Day-one paternity leave and pay from April 2026

From 6 April 2026, paternity leave is a day-one right. Previously employees needed 26 weeks of continuous service by the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth — that qualifying period has been removed entirely.

The same change applies to Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), and the long-standing restriction preventing paternity leave from being taken after shared parental leave is also removed.

Entitlement at a glance

• Up to two weeks' ordinary paternity leave.
• Can be taken in two one-week blocks or one two-week block.
• Can be taken any time in the 52 weeks following birth or adoption placement (previously 56 days).
• Eligible from day one of employment.

Statutory Paternity Pay rate

From 6 April 2026, SPP is paid at the lower of:

• £194.32/week, or
• 90% of average weekly earnings.

The same £194.32 rate applies to Statutory Maternity Pay (after the first 6 weeks), Statutory Adoption Pay, Shared Parental Pay, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay, and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay.

Bereaved partner's paternity leave

The ERA 2025 also creates a new right to up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave for a bereaved partner if the mother, primary adopter or parental order parent dies. This is also a day-one right.

What employers should update

• Paternity leave policy in the staff handbook.
• Employment contracts that reference 26-week service requirements for family leave (should be rewritten — the requirement no longer exists).
• HR information system — eligibility flags for new joiners should mark them as paternity-eligible from day one.
• Payroll — SPP rate updated to £194.32.

Official source: GOV.UK — Paternity Pay and Leave.