Statutory Paternity Pay

Day-one leave does not mean day-one pay

Great Britain's day-one paternity-leave right from 6 April 2026 did not remove the separate service and earnings tests for Statutory Paternity Pay. For a birth, the person normally needs 26 weeks of continuous employment through the qualifying week, must remain employed until the birth and must meet the lower earnings limit. Notice and the purpose of caring for the child also matter.

Some agency workers and casual or short-contract workers can qualify for SPP without having employee status for Paternity Leave. The employment-types guidance explains the additional conditions. Check pay and leave separately rather than treating one decision as proof of the other.

Adoption and surrogacy use different qualifying points. Use the official eligibility checker for the relevant route rather than borrowing the birth test.

Calculate pay from the qualifying week

SPP is the lower of the current statutory weekly rate and 90% of the employee's average weekly earnings. It is paid through payroll and is subject to tax and National Insurance. Use the current official rate for the payment period instead of copying a figure into a policy.

In Great Britain, pay can cover one or two weeks taken together or separately. For a birth, it must finish within 52 weeks of the birth, or the due date if the baby is early. For a UK adoption, the deadline runs from placement. For an overseas adoption, it runs from the child's arrival in England, Scotland or Wales. The birth guidance and adoption guidance set out those different anchors.

From 6 April 2026, paternity leave and pay in Great Britain may follow Shared Parental Leave. Northern Ireland keeps its current consecutive-week pattern and ordering restriction.

An early birth can move the qualifying and earnings calculations. Follow HMRC's special calculation process rather than moving the dates by judgement.

Record the declaration and decision

Keep the expected birth or placement date, qualifying week, relevant earnings period, requested blocks, claimant declaration and payroll decision together. Confirm that the person meets both the relationship and caring-purpose conditions.

If the person does not qualify for pay, record why and explain the decision clearly. An employee may still qualify for paternity leave. A leave approval on its own is not an adequate pay decision.