Paternity Leave and Pay 2026/27: How Much You Get and When to Tell Work

Paternity Leave is up to two weeks off, taken as one block or two separate weeks within 52 weeks of the birth. Any employee can take it from their first day in the job. Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, in 2026/27. To get the pay you need 26 weeks with your employer by the 15th week before the baby is due and average earnings of at least £129 a week. Tell your employer the due date at least 15 weeks before the week the baby is due.

Two weeks off when your baby arrives sounds simple, and mostly it is. The catch is that leave and pay have different rules: the leave is a right from your first day in the job, but the pay needs six months with your employer, and both need you to tell work at the right time. Here are the 2026/27 figures, what you will actually take home and the dates to put in your diary.

How much is paternity pay in 2026/27?

Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower. Unlike maternity pay, there is no six weeks at 90% first: it is the flat rate for the whole two weeks. It goes through payroll like your wages, so income tax and National Insurance come off as usual.

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So on £30,000 a year you normally earn about £577 a week before tax, and paternity pay gives you £194.32. Over two weeks that is roughly £765 less than your usual pay, which is why many dads use annual leave or check for a better company scheme. Your employer can pay more than the statutory rate, but never less.

Who qualifies

You need to be taking the time off to look after the baby or support the mother, and be one of the following: the biological father, the mother’s husband, civil partner or partner (including same-sex partners), a co-adopter, or an intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement.

Paternity Leave

If you are an employee, you can take Paternity Leave from your first day in the job, as long as you give the right notice. Workers such as agency staff and zero-hours contractors who are not employees do not get the statutory leave, although some may still qualify for the pay.

Paternity Pay

• You have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks by the end of the qualifying week, the 15th week before the week your baby is due.
• You are still employed by them up to the date of the birth.
• Your average weekly earnings are at least £129 before tax, over the eight weeks before the end of the qualifying week.
• You give the correct notice.

If you do not qualify for the pay, your employer must tell you why within 28 days, using form SPP1. Self-employed dads cannot get Statutory Paternity Pay or Leave; if you are self-employed, it is worth checking whether your partner can get Maternity Allowance, and budgeting for the time off yourself.

How you can take the leave

• You can take one week, two weeks together, or two separate one-week blocks.
• A “week” is the days you normally work in a week. If you work Monday and Tuesday only, a week of paternity leave is those two days.
• Leave cannot start before the birth. It can start on the day of the birth or any day after.
• All of it must be taken within 52 weeks of the birth, or of the due date if the baby arrives early.
• You get two weeks in total even if you have twins or triplets.

Being able to split it is genuinely useful. Many parents take one week straight after the birth and save the second for when family help goes home, or for the first week that the mother goes back to work.

When to tell your employer

1. At least 15 weeks before the week your baby is due, tell your employer the due date. Use your employer’s own form if they have one, or the online Paternity Leave and Pay form on GOV.UK (it used to be called SC3), then give them a copy.
2. At least 28 days before you want your leave to start, tell them whether you want one or two weeks and when it should start. You do not have to give an exact date: “the day the baby is born” or “one week after the birth” is fine.
3. To change the start date, give another 28 days’ notice.

You do not need to show proof of the pregnancy, such as a MATB1 certificate. For paternity pay your employer can ask for the notice in writing, so put it in an email even if you have already told your manager.

Time off for antenatal appointments

Before the birth, you can take unpaid time off to go to two antenatal appointments with your partner, up to six and a half hours each. This applies if you are the baby’s father, the mother’s spouse or civil partner, her long-term partner, or an intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement. Permanent employees can take this from day one; agency workers need 12 weeks in the same job. Your employer can choose to give you more time, or pay you for it.

If you want more than two weeks

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Shared Parental Leave is the big one. If your partner is entitled to maternity leave or pay, she can end it early and turn the rest into leave that either of you can take, in up to three blocks. There is more detail on how the weeks and pay work in the GOV.UK Shared Parental Leave guide.

If your baby is born early, is poorly or you suffer a loss

If your baby arrives early, you can still take your paternity leave and it still has to finish within 52 weeks of the date the baby was due. If your baby needs neonatal care for seven full days or more, you may get Neonatal Care Leave and Pay on top of your paternity leave.

You can still get paternity leave and pay if your baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, or born alive at any stage and then dies. You can take leave you had already booked, and book any remaining leave within eight weeks of the death. You may also be able to take two weeks of Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay.

Your rights while you are off

• Your job is protected, and you have the right to go back to it after paternity leave.
• You keep building up holiday and you get any pay rises given while you are away.
• Your employer cannot treat you unfairly or dismiss you because you took, or asked for, paternity leave.

Planning the money side of the first year? Our guide to statutory maternity pay shows what your partner will get week by week, and Tax-Free Childcare explains the government top-up for nursery fees when you both go back to work.

Quick questions about paternity leave

How much is paternity pay in 2026?

From 6 April 2026, Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to two weeks.

Is paternity leave a day-one right?

Yes. Employees can take Paternity Leave from their first day in the job. Paternity Pay still needs 26 weeks of service by the 15th week before the baby is due.

Can I take paternity leave before the baby is born?

No. It starts on the day of the birth at the earliest. Unpaid time off for two antenatal appointments is available before the birth.

Can I split my paternity leave?

Yes. You can take the two weeks together or as two separate weeks, any time in the 52 weeks after the birth.

Is paternity pay taxed?

Yes. It is paid through payroll with income tax and National Insurance deducted, like your normal pay.