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Paternity leave calculator

Work out when paternity leave can start and finish, and the notice the employee must give, from the due date. Add pay details to estimate Statutory Paternity Pay.

  • Free to use
  • No signup
  • Great Britain rules for 2026/27
Use the calculator

Work out the paternity leave dates

Enter the due date, choose how the leave will be taken and see each date with the working.

Leave blank before the birth. The dates are then estimated as if the baby arrives on the due date.

How will the leave be taken?
When does the first week start?
When does the second week start?

Payroll works this out from gross pay in the relevant period, usually the 8 weeks up to the 15th week before the due week. Ask payroll for the figure.

Saturday 3 October 2026the last day to tell the employer the due date and the leave planned

Expected week of childbirth
Sunday 10 January 2027 to Saturday 16 January 2027
First week (if born on the due date)
Friday 15 January 2027 to Thursday 21 January 2027. Notice of the dates by Sunday 13 December 2026
Second week
Monday 1 March 2027 to Sunday 7 March 2027. Notice of the dates by Monday 1 February 2027
Last day leave can be taken (estimated)
Friday 14 January 2028
Statutory Paternity Pay
£180.00 a week, £360.00 in total

The working

  1. Due Friday 15 January 2027, so the expected week of childbirth runs from Sunday 10 January 2027 to Saturday 16 January 2027
  2. The 15th week before it runs from Sunday 27 September 2026 to Saturday 3 October 2026. Tell the employer the due date and the leave planned by Saturday 3 October 2026
  3. Leave starts on or after the birth. If the baby arrives on the due date, it must end by Friday 14 January 2028, 52 weeks after the birth
  4. First week: starts on the day of the birth. If the baby arrives on the due date, that is Friday 15 January 2027 to Thursday 21 January 2027. Notice of these dates by Sunday 13 December 2026 (28 days before the expected week begins)
  5. Second week: starts on a set date. That is Monday 1 March 2027 to Sunday 7 March 2027. Notice of these dates by Monday 1 February 2027 (28 days before the set date)
  6. Pay needs 26 weeks' continuous employment ending with the 15th week before. A part first week counts, so the latest start date is Saturday 11 April 2026. Started Monday 2 March 2026: meets the test
  7. 90% of £200.00 is £180.00 (rounded up to the penny). The lower of that and £194.32 is £180.00 a week
  8. £180.00 × 2 weeks = £360.00 before tax and National Insurance

Worth knowing

  • Second week is a set date. If the baby is late and has not arrived by then, the employee must move it.
  • If the employee is at work on the day of the birth, leave starting on the birth starts the next day instead. Tick the box to show those dates.
  • Pay also needs the employee to stay employed until the birth, earn the lower earnings limit on average and give the pay notice.
  • The regulation says the window ends 52 weeks after the birth. We show that day as the last possible day. Finishing a day or more earlier avoids any argument about it.
  • The employee can change the dates by giving notice 28 days before the original or the new date, whichever is earlier.
  • These are the Great Britain rules for a birth. Adoption, surrogacy and Northern Ireland follow different dates and notice, so check GOV.UK or nidirect for those.

Basis: Great Britain statutory paternity leave for babies due from 7 April 2024: one or two weeks, together or as two separate weeks, from the birth until 52 weeks after it; due date by the end of the 15th week before the expected week; each period's dates at least 28 days ahead. Leave and pay have separate tests. Check late notice, changed dates and pay after an early birth against the official guidance. Rules checked .

GOV.UK employer paternity guideGOV.UK notice periodsLeave regulations, reg 5Day-one leave from April 2026GOV.UK 2026/27 rates
The method

How the dates are worked out

Everything runs from the expected week of childbirth: the Sunday to Saturday week the baby is due.
  1. 1

    Find the expected week

    The week containing the due date sets the 15th week before it. The employee gives the due date and the leave they plan by the end of that week.

  2. 2

    Place the leave in the window

    Leave is one week, two weeks together or two separate weeks. It starts on or after the birth and ends within 52 weeks of it, or of the expected week if the baby is early.

  3. 3

    Count back the 28-day notice

    For leave tied to the birth, count 28 days back from the start of the expected week. For a set date, count back from that date. Pay has its own tests.

Worked example

Worked example: two separate weeks

The baby is due on Friday 15 January 2027. The first week starts on the day of the birth and the second on Monday 1 March 2027.

Inputs

  • Due date: 15 January 2027
  • Two separate weeks
  • First week from the day of the birth
  • Second week from 1 March 2027
  • £200 average weekly earnings, employed since 2 March 2026

Working

  1. Due Friday 15 January 2027, so the expected week of childbirth runs from Sunday 10 January 2027 to Saturday 16 January 2027
  2. The 15th week before it runs from Sunday 27 September 2026 to Saturday 3 October 2026. Tell the employer the due date and the leave planned by Saturday 3 October 2026
  3. Leave starts on or after the birth. If the baby arrives on the due date, it must end by Friday 14 January 2028, 52 weeks after the birth
  4. First week: starts on the day of the birth. If the baby arrives on the due date, that is Friday 15 January 2027 to Thursday 21 January 2027. Notice of these dates by Sunday 13 December 2026 (28 days before the expected week begins)
  5. Second week: starts on a set date. That is Monday 1 March 2027 to Sunday 7 March 2027. Notice of these dates by Monday 1 February 2027 (28 days before the set date)
  6. Pay needs 26 weeks' continuous employment ending with the 15th week before. A part first week counts, so the latest start date is Saturday 11 April 2026. Started Monday 2 March 2026: meets the test
  7. 90% of £200.00 is £180.00 (rounded up to the penny). The lower of that and £194.32 is £180.00 a week
  8. £180.00 × 2 weeks = £360.00 before tax and National Insurance

Give the due date by Saturday 3 October 2026, then notice of the first week by Sunday 13 December 2026. Statutory Paternity Pay is £180 a week, £360 in total.

Use it with context

Dates and pay for a birth in Great Britain

Use the dates to plan cover and confirm the request. The calculator does not replace the employee's notice or settle an unusual case.

This calculator covers

  • The expected week and the 15th week before it
  • One week, two weeks together or two separate weeks
  • Notice deadlines for birth-linked and set start dates
  • Early and late births, and the 52-week window
  • A Statutory Paternity Pay estimate at 2026/27 rates

Check the full guidance for

  • Adoption, surrogacy and overseas adoption timings
  • Northern Ireland, which keeps 26 weeks' service and a 56-day window
  • Neonatal care leave, a separate right since 6 April 2025
  • Agency workers, directors, late notice and changed dates
  • Average weekly earnings, and pay after an early birth
From calculation to record

Book the agreed weeks with the rest of the leave

HollyHR includes a paternity leave type in time off, so the agreed weeks sit in the same calendar as everyone else's leave. Work out the dates here, then record them there.

See time off in HollyHR
Questions

About the paternity leave calculator

How long is statutory paternity leave?

One or two weeks. Two weeks can be taken together or as two separate weeks, but each part is a whole week. For a part-time employee, a week of leave is the days they normally work in a week.

When can paternity leave be taken?

From the birth until 52 weeks after it. If the baby arrives before the expected week, the 52 weeks run from the first day of that week instead. Leave cannot start before the birth.

What notice does the employee need to give?

The due date and the leave they plan, by the end of the 15th week before the expected week. Then the dates of each period at least 28 days ahead. For leave tied to the birth, the 28 days count back from the start of the expected week.

Who can take paternity leave?

An employee who is the baby's father, or the mother's husband, wife, civil partner or partner, and who will share responsibility for bringing up the child. The leave is to care for the baby or support the mother. Check the GOV.UK eligibility page for agency workers, directors and other cases.

Does an employee need 26 weeks' service for paternity leave?

Not in Great Britain for a baby due from 5 April 2026 or born from 6 April 2026: leave is a day-one right. Statutory Paternity Pay still needs 26 weeks' continuous employment ending with the 15th week before the expected week.

How much is Statutory Paternity Pay in 2026/27?

The lower of £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, from 6 April 2026. No SPP is due if average earnings are below the lower earnings limit for the year the 15th week before the due week falls in: £129 a week when that is in 2026/27. Tax and National Insurance are deducted as normal.

Does this cover adoption, surrogacy or neonatal care?

Not the dates. For an adoption, leave runs from the placement and notice is due within 7 days of the match. Intended parents in a surrogacy follow the birth. Neonatal care leave, from 6 April 2025, is a separate right of up to 12 weeks.

Keep going

Useful next steps

GuideMaternity and family leave
GlossaryPaternity leave
GlossaryStatutory Paternity Pay

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