Statutory Shared Parental Pay

Work out what pay is left to share

Statutory Shared Parental Pay, usually shortened to ShPP, comes from ending Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay or Maternity Allowance early. It does not create a second pot of pay. Up to 37 weeks can remain if the original 39-week entitlement has barely been used, and every paid week taken reduces the shared balance.

Start with the binding curtailment notice and the pay already used. Record the remaining total once, then subtract each parent's paid blocks from it. The GOV.UK overview explains how leave and pay can be shared during the first year.

Check the claimant, not just the couple

Each parent has their own eligibility test. The person claiming ShPP normally needs employee or worker status for statutory-pay purposes, sufficient continuous employment and average weekly earnings. Their partner must satisfy a separate work and earnings test. A person can qualify for ShPP without qualifying for Shared Parental Leave, so a leave decision is not enough evidence for payroll.

Use the current employer eligibility guidance for the claimant, partner, qualifying week and evidence rules. Do not assume both parents must work for the same employer, or that both must be employees.

Keep the plan and payroll in step

For each eligible week, ShPP is limited to the statutory flat rate when 90% of average weekly earnings would be higher. Use the live official figure for the payment period rather than copying it into a policy.

Keep the curtailment notice, eligibility declarations, partner details, booked blocks, shared balance and payroll record together. Check that the paid weeks match the leave actually taken where the claimant also uses Shared Parental Leave. Acas guidance is a useful check when parents change the plan or one parent claims pay without statutory leave.