Pay which is set at the same level as Statutory Maternity Pay.
- gov.uk: Paternity pay and leave overview
Shared Parental Leave
- Shared Parental Leave (SPL) can be taken by an employee who is eligible for either maternity or adoption leave to end their leave early and share the remainder of the time allowed with their partner, up to the maximum of 52 weeks.
- The couple is entitled to 39 weeks of Shared Parental Pay (SPP)
- An employee must give at least eight weeks' notice of their intention to take (SPL)
- gov.uk: Shared Parental Leave and Pay: How it works
Time off for Dependents
- Unpaid time off to deal with an emergency relating to a dependent. This can include a spouse, child, parent or someone living in the same household who is dependent on the employee.
- There is no qualiying service for this right, and no limit on the time than can be taken, although is should just be to deal with the emergency situation and make arrangements for cover.
- gov.uk: Time off for family and dependants: Your rights
Please see the family friendly leave statutory entitlement table which summarises each leave including notice periods, durations of leave and any statutory pay.