Parental leave in United Kingdom (2026)

Last reviewed: 7 November 2026

In short: Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks, with Statutory Maternity Pay for up to 39 weeks. Paternity Leave is 2 weeks, and parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave. Pregnant employees have extra protection against dismissal and redundancy.

RuleWhat applies
Maternity leaveTaking parental leave; Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks: 26 weeks Ordinary and 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave. An employee must take at least 2 weeks after the baby is born (4 weeks in a factory). The earliest start is usually 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. The leave is for employees, not 'workers', and length of service does not matter. [1]
Paternity leaveTaking parental leave; Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)Up to 2 weeks of Paternity Leave, taken as one block or as separate one-week blocks. The leave cannot start before the birth and must end within 52 weeks of the birth (or the due date if the baby is early). It is the same 2 weeks for twins. An employee qualifies from the first day of employment and must tell the employer the due date at least 15 weeks before the baby is due. [2]
Parental leaveTaking parental leave; Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)Parents can share up to 50 weeks of Shared Parental Leave (and up to 37 weeks of pay) in the first year after the child is born or placed. Employees can also take unpaid Parental Leave of 18 weeks for each child up to the child's 18th birthday, with a limit of 4 weeks a year for each child unless the employer agrees otherwise. [3]
Pay during leaveTaking parental leave; Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)Statutory Maternity Pay is paid for up to 39 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then GBP 194.32 or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for 33 weeks. Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Shared Parental Pay are GBP 194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Unpaid Parental Leave is unpaid. Pay needs average earnings of at least GBP 129 a week, and for Maternity Pay 26 weeks of continuous work for the employer up to the qualifying week. [4]
Job protectionTaking parental leave; Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)Employment rights are protected during Statutory Maternity Leave, including pay rises, holiday build-up and the right to return to work. Pregnant employees are protected against unfair treatment, discrimination and dismissal. If selected for redundancy they have the right to be offered a suitable alternative job if one is available, from the date they tell the employer they are pregnant until up to 18 months after the birth. Employment rights, including holidays and returning to a job, are also protected during unpaid Parental Leave. [5]

Notes

  • These are the GOV.UK rules. GOV.UK says different rules apply in Northern Ireland (paternity page); the other pages were not checked for Northern Ireland.

Sources

  1. Department for Business and Trade / HMRC (GOV.UK): Maternity pay and leave: Leave - GOV.UK (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources
  2. Department for Business and Trade / HMRC (GOV.UK): Paternity pay and leave: Leave - GOV.UK (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources
  3. Department for Business and Trade / HMRC (GOV.UK): Shared Parental Leave and Pay: How it works - GOV.UK (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources
  4. Department for Business and Trade / HMRC (GOV.UK): Maternity pay and leave: Pay - GOV.UK (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources
  5. Department for Business and Trade / HMRC (GOV.UK): Pregnant employees' rights - GOV.UK (consulted 7 November 2026) · all sources

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General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official source before you fly or ride.