Paternity leave and pay: what fathers and partners get

Your partner's leave gets planned for months. Yours gets two weeks and a shrug.

Two weeks is the statutory maximum, so there is not much to decide. But there is something to check. Leave and pay have separate tests, and plenty of people assume the two come together. One you have on day one. The other you have to earn.

Who counts

This is not a right for fathers only. You qualify if you are the father, or the husband or partner of the mother or adopter. Same-sex partners are included. So is the child's adopter, and the intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Eligibility.

You also have to be taking the time off to look after the child. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Eligibility.

The leave: two weeks, your way

You can take up to 2 weeks' leave. You can take both weeks together, or take them separately in one-week blocks. Twins do not get you more. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Leave.

A week means the days you normally work. If you only work Mondays and Tuesdays, a week of leave is 2 days. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Leave.

Your leave cannot start before the birth. It must end within 52 weeks of the baby's birth, or the due date if the baby is early. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Leave. So you can keep a week back for later in the year.

Paternity Leave is a right from your first day in a job. Paternity Pay is not. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Eligibility.

Northern Ireland has its own rules on leave. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Leave.

The pay

The statutory weekly rate of Paternity Pay is £194.32, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Pay. It is paid like your wages, and tax and National Insurance come off. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Pay.

Pay is a stricter test. You need 26 weeks' continuous employment with the same employer, up to the end of any day in the qualifying week. That is the 15th week before the baby is due. You need average earnings of at least £129 a week before tax. And you must still be employed by them at the birth. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Eligibility.

Here is a made-up example. On £520 a week, 90% is £468. That is more than £194.32, so you get £194.32. On £200 a week, 90% is £180. That is less, so you get £180.

If you do not qualify, your employer must tell you why within 28 days, on form SPP1. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Eligibility.

Does your employer pay more?

Some do. Your employer cannot offer less than the statutory amount, but they can offer more. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Pay. Anything extra is a policy choice, not the law, so read your own contract. Acas: Statutory paternity pay.

Ask the question we suggest for maternity pay: is that the total, or is statutory pay on top? Our guide to what you actually get paid on maternity leave shows why the wording matters.

Enhanced pay can carry a condition. Your contract might say you repay it if you leave soon after. Acas: Statutory paternity pay.

Three things to check

• Your pension. Terms and conditions are normally protected while you are on leave. Contributions usually stop if a period of leave is unpaid, unless your contract says otherwise. GOV.UK: Employee rights when taking maternity and other types of parental leave

• Universal Credit. Statutory Paternity Pay is counted as earnings, so it is not money on top of your award. DWP: Universal Credit and earnings

• The notice. You must tell your employer the baby's due date at least 15 weeks before the baby is expected. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, How to claim. At least 28 days before you want your leave to start, tell them the start date and whether you want 1 or 2 weeks. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, How to claim. Changing the start date needs 28 days' notice too. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Pay

Both notice periods apply in full if your baby is due on or after 26 July 2026. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, How to claim.

Sharing the rest

Two weeks is not much. Shared Parental Leave is how most partners get more, and you can take Paternity Leave and Shared Parental Leave in any order. GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, Leave. Our guide to Shared Parental Leave covers the tests and what sharing does to pay and pensions.