Paternity Leave and Pay 2026/27

Paternity leave gives fathers and same-sex partners paid time off work when a new baby arrives. This article is relevant for England, Scotland and Wales and includes changes to paternity leave law that came into effect in April 2026.

There have been some changes to the law regarding paternity leave, that came into effect in April 2026. Please be careful not to confuse paternity leave and paternity pay, as different rules apply to your eligibility for each.

Who is eligible for paternity leave?

Paternity leave enables partners to have time off when their partner gives birth, adopts, or when they have a baby through surrogacy. Paternity leave is for the partner of the person giving birth, including same sex couples. As with maternity leave, your employment rights are protected.

To be eligible for paternity leave, you must:

• Be an employee
• Give the correct notice

How long is paternity leave in the UK in 2026?

• You can take either 1 or 2 weeks off, which must be taken in one go. This applies externally to how much you work, so if you work part-time, it is still 2 weeks, not 10 days.
• The earliest the leave can start is the day your child is born and the latest it can end is 56 days after the date of birth.
• You must give your employer 15 weeks’ notice that you want to take paternity leave, and 28 days’ notice of the start and end dates that you wish to take your paternity leave, and of any changes to these dates.
  • If your baby is due between 5 April 2026 and 25 July 2026, and you’ve been at your current place of employment for less than 26 weeks, you don’t need to give 15 weeks’ notice, just 28 days. This is part of the transition period into the changes to the law, and notice period goes back to 15 weeks for babies due on or after 26 July 2026.

Is paternity leave 14 working days in the UK?

There is an important distinction between days and working days. Paternity leave entitlement is 14 days, not 14 working days. This means that your leave does include weekends and bank holidays

Changes to paternity leave since April 2024

Since 6 April 2024, you still get two weeks but you can split it into two one-week chunks and take them at any point in the first year after your baby’s birth, rather than the fortnight immediately afterwards.

What is the new paternity law in April 2026?

There have been a number of changes made to paternity law, under the Employment Rights Act 2025, that came into effect on 6 April 2026. These are to further support families with managing a new baby alongside work.

The changes include:

• You no longer need to have worked at your company for 6 months in order to qualify for paternity leave. It is now a right from your first day of employment. This only applies to paternity leave, not Statutory Paternity Pay.
• You no longer need to have been working at your current company for a year to qualify for unpaid parental leave, again you can take this from day one.
• If your child’s mother or other parent dies within the first year since the child’s birth, you may be entitled to Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave for up to a year. For example, if your child’s mother died in childbirth, you would be able to take a year off work to care for your baby.

To be clear, you have the right to give notice of paternity leave from your first day at your job. So you don’t have the right to start on Monday and go on paternity leave on Wednesday, though your company may allow this if they are aware of the situation or your baby comes unexpectedly early.

Do fathers get full pay for paternity leave?

Some fathers will be offered full pay, it depends on your company’s policy. Your HR department can advise you on whether you will be able to get full pay, partial pay or Statutory Paternity Pay.

How much is Statutory Paternity Pay in 2026/27?

Statutory Paternity Pay is 90% of your average weekly earnings or £194.32 a week (whichever is lower).

Your company may offer more, but it cannot offer less that the statuary amount.

Eligibility for Statutory Paternity Pay

To be eligible for Statutory Paternity Pay, you must:

• Be employed by your employer up to the date of birth.
• Earn an average of at least £129 a week (before tax).
• Give the correct notice.
• Have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of the ‘qualifying week’ (15th week before the baby is born).

What do I do if my employer underpays me or neglects my rights?

If you are concerned that you are not being paid the correct amount of statutory pay by your employer, or they have denied it to you unfairly, you can contact HMRC. This should only be done if you have been unable to resolve the matter with your employer.

By phone

Lines are open 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Thursday, and 8:30am – 4:30pm on Fridays.

Telephone: 0300 322 9432
Textphone: 0300 200 3212

By letter

You can write to:

Statutory Payment Dispute Team
PT Operations
North East England
HMRC
BX9 1AN

Remember to include your contact details so that they can respond to you.

FAQs