Your Guide to Shared Parental Leave: Giving UK Families More Flexibility
There has been a shift in parenting norms, with research finding that Millennial dads spend three times as much time with their kids as they did in the ‘60s. To reflect this, and in an attempt to close the gender pay gap largely caused by the ‘motherhood penalty’, the UK has introduced Shared Parental Leave.
So what is it, why is it so great, and who is eligible?
What Is Shared Parental Leave?
Becoming a parent brings many changes, and one of the most important is how you plan time away from work to care for your new baby or adopted child. Shared Parental Leave allows families to make those decisions more flexibly, helping both parents share the responsibilities and joys of early parenthood.
In short, Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) lets parents share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay during the first year after a child is born or adopted.
It’s an alternative to the standard maternity and paternity leave policies that give a longer stretch of leave to mothers and just two weeks to the father/partner. The UK’s paternity leave is widely viewed as poor, falling far short of other countries in Europe. So, instead of one parent taking a long period of maternity leave and the other just a short period of paternity leave, SPL now allows you to divide the leave between you in a way that works best for your family.After the first two weeks of compulsory maternity leave, you can decide how to split the 50 weeks of SPL between you. You may choose to:
* Take leave at the same time,
* Take turns being at home, or
* Divide the leave into separate blocks throughout the year.
For example: A mother might take 32 weeks of maternity leave and then return to work while her partner takes the remaining 20 weeks of SPL. This means both parents spend significant time with their baby during that first year.
Who Can Get Shared Parental Leave and Pay?
To qualify for SPL and ShPP, both parents generally need to:
* Be employed,
* Earn at least £123 a week on average, and
* Share legal responsibility for the child.
If you qualify for statutory maternity or paternity leave, you will usually meet the criteria for SPL and ShPP.
Why Shared Parental Leave helps everyone
From a business point of view, the flexibility of SPL spreads the burden of childcare across a whole workforce instead of just half of it. This should minimise the impact on everyone, and increase your colleagues’ understanding of, and empathy for, ‘the juggle’ that being a new parent brings.
It also gives men/partners equal access to that precious period early on in a child’s life, and allows them to better support their partner in the emotionally, mentally and physically demanding task of childbirth and post-partum recovery. Overall, it recognises that parenting is a two-person job, and in a world where two-income households are now the norm (a necessity, even), it's much more reflective of the typical family setup.
Over time, as SPL becomes more normalised, the unequal impact that having a family has on women’s careers versus men’s should begin to reduce. As well as being fairer, this also benefits employers, as by keeping mothers in work and able to progress in their careers, they can tap into the huge value that their female staff offer. A diverse and balanced workforce is a productive and profitable one.
How to apply for Shared Parental Leave
Here’s what you will need to do:
1. Discuss your plans early – Speak to your employer about your intention to take SPL.
2. Decide how to share the leave – Plan the timing and length of leave each parent will take.
3. Give written notice – You must usually give your employer at least 8 weeks’ notice before taking SPL.
4. Complete the required forms – Templates and guidance are available on GOV.UK
It can help to create a simple plan showing who will be at home when, taking into account work patterns, childcare arrangements, and financial considerations. Your employer may also find it helpful to use a structured staff leave planner to make sure they can process your leave requests smoothly and manage your time off alongside that of your colleagues.
How SPL supports families with young children more broadly
SPL can form part of your wider approach to caring for your child in their early years. Many families use SPL to:
* Spend more time at home before starting childcare or nursery,
* Adjust to new routines as both parents balance work and caring responsibilities, and/or
* Plan around free early education hours (available from age 2 for eligible families and for all 3–4-year-olds in England).
This flexibility can make the transition from parental leave to early years childcare smoother and less stressful.
Uptake, acceptance and how we can all make a difference
Of course, we only get to see the positive impact of SPL if there is uptake. This means that the responsibility to tackle any stigma about parental roles and childcare duties falls on us all. By creating and encouraging a culture in which men are given the same options to work flexibly around family life, and helping employers recognising the value of SPL, you and your family have much more power when it comes to designing a bespoke childcare plan that works best for you.
Phil is the co-founder of Leave Dates, the employee annual leave planner. He loves problem-solving and making life easier for small businesses. If you book a Leave Dates demo, he will give you a warm welcome and show you everything that you need to know.