Family Responsibilities
Paternity Leave
Eligible fathers (continuously employed for a period of at least 26 weeks ending with the week immediately preceding the 14th week before the expected date of delivery) are entitled to one or two weeks' paternity leave to be taken within the 56 days of the child's birth and paid at the statutory paternity pay rate of £187.18 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for 2025/26. This rate is reviewed annually. Some employers offer enhanced contractual paternity pay. A right to additional paternity leave gives fathers whose partners have returned to work the right to take between two and 26 weeks' extra leave before a child's first birthday. The father may be entitled to take the balance of the mother's Statutory Maternity Pay entitlement. If a worker is taking paternity leave for a birth, the leave can start either on the day the baby is born or on a date that has been agreed in advance with the employer. Paternity leave cannot start before the baby is born, and if the worker agrees on a date later than the birth of the baby, the paternity leave must be completed within 56 days of the birth. From April 2026, statutory paternity leave will become a day-one right, so employees will no longer need 26 weeks’ service to qualify.
The current law already allows eligible fathers or partners to take one or two weeks of paternity leave, and since March 2024, the two weeks may be taken together or separately within 52 weeks of birth or placement. The pay rules are separate from the leave rules. From 6 April 2026, paternity leave and unpaid parental leave become “day one” rights under the Employment Rights Act 2025. However, the service and earnings conditions for Statutory Paternity Pay are not being removed by the April 2026 reform. For 2026/27, the weekly rate of Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
Source: §80A & 80AA of ERA; §45 of the Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014
Parental Leave
People who have worked for their employer for one year have the right to unpaid parental leave. Workers are entitled to 18 weeks' unpaid leave before the child is five or before 18 years of age if the child is disabled. The employee who is absent on parental leave is entitled to the benefit of the terms and conditions of employment which would have applied if he had not been absent, including seniority, pension rights and similar rights. For each adopted child, the unpaid parental leave is allowed up to the child’s 18th birthday or 5th anniversary of his/her adoption, whichever comes first.
Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, applicable from 2020, grants employed parents a right to two weeks' paid leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Parents are also eligible for statutory parental bereavement pay after fulfilling eligibility criteria (similar to those for paternity pay).
The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 provides parents with a right to 12 weeks’ leave and pay when a baby requires neonatal care in addition to existing parental leave entitlements, i.e., maternity leave, paternity leave and parental leave. The Act shall come into force by April 2025.
Under the 2023 Act, parents will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave and a minimum entitlement of one week if their baby needs neonatal care.
Neonatal Care Leave, available from April 2025, will be a day one right and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or more.
In order to qualify for Neonatal Care Pay (NCP), the employee will be required to be employed for a minimum of 26 weeks prior to the leave being requested and earnings on average of at least £123 a week. The Neonatal care leave must be taken in the first 68 weeks of the baby’s birth. From April 2026, parental leave also becomes a day-one right, removing the current one-year qualifying period. In addition, the rule that prevents taking paternity leave after shared parental leave will be removed, so paternity leave can still be taken even if shared parental leave has been used.
Source: §76-77 of ERA; The Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations; Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018; Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023; §15, 16, 17 of the Employment Rights Act, 2025
Flexible Work Option for Parents / Work-Life Balance
Since 6 April 2024, the statutory right to request flexible working applies from day one of employment. Employees may make up to two statutory requests in a 12-month period, the employer must consult before refusing unless the request is fully accepted, and the decision period (including any appeal) is generally two months unless an extension is agreed. Flexible working remains a right to request, not an automatic right to work flexibly.
Previously, employees with at least 26 weeks' service were entitled to request flexible working to allow them to care for child or adult dependents. They have the right to ask for flexible working if their child is under 17 or if their child is under 18 and disabled. There is a specific procedure which the employer must follow when dealing with such a request. The right to flexible working time is not a statutory right and may or may not be granted. The employer could also face a penalty and indirect discrimination claims if a request is refused.
In more recent times, the right to request flexible working that was previously confined to those employees with caring responsibilities has now been amended and extends to all workers. Rules have also been created with regard to the length of the service requirement, how to make an application and the remedies available (Flexible Working Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1398). All employees have the legal right to request flexible work arrangements starting from their first day of employment, which must be dated in writing. If the employer rejects such an application on such a ground not specified in law (Section 80G of the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides the criteria for rejecting), the employee may make a complaint to the employment tribunal, which may award the employee a maximum of 8 weeks’ pay if it finds that the complaint is well-founded. For this purpose, a week's pay will be calculated in accordance with the criteria already provided in law. (Regulation No.6). A week’s pay is subject to a maximum limit as set out in section 227 of the Act of 1996.
This is also further supplemented by the Children and Families Act 2014, which also extends the right to request flexible working to all employees with at least 26 weeks' continuous service. The new duty will require employers to deal with requests in a reasonable manner within a three-month decision period.
Source: §80(F-H) of Employment Rights Act 1996; The Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints and Remedies) Regulations 2002
Special Leaves
Employees continue to have a statutory right to unpaid time off for dependants’ emergencies under section 57A of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Carer’s Leave came into force on 6 April 2024. It is a day-one right for employees to take up to one week of unpaid leave in each rolling 12-month period to give or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. The leave can be taken in half-days, individual days or a block of up to one week. Employees performing qualifying public duties are entitled to reasonable time off. Separate rights also exist in relation to trade union duties and training, health and safety representatives, and Reserve Forces mobilisation. A qualifying father or partner has a right to unpaid time off for up to two antenatal appointments, each lasting up to 6.5 hours. By contrast, the primary adopter may take paid time off for up to five adoption appointments; a joint adopter who is not the primary adopter has a right to unpaid time off for up to two adoption appointments. Neonatal Care Leave and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay took effect for babies born on or after 6 April 2025. Where the baby receives at least seven continuous full days of neonatal care beginning within 28 days of birth, eligible parents can accrue up to 12 weeks of leave and, where eligible, statutory pay. Parental Bereavement Leave remains available for up to two weeks following the death of a child. In addition, from 6 April 2026, bereaved partners’ paternity leave is due to take effect, enabling a bereaved father or partner to take up to 52 weeks of paternity leave where the mother or primary adopter dies within the first year after birth or placement.
Source: §50, 52, 57A, 63D, 57ZE & 57ZJof the Employment Rights Act 1996; The Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020; 168 & 169 of Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 Under applicable UK regulations; 7 of the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996;52 of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985; Chap. 5 of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023; Carer’s Leave Act 2023
Regulations on Family Responsibilities
- Employment Rights Act (ERA), 1996 last amended in 2012
- The Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002
Paternity Leave
Eligible fathers (continuously employed for a period of at least 26 weeks ending with the week immediately preceding the 14th week before the expected date of delivery) are entitled to one or two weeks' paternity leave to be taken within the 56 days of the child's birth and paid at the statutory paternity pay rate of £187.18 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for 2025/26. This rate is reviewed annually. Some employers offer enhanced contractual paternity pay. A right to additional paternity leave gives fathers whose partners have returned to work the right to take between two and 26 weeks' extra leave before a child's first birthday. The father may be entitled to take the balance of the mother's Statutory Maternity Pay entitlement. If a worker is taking paternity leave for a birth, the leave can start either on the day the baby is born or on a date that has been agreed in advance with the employer. Paternity leave cannot start before the baby is born, and if the worker agrees on a date later than the birth of the baby, the paternity leave must be completed within 56 days of the birth. From April 2026, statutory paternity leave will become a day-one right, so employees will no longer need 26 weeks’ service to qualify.
The current law already allows eligible fathers or partners to take one or two weeks of paternity leave, and since March 2024, the two weeks may be taken together or separately within 52 weeks of birth or placement. The pay rules are separate from the leave rules. From 6 April 2026, paternity leave and unpaid parental leave become “day one” rights under the Employment Rights Act 2025. However, the service and earnings conditions for Statutory Paternity Pay are not being removed by the April 2026 reform. For 2026/27, the weekly rate of Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
Source: §80A & 80AA of ERA; §45 of the Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014
Parental Leave
People who have worked for their employer for one year have the right to unpaid parental leave. Workers are entitled to 18 weeks' unpaid leave before the child is five or before 18 years of age if the child is disabled. The employee who is absent on parental leave is entitled to the benefit of the terms and conditions of employment which would have applied if he had not been absent, including seniority, pension rights and similar rights. For each adopted child, the unpaid parental leave is allowed up to the child’s 18th birthday or 5th anniversary of his/her adoption, whichever comes first.
Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018, applicable from 2020, grants employed parents a right to two weeks' paid leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Parents are also eligible for statutory parental bereavement pay after fulfilling eligibility criteria (similar to those for paternity pay).
The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 provides parents with a right to 12 weeks’ leave and pay when a baby requires neonatal care in addition to existing parental leave entitlements, i.e., maternity leave, paternity leave and parental leave. The Act shall come into force by April 2025.
Under the 2023 Act, parents will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave and a minimum entitlement of one week if their baby needs neonatal care.
Neonatal Care Leave, available from April 2025, will be a day one right and will apply to parents of babies who are admitted into hospital up to the age of 28 days, and who have a continuous stay in hospital of 7 full days or more.
In order to qualify for Neonatal Care Pay (NCP), the employee will be required to be employed for a minimum of 26 weeks prior to the leave being requested and earnings on average of at least £123 a week. The Neonatal care leave must be taken in the first 68 weeks of the baby’s birth. From April 2026, parental leave also becomes a day-one right, removing the current one-year qualifying period. In addition, the rule that prevents taking paternity leave after shared parental leave will be removed, so paternity leave can still be taken even if shared parental leave has been used.
Source: §76-77 of ERA; The Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations; Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018; Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023; §15, 16, 17 of the Employment Rights Act, 2025
Flexible Work Option for Parents / Work-Life Balance
Since 6 April 2024, the statutory right to request flexible working applies from day one of employment. Employees may make up to two statutory requests in a 12-month period, the employer must consult before refusing unless the request is fully accepted, and the decision period (including any appeal) is generally two months unless an extension is agreed. Flexible working remains a right to request, not an automatic right to work flexibly.
Previously, employees with at least 26 weeks' service were entitled to request flexible working to allow them to care for child or adult dependents. They have the right to ask for flexible working if their child is under 17 or if their child is under 18 and disabled. There is a specific procedure which the employer must follow when dealing with such a request. The right to flexible working time is not a statutory right and may or may not be granted. The employer could also face a penalty and indirect discrimination claims if a request is refused.
In more recent times, the right to request flexible working that was previously confined to those employees with caring responsibilities has now been amended and extends to all workers. Rules have also been created with regard to the length of the service requirement, how to make an application and the remedies available (Flexible Working Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1398). All employees have the legal right to request flexible work arrangements starting from their first day of employment, which must be dated in writing. If the employer rejects such an application on such a ground not specified in law (Section 80G of the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides the criteria for rejecting), the employee may make a complaint to the employment tribunal, which may award the employee a maximum of 8 weeks’ pay if it finds that the complaint is well-founded. For this purpose, a week's pay will be calculated in accordance with the criteria already provided in law. (Regulation No.6). A week’s pay is subject to a maximum limit as set out in section 227 of the Act of 1996.
This is also further supplemented by the Children and Families Act 2014, which also extends the right to request flexible working to all employees with at least 26 weeks' continuous service. The new duty will require employers to deal with requests in a reasonable manner within a three-month decision period.
Source: §80(F-H) of Employment Rights Act 1996; The Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints and Remedies) Regulations 2002
Special Leaves
Employees continue to have a statutory right to unpaid time off for dependants’ emergencies under section 57A of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Carer’s Leave came into force on 6 April 2024. It is a day-one right for employees to take up to one week of unpaid leave in each rolling 12-month period to give or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. The leave can be taken in half-days, individual days or a block of up to one week. Employees performing qualifying public duties are entitled to reasonable time off. Separate rights also exist in relation to trade union duties and training, health and safety representatives, and Reserve Forces mobilisation. A qualifying father or partner has a right to unpaid time off for up to two antenatal appointments, each lasting up to 6.5 hours. By contrast, the primary adopter may take paid time off for up to five adoption appointments; a joint adopter who is not the primary adopter has a right to unpaid time off for up to two adoption appointments. Neonatal Care Leave and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay took effect for babies born on or after 6 April 2025. Where the baby receives at least seven continuous full days of neonatal care beginning within 28 days of birth, eligible parents can accrue up to 12 weeks of leave and, where eligible, statutory pay. Parental Bereavement Leave remains available for up to two weeks following the death of a child. In addition, from 6 April 2026, bereaved partners’ paternity leave is due to take effect, enabling a bereaved father or partner to take up to 52 weeks of paternity leave where the mother or primary adopter dies within the first year after birth or placement.
Source: §50, 52, 57A, 63D, 57ZE & 57ZJof the Employment Rights Act 1996; The Parental Bereavement Leave Regulations 2020; 168 & 169 of Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 Under applicable UK regulations; 7 of the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996;52 of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985; Chap. 5 of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023; Carer’s Leave Act 2023
Regulations on Family Responsibilities
- Employment Rights Act (ERA), 1996 last amended in 2012
- The Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002
