What it is
Neonatal care is the specialist medical or palliative care a baby gets when they are born premature or sick — in a neonatal unit, a transitional care ward, or sometimes at home under a consultant’s care. Before April 2025, parents often had to use up their maternity or paternity leave, or take unpaid time, while their newborn was in hospital. Neonatal Care Leave and Pay changed that.
From 6 April 2025 (for babies born on or after that date), eligible employed parents get a brand-new block of leave, and many also get statutory pay, specifically for the time their baby spends in neonatal care — separate from, and on top of, all their other family leave.
How much leave you get
The amount of leave matches how long your baby is in care:
- You get one week of leave for every 7 full continuous days your baby spends in neonatal care.
- The most you can take is 12 weeks (so it covers up to roughly 12 weeks of care).
- It is taken in whole-week blocks, not odd days.
- All of it must be used within 68 weeks of your baby’s birth.
It is extra — not taken from your other leave
This is the key point. Neonatal Care Leave is added on top of maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave. It is designed so you do not have to spend your precious maternity or paternity weeks sitting beside a hospital cot.
Who qualifies
For the leave (a day-one right)
You can take Neonatal Care Leave if:
- You are an employee (it is a day-one right — no minimum length of service to take the time off).
- You are the baby’s parent — a birth parent, the mother’s or adopter’s partner, an adopter, or an intended parent through surrogacy.
- Your baby was admitted to neonatal care within 28 days of birth, and
- That care lasts at least 7 full continuous days.
- The baby was born on or after 6 April 2025.
For the pay (Statutory Neonatal Care Pay)
To also be paid, you need, on top of the above:
- At least 26 weeks’ continuous employment with your employer (by the relevant qualifying week), and
- Average earnings of at least the Lower Earnings Limit — £129 a week (2026/27).
No pay? You can still take the leave
If you do not meet the 26-week or earnings test, you may not get Statutory Neonatal Care Pay — but you can usually still take the leave, and it is worth checking what other help you can get as a new parent. See Check my benefits.
The pay
| What | Length | What you get (2026/27) |
|---|
| Statutory Neonatal Care Pay | 1 week per 7 days in care, up to 12 weeks | £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower |
It is paid by your employer in the same way as your wages, and Income Tax and National Insurance are deducted like normal pay. It also counts as income for Universal Credit, so a UC payment may reduce a little for the weeks you receive it. Some employers offer enhanced (more generous) neonatal pay — check your contract or HR team.
How to tell your employer
You do not claim Neonatal Care Leave or Pay from the government — you arrange it with your employer. Notice rules are lighter while things are urgent and stricter later:
- While your baby is still in care, or in the week after it ends, you can usually give very short notice (in practice, before each week of leave) — the law recognises this is an emergency.
- For leave taken later (in the weeks after the care ends, up to the 68-week limit), you give your employer more notice and confirm in writing.
- Your employer can ask for basic written details — your name, the baby’s dates of neonatal care, and when you want the leave.
You keep your normal terms and conditions during the leave (except pay), you are protected from being treated unfairly for taking it, and you have the right to return to your job. If your employer refuses a valid request or treats you badly for taking it, get free advice from ACAS on 0300 123 1100.
Do this now
- Tell your employer in writing that your baby is in neonatal care and you intend to take Neonatal Care Leave — you do not owe them the medical details.
- Keep a simple record of the dates your baby is admitted to and discharged from neonatal care — this sets how many weeks you get.
- Ask HR whether they offer enhanced neonatal pay, and check your maternity/paternity leave is untouched.
Free help: ACAS 0300 123 1100 · the charity Bliss supports families of premature and sick babies.
It stacks with your other leave
Neonatal Care Leave sits alongside the rest of the family-leave system, so it is worth knowing what else you can use:
Neonatal Care Leave does not reduce any of these — it is genuinely additional time for the weeks your baby needs hospital care.
Source verification
Primary source: GOV.UK —
Neonatal Care Pay and Leave (overview, eligibility and what you get) and the
Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (General) Regulations 2025 + Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023. Last verified 18 June 2026 against live GOV.UK. Confidence: High. Key facts: in force for babies born on or after 6 April 2025; leave is a day-one right of up to 12 weeks (1 week per 7 continuous days in care, baby admitted within 28 days of birth, care lasting 7+ days, used within 68 weeks); Statutory Neonatal Care Pay £194.32/week (2026/27) or 90% of average weekly earnings, needing 26 weeks’ service and earnings at or above the £129 Lower Earnings Limit. SortedUK is independent — not a government service, and this is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute, contact ACAS (0300 123 1100).
Neonatal Care Leave — common questions
Who can get Neonatal Care Leave?
Employees who are the parent of a baby admitted to neonatal care within 28 days of birth, where the care lasts at least 7 full continuous days, and the baby was born on or after 6 April 2025. Taking the leave is a day-one right — there is no minimum length of service. It covers birth parents, partners, adopters and intended parents through surrogacy.
How many weeks do I get?
One week of leave for every 7 full continuous days your baby spends in neonatal care, up to a maximum of 12 weeks, taken in whole-week blocks and used within 68 weeks of the birth.
How much is Statutory Neonatal Care Pay?
£194.32 a week for 2026/27, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower. To get the pay you need 26 weeks’ continuous employment and average earnings of at least the Lower Earnings Limit (£129 a week). Even without the pay, you can usually still take the leave.
Is it on top of my maternity or paternity leave?
Yes — it is extra. Neonatal Care Leave is added on top of maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave, so you do not have to use those up while your baby is in hospital. You keep your employment rights and the right to return to your job.
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