Changes to Employment Law: paternity leave

9 April 2026

New Employment Laws came into effect as of 6 April 2026, with significant changes around statutory pay entitlements, statutory sick pay and partner bereavement leave.

What are the main changes to paternity leave?

From 6 April 2026, paternity leave becomes a day-one right. This means that employees will be entitled to statutory paternity leave from their first day of employment, removing the previous requirement of 26 weeks of continuous service. 

Will this change statutory paternity pay?

No, the 26-week qualifying period for statutory paternity pay remains unchanged.

Can I still take unpaid parental leave?

Similarly, employees will also be able to take ordinary unpaid parental leave (unpaid for parents of children up to the age of 18) from Day 1 of employment. This means the current requirement for one year of continuous service will no longer apply.

Can I still take paternity leave after taking shared parental leave?

Yes, those eligible for paternity leave will be able to take paternity leave even if they have already taken shared parental leave.

Before April 2026, you had to take one of the other, which means you couldn’t combine them. However, now you can use both without conflict.

What is the new bereaved partner’s paternity leave?

A father or partner can now take up to 52 weeks of unpaid bereaved partner’s paternity leave if the mother or primary adopter dies on or after 6 April 2026. 

This is specifically intended to support surviving partners with caring responsibilities following significant trauma. This is separate legislation from the standard paternity leave and is not part of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

The leave must be taken within 52 weeks of the child’s birth, adoption placement or entry into Great Britain for overseas adoptions.

Other key Employment Law changes:

• Statutory pay rates for maternity, adoption, shared parental, paternity and neonatal care will increase to £194.32 a week – or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings if lower.

• Changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) mean SSP becomes payable from Day 1, rather than waiting three days. This means employees - including casual staff - will be paid for sickness during their probationary period. The lower earnings limit is being removed, meaning all employees qualify. Weekly SSP rate increases to £123.25 or 80 per cent of average weekly earnings if lower.

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