The UK Government has introduced shared parental leave (SPL), which allows new parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them. This shared leave can be taken in one go or spread out over the first year after the birth or adoption.
Who is Eligible for Shared Parental Leave?
To be eligible for shared parental leave, you must:
- Be an employee who has shared responsibility for caring for a child
- Have been continuously employed by the same employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of the 15th week before the baby's due date
- Provide your employer with notice that you intend to take shared parental leave
How Does Shared Parental Leave Work?
Once you have been approved for shared Parental leave, the key steps to take are:
- Decide how much shared parental leave each parent will take and when it will be taken.
- Notify your employer of your shared parental leave plans.
- Give your employer written notice of the shared parental leave you wish to take no later than 8 weeks before the start date of the shared paternity leave.
- Ensure that both parents are still employed in their current job for at least 39 weeks after shared paternity leave begins unless one parent meets the shared parental leave criteria for ending shared Parental leave early.
How does Shared Parental Leave Work Examples?
There are a variety of ways shared paternity leave can be shared between parents, depending on their individual circumstances. Here are some examples:
- The mother may take the full year off and the father takes shared paternity leave during the second half of the year
- The father may take shared paternity leave for a few months and the mother takes shared paternity leave for another few months
- One parent takes shared paternity leave for 6 weeks, then goes back to work while the other takes shared Parental leave for 6 weeks
What are the three types of Shared Parental Leave?
There are three main types of shared Parental leave:
- Continuous shared parental leave - where both parents take shared paternity leave at the same time.
- Discontinuous shared parental leave - where a parent takes shared paternity leave in blocks or discontinuously, separated by periods at work.
- Intermittent shared parental leave - a parent can take shared paternity leave for one or two days at a time, without affecting the other parent’s shared paternity leave.
Shared Parental leave is an excellent way to provide equal and shared responsibility for caring for a child between parents. It also gives both parents more flexibility to manage their own work-life balance.
Who pays for Shared Parental Leave?
The shared parental leave pay is shared between employers and the government. You can claim 92% of paid Parental leave from the government. Your employer will have its own shared parental leave policy which outlines who pays what and when. In most cases, you will receive shared parental leave pay in the same way that you would receive your normal salary. The UK Government also provides financial support to eligible parents in the form of shared parental leave pay.
Key Takeaways:
- In the UK, shared parental leave (SPL) allows new parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them.
- To be eligible for shared parental leave, you must have shared responsibility for caring for the child and have been continuously employed by the same employer for 26 weeks.
- You need to notify your employer of shared Parental leave plans 8 weeks before the start date and both parents must still be employed in their current job for at least 39 weeks after shared paternity leave starts.
- There are three types of shared paternity leave: continuous shared parental leave, discontinuous shared parental leave and intermittent shared parental leave.
- Shared Parental leave is an excellent way to provide shared responsibility of caring for a child between parents and give them more flexibility to manage their work-life balance.
