Paternity Leave Policy - April 2026
In this section
- Introduction
- Scope
- Entitlement to paternity leave (birth)
- Entitlement to paternity leave (adoption)
- Amount of paternity leave you can take
- Timing of paternity leave
- Notice to take paternity leave (birth)
- Notice to take paternity leave (adoption within the UK)
- Notice to take paternity leave (adoption from overseas)
- Late notice
- Changing your paternity leave plans
- Paternity pay
- Further information
- Maternity/Adoption Support Leave (M/ASL)
- Your rights during paternity leave
- Neonatal care leave
- Bereaved partner's paternity leave
- Returning to work after paternity leave
- Time off for antenatal appointments
- Time off to attend adoption appointments
- Data protection
- Additional leave
- Re-instating lost pension because of unpaid paternity leave
- Abuse of the Paternity Leave policy
- Ensuring equality of opportunity
Introduction
Paternity leave is a provision that enables you to take leave in addition to your annual leave entitlement allowing you to support your partner, help share the childcare responsibilities and spend quality time with your new child.
This policy sets out the rights of employees to paternity leave and pay for leave taken on or after 6 April 2026 where either:
• the expected week of childbirth is on or after 5 April 2026;
• the child is born on or after 6 April 2026 (even if the expected week of childbirth was before 5 April 2026); or
• the child is expected to be placed for adoption with the adopter (or enter Great Britain for adoptions from overseas) on or after 6 April 2026.
For rights applying prior to those dates, please refer to our Paternity Leave Policy dated April 2025 where the expected week of childbirth is before 5th April 2026 and birth before 6th April 2026.
The following definitions are used in this policy:
"Adopter" means the person with whom the child has been or is to be placed for adoption, or where two people have been matched jointly, whoever has elected to be the child's adopter for the purposes of adoption leave.
"Expected week of childbirth" means the week, starting on a Sunday, during which the mother's doctor or midwife expects them to give birth.
"Matched for adoption" means an adoption agency deciding that a person would be a suitable adoptive parent for a child either individually or jointly with another person. A person is notified of having been "matched for adoption" with a child on the date on which the person receives notification of the adoption agency's decision.
"Official notification" means written notification, issued by or on behalf of the relevant domestic authority, that it is prepared to issue, or has already issued, a certificate to the overseas authority concerned with the adoption of the child, confirming that the adopter is eligible to adopt and has been assessed and approved as being a suitable adoptive parent.
"Partner" includes someone, of whatever sex, who lives with the mother, expectant mother or adopter of the child in an enduring family relationship but who is not the mother's or adopter's child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.
"Placed for adoption" means placed for adoption under UK adoption laws, including placement with a local authority foster parent who is also a prospective adopter ("foster to adopt").
The policy does not form part of your contract of employment, and we reserve the right to amend it at any time.