Statutory Paternity Pay UK 2025: Eligibility, Rates and How to Claim

Statutory paternity pay gives eligible UK employees up to two weeks of paid leave around the birth or adoption of a child. At £187.18 per week for 2025/26 (or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower), it will not cover your full salary if you are a higher earner. But for many families, those two weeks provide a financial bridge during one of the most intense periods of early parenthood. Knowing the eligibility rules, rates and timelines before the birth means you can plan leave and budget without last-minute surprises.

This guide covers statutory paternity pay (SPP) for 2025/26: who qualifies, how much you receive, how it is paid, and how it interacts with shared parental leave. Use our paternity pay calculator to estimate your weekly and total SPP based on your average earnings.

SPP rates for 2025/26

Statutory paternity pay is the lower of £187.18 per week or 90% of your average weekly earnings. If you earn £600 per week (approximately £31,200 per year), 90% is £540, so the statutory cap of £187.18 applies. If you earn £200 per week, 90% is £180, which is below the cap, so you receive £180 per week. SPP is paid for either one week or two consecutive weeks. You choose how many weeks to take (one or two) and when the leave starts, within certain limits.

Eligibility for statutory paternity pay

To qualify for SPP you must be an employee (not self-employed or a worker without employment rights), earn at least £123 per week on average (the lower earnings limit for 2025/26), and have been continuously employed by the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth. You must also be the biological father, the mother's partner, the child's adopter, or the intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement.

The continuous employment test uses the same qualifying week as maternity pay: the 15th week before the baby is due. If the baby is due on 15 March 2026, count back 15 weeks to find the qualifying week, and you must have been employed since before that week began. Agency workers and those on zero-hours contracts may qualify if they meet the employment and earnings tests, but the employment relationship must be genuine rather than a series of short engagements.

Calculate your expected SPP with our paternity pay calculator and compare it against your partner's maternity pay using our maternity pay calculator to plan your combined household income during leave.

How average weekly earnings are calculated

Average weekly earnings for SPP are calculated over an eight-week reference period ending with the last normal payday on or before the end of the qualifying week. All gross earnings in that period are totalled and divided by the number of weeks (usually eight, but sometimes fewer if you are paid monthly and only two paydays fall in the window). Bonuses, commission and overtime in those eight weeks count towards the average.

If you are paid monthly and your reference period captures two monthly payslips, the total of both is divided by the number of weeks those payslips cover (typically eight to nine). Timing matters: a quarterly bonus landing in the reference period can push your average up, while one falling just outside it has no effect. If your earnings fluctuate, ask your payroll team which paydays fall in your reference period so you know what to expect.

Paternity leave vs paternity pay

Paternity leave and paternity pay are separate entitlements. You can take up to two weeks of paternity leave even if you do not qualify for SPP (for example, if your earnings are below the lower earnings limit). In that case the leave is unpaid. Conversely, qualifying for SPP does not extend the leave beyond two weeks. Additional time off would need to come from annual leave, unpaid leave, or shared parental leave.

Paternity leave must be taken in a single block of one or two weeks. It cannot be split into separate days or taken intermittently. The leave must start on or after the date of birth (or adoption placement) and must be completed within 56 days of the birth or the due date if the baby arrives early. You must give your employer at least 28 days' notice of your intended start date, though many employers are flexible if the baby arrives unexpectedly.

Enhanced paternity pay from employers

• Many large employers offer full pay for one or two weeks of paternity leave
• Enhanced pay is a contractual benefit, not a statutory right
• Check your employee handbook or HR portal for your company's paternity policy
• Enhanced pay may require a minimum length of service beyond the 26-week SPP test
• Some employers extend paternity leave to four weeks at full or partial pay

Shared parental leave as an alternative

Shared parental leave (SPL) allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after the mother's compulsory two-week maternity leave period. Shared parental pay is paid at the same rate as SPP: £187.18 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower. SPL offers far more flexibility than statutory paternity leave alone, allowing parents to take blocks of leave alternately or simultaneously.

The financial trade-off is straightforward. If the higher earner takes SPL instead of the lower earner extending maternity leave, the household may lose more income because the statutory rate is well below most salaries. But for families where both parents want to be involved in the early months, SPL provides options that two weeks of paternity leave cannot match. For a detailed look at maternity pay rates and duration, see our statutory maternity pay guide.

How SPP is paid and taxed

Your employer pays SPP through the normal payroll, deducting income tax and National Insurance in the usual way. The net amount you receive depends on your tax code and cumulative earnings for the tax year. If you have already used most of your personal allowance through salary earlier in the year, SPP may be taxed at 20% or higher. Your employer can reclaim 92% of the SPP paid from HMRC (103% if they qualify for small employers' relief with an annual NI liability below £45,000).

SPP does not affect your entitlement to other benefits during the leave period, though your pension contributions may reduce if they are calculated as a percentage of actual pay. Some employers continue full pension contributions during paternity leave as a contractual benefit. Check your pension scheme rules and your contract of employment for the exact treatment.

What if you do not qualify for SPP

Self-employed fathers and partners are not eligible for SPP because there is no employer to pay it. If you are employed but do not meet the 26-week service requirement or the earnings threshold, you may still be entitled to paternity leave (unpaid) but not SPP. In both cases, planning household finances around the statutory maternity pay your partner may receive becomes even more important.

Estimate your household income during the leave period by running both our paternity pay calculator and maternity pay calculator. Check your net pay with our UK salary calculator to understand the gap between your normal take-home and what SPP provides. Two weeks at £187.18 per week is a small amount for most families, but claiming what you are entitled to is straightforward and your employer handles the administration.

How to claim SPP from your employer

Tell your employer at least 28 days before you want your paternity leave to start. Provide your expected week of childbirth (or adoption placement date) and confirm whether you are taking one or two weeks. Your employer may ask for form SC3, the official paternity leave and pay claim form, though many employers use their own HR portal instead. You do not need to provide the birth certificate before leave starts, but your employer may ask for it afterwards to confirm the claim.

If your employer refuses SPP and you believe you qualify, you can ask HMRC to make a decision. HMRC will assess your eligibility based on your employment history and earnings. In practice, refusals are rare when the qualifying criteria are met. Keep copies of payslips from the eight-week reference period and proof of your continuous employment in case of any dispute.

Budgeting for paternity leave

If you earn £45,000 per year (roughly £3,750 per month gross), your normal take-home after tax and NI is approximately £2,850 per month. Two weeks of SPP at the statutory cap of £187.18 per week gives you about £374 gross, or roughly £300 after tax. That is a shortfall of around £1,100 compared to your normal fortnightly pay. Building a small buffer in the months before the birth covers the gap without stress.

Some employers top up SPP to full pay for one or two weeks, which transforms the financial picture. Check your contract and speak to HR early in the pregnancy so you know exactly what to expect. If enhanced paternity pay is not available, consider whether shared parental leave offers a better financial arrangement for your household, particularly if your partner's employer provides generous maternity pay that extends beyond the statutory minimum.