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Paternity leave and pay policy

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This model policy provides information about Statutory Paternity Leave and pay. Paternity Leave is the time an employee can take off to support their partner.

Reading time
Reading time
5 mins
Word count
Word count
361

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What is a Paternity leave and pay policy?

The purpose of this Paternity leave and pay policy is to provide you with a flexible and customisable document to serve as a robust and effective starting point for you.

By using our Paternity leave and pay policy, you can streamline your process, maintain consistency and accuracy, and save time, and it can be easily adapted to fit your specific scenario.

Best practice timescale for this to be issued
When should this policy be issued?
During onboarding / after changes / planned refresher
Issued by who, to whom
Who should issue this policy, and to whom?
Internally issued to appropriate recipients in your Company
Applicable legal jurisdictions
In which jurisdictions can this policy be used?
Great Britain & NI (United Kingdom), Worldwide

Paternity leave and pay Policy

Overview

This policy sets out information about Statutory Paternity Leave and pay. Paternity Leave is the time an employee can take off to support their partner.

Scope

This policy is applicable to all employees of [company name].

General principles

Statutory Paternity Leave is a maximum of two weeks time off because your partner's having a baby, adopting a child or having a baby through a surrogacy arrangement. It can be taken as a single week or two consecutive weeks. It cannot be taken as odd days but can be taken as two separate weeks.

You can choose to take either 1 or 2 weeks. You get the same amount of leave if your partner has a multiple birth (such as twins).

Eligibility

To be eligible you must:

  • be employed up to the date of birth
  • give the correct notice
  • have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks up to any day in the 'qualifying week'. The 'qualifying week' is the 15th week before the baby is due. This is different if you adopt.

Giving notice

At least 28 weeks before the baby is due, you must tell [your line manager | HR]:

  • the due date
  • when you want your leave to start, for example the day of the birth or the week after the birth
  • if you want 1 or 2 weeks leave

Start and end dates

Leave cannot start before the birth.

It must end within 52 weeks of the birth (or due date if the baby is early).

You must give [your line manager | HR] 28 days notice if you want to change your start date.

Pay and benefits

Statutory Paternity Pay is paid at a fixed rate per week (determined in legislation) or 90% of average earnings if that is less. It is paid less tax and National Insurance contributions in the normal way.

During Statutory Paternity Leave, you are entitled to all of your normal contractual terms and conditions as if you were not absent, apart from basic wages and salary. You have the right to return to exactly the same job, on the same terms and conditions after Statutory Paternity Leave.

This policy [does not] form[s] part of your terms and conditions of employment.

Version: [1.0]

Issue date: [date]

Author: [name, job title]

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paternity leave and pay policy