ndividuals are entitled to statutory paternity pay of the rate that is currently £145.18 (or 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings if this figure is less than the statutory rate), however organisations may top this up to ‘enhanced paternity leave’. This would be stated within the contract of employment or company policies.

Maternity Leave

Employees are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave, no matter what the length of their employment. The 3 different periods of maternity leave are:
Compulsory Maternity Leave: which relates to the two-week period after the birth of the child. This forms part of the OML. Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML): The 26-week period of maternity leave that all pregnant women are entitled to in order for them to care for their child.
Additional Maternity Leave (AML): The additional 26 weeks leave that all pregnant women are entitled to take. This is optional and begins immediately after the OML, (to qualify for this. women must notify their employer in writing no later than 15 weeks before the anticipated due date and must include the date in which the OML leave will start.
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP):
Employees are entitled to be paid for the 39 weeks of the maternity leave, but to qualify the individual must have worked 26 weeks’ continuous service and must be able to pay the employers share of class 1 National Insurance. The first 6 weeks of maternity leave is paid at 90% (before tax) of the employees’ average weekly earnings. This is then reduced to £145.18 per week or 90% of the typical weekly earnings for the remaining 33 weeks (whichever is lower).
Other Benefits:
» All contractual terms such as holiday or benefits will remain the same except from remunerations during the maternity leave period. » Entitled to paid time of work to attend antenatal appointments during working hours.

Dependant Leave
The definition of a dependant is somebody who depends on an employee for their care. This could be one of the few: spouse, partner, child or parent. Every employee has the right to time off work in order to deal with unanticipated difficulties and emergencies. » There is no set amount of days which an employee can have off, however it is normally one or two days. Some employers may suggest taking annual leave depending on the circumstances, meaning the individual will be paid for their absence. There is no requirement for the employer to pay for this time off.

Adoption Leave