What Shared Parental Leave is
Normally, maternity leave and pay all sit with the mother (or, for adoption, the primary adopter). Shared Parental Leave lets you turn that into a shared pool that both parents can dip into:
- Up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay can be shared in the baby’s first year (or the first year after a child is placed for adoption).
- The exact amount depends on how much maternity, adoption or Maternity Allowance has already been used — SPL is what’s left over.
- It works for birth, adoption and surrogacy.
Why parents use it
It lets the other parent be properly hands-on in the first year, lets mum return to work sooner if she wants, and lets you both be off together for part of it — instead of the old all-or-nothing split.
How it works — and how flexible it is
The mother or primary adopter must take the first 2 weeks after the birth (compulsory). To unlock sharing, they then end (“curtail”) their maternity or adoption leave early, in writing — and the remaining balance becomes Shared Parental Leave for both parents.
- You can take the leave at the same time, or one after the other.
- Each parent can take their share in up to 3 separate blocks — going back to work in between and taking more later (your employer must agree to non-continuous blocks).
- You can change your plan up to twice after first booking it.
Plan it with the official tool
SPL dates and amounts get fiddly. The free GOV.UK Shared Parental Leave planning tool works out exactly how much leave and pay you can each take, and when.
What you’ll be paid
Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) is paid at the lower of:
| Shared Parental Pay (2026/27) | Amount |
|---|
| Flat weekly rate | £194.32 a week |
| Or earnings-based | 90% of your average weekly earnings, if that’s lower |
Up to 37 weeks of pay can be shared, minus any weeks of maternity, adoption or paternity pay already taken. ShPP is taxable and counts for National Insurance like normal pay.
Check for enhanced pay
Some employers top ShPP up to full or partial salary (“enhanced shared parental pay”). It’s worth asking — and comparing it with what each of you would get on maternity or paternity pay before you decide how to split the leave.
Who’s eligible — and how to apply
There are two parts to the test — one for the parent taking SPL, and one for the other parent:
- The parent taking SPL must be an employee with at least 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer by the 15th week before the due date (or the matching week for adoption), and still be employed when they take it.
- The other parent must pass an employment and earnings test — broadly, having worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due date and earned above a low minimum (this is how a self-employed partner can “enable” the employed parent to take SPL).
To apply:
- The mother or primary adopter ends their maternity/adoption leave in writing.
- Each parent gives their own employer at least 8 weeks’ written notice of how much leave and pay they’ll take, and roughly when.
- Confirm in writing that you’re claiming Shared Parental Pay too.
Do this now
Use the GOV.UK Shared Parental Leave planning tool to check you both qualify and to map out the dates. Then put your notice to your employer in writing, at least 8 weeks before you want the leave to start.
If your employer gets it wrong or pushes back, get free help from ACAS on 0300 123 1100, and see family money & support for everything else around a new baby.
It’s a leave right, not extra time
SPL is the existing maternity/adoption leave shared differently — not weeks added on top. And you can’t be on Shared Parental Pay and maternity/paternity pay for the same period. Work out which combination pays your household the most before you commit.