Proposed changes to paternity and Shared Parental Leave
A report by the UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee (WEC): Equality at work: paternity and shared parental leave, published on 10th June 2025, has noted that the UK’s statutory parental leave system does not support working families effectively, including those on lower incomes and the self-employed. The UK Government is expected to launch a review no later than early July.
In this blog, employment law Partner, Samatha Castle, looks at the proposed changes to paternity and Shared Parental Leave.
How much parental leave do you get in the UK?
Currently, statutory paternity leave allows fathers to take up to two weeks off work, with £187.18 a week or 90% of their average earnings (whichever is lower). This amounts to less than 50% of the National Living Wage.
Fathers are not eligible if they are self-employed or earn less than £123 per week.
With Shared Parental Leave (SPL), parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay. There are different criteria for birth parents, adoptive parents and intended parents in surrogacy.
Paternity and Shared Parental Leave changes
How have the proposed changes come about?
In 2018, due to the low take-up of SPL, which was around only 1% of fathers who were taking it, the Government undertook an inquiry into SPL, which looked at fathers in the workplace. It was recommended that the Government consider an alternative policy to increase paid paternity leave to 12 weeks.
In 2024, WEC issued a call for evidence and published submissions from supporters. It also launched a survey for parents who had used the SPL scheme and those who had considered SPL but had decided not to use it. More than 1,300 people responded.
What are the proposed changes to paternity and Shared Parental Leave?
WEC has called upon the Government to impose the following changes:
Matching paternity pay to maternity pay
A suggestion has been put forward of raising paternity pay to match maternity pay within the first six weeks, with a phased statutory pay increase suggested for the longer term. This would mean that fathers receive six weeks of paternity leave pay, rather than two.
Updating the Employment Rights Bill
The Employment Rights Bill should be updated with new legislation for day one rights to paid paternity leave.
Simplifying shared parental leave eligibility rules
The Government must examine the function and necessity of SPL’s complex eligibility rules, as employers found the system difficult to understand. The WEC recommended simplifying or removing:
- Employment status
- Time in service
- Earnings criteria for parents
Increasing the period of paid paternity leave
According to MPs who backed the WEC report, the UK’s statutory parental leave system is ‘one of the worst in the developed world’. A reform programme in Spain resulted in both parents being offered 16 weeks full pay (six weeks after birth and 10 weeks to be taken after the six weeks or split into blocks), which is significantly more paid leave than currently offered in the UK
Programmes such as this can map out a positive route to increasing the period of paternity leave in the UK. At present, employers can choose to give more than the statutory paternity pay of two weeks, but it must be stated in the employee’s contract.
Introduction of paternity allowance
As we have mentioned above, self-employed and non-employee working fathers currently receive no statutory paid leave. WEC has suggested introducing a paternity allowance for self-employed fathers and other parents, which is similar to maternity allowance.
Reducing wider cultural and societal barriers
When the Government reviews the report, it must consider steps to reduce wider cultural and societal barriers to fathers taking more leave, in particular, those in working-class households and workplaces.
Contact our employment law solicitors
If you’re unsure what your rights are on maternity, paternity, and Shared Parental Leave as an employee or employer, get in contact with our experienced Employment Law team on 0117 325 2929 or fill out this form.
