Family leave
Shared Parental Leave UK: planning leave and pay
Eligible parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of statutory pay. The actual balance depends on maternity or adoption leave and pay already used, and both parents' eligibility must be checked.
- Leave shared between parents
- Up to 50 weeks
- Shared statutory pay
- Up to 37 weeks
- Maximum weekly ShPP
- £194.32
Guidance for England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland employment rules can differ.
Work out the shared balance
Shared Parental Leave comes from ending maternity or adoption leave early. Shared Parental Pay similarly depends on reducing maternity or adoption pay, or Maternity Allowance. It is not an extra 50 weeks of leave for each parent.
Parents may take leave together or at different times, within the first year after birth or placement. Each parent's week of leave uses a week from the shared pool, even where both are off in the same calendar week.
Source: GOV.UK: Shared Parental Leave and Pay · GOV.UK: Shared Parental Leave pay
Check both parents before confirming dates
Eligibility involves employment and earnings conditions for the parents, and the tests differ for birth, adoption and surrogacy. Do not assume that eligibility for maternity or paternity leave automatically means eligibility for Shared Parental Leave.
Keep the required notices and declarations with the calculation of the remaining leave and pay. Paternity Leave and Pay can be taken before or after Shared Parental Leave and Pay under the current rules.
Pay and leave are separate balances
The 2026/27 ShPP rate is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Unlike the first six weeks of SMP, ShPP does not have a period paid at an uncapped 90% of earnings.
Parents can therefore have shared leave remaining after shared statutory pay has run out. Confirm both balances in the written plan and check whether an employer enhancement applies.
Book blocks and plan the handovers
Each parent can book up to three separate blocks of Shared Parental Leave, and an employer can agree to more. Give at least eight weeks' notice. A continuous block and a request that alternates work and leave have different response rules, so check the booking guidance before treating a proposed pattern as approved.
Use a single timeline showing each parent's planned weeks, the pay allocation and any changes. Where parents work for different employers, the employee's formal notices and declarations are essential to keeping the combined balance accurate.
In practice
Leave together uses two weeks of the pool
After ten weeks of maternity leave and pay, assume the parents qualify and have correctly curtailed the remaining entitlement. There can be 42 weeks of shared leave and 29 weeks of shared pay available.
If both parents take four weeks off together, that uses eight weeks of shared leave. Track each parent's allocation instead of subtracting only the four calendar weeks from the balance.
Your next steps
- Check eligibility for the relevant birth, adoption or surrogacy route.
- Record the curtailment notices and calculate leave and pay remaining.
- Review whether each request is continuous or discontinuous leave.
- Confirm the approved dates, pay allocation and handover plan in writing.
Sources and review
Reviewed against the official guidance below on 7 September 2026. Rates and employment rules can change; use the linked guidance for a decision about an individual case.
- GOV.UK: Shared Parental Leave and Pay
- GOV.UK: Shared Parental Leave pay
- GOV.UK: booking Shared Parental Leave
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Crown copyright. This is Leavely's independently written guide.
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