Maternity, Paternity, Parental Leave and Time Off for Dependents Policy

Maternity Leave

Pregnant employees are entitled to:

26 weeks’ Ordinary Maternity Leave
26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave

This applies regardless of length of service or number of hours worked each week.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)

Employees with at least 26 weeks’ service by the end of the 15th week before the child’s expected birth may be entitled to SMP, provided their average weekly earnings are at or above the Lower Earnings Limit for National Insurance.

SMP is payable for 39 weeks:

First six weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings
Remaining 33 weeks: standard rate, adjusted periodically

SMP is subject to deductions for tax and National Insurance contributions.

Notifying the Company

To be eligible for maternity leave and SMP, employees must notify their line manager in writing by or during the 15th week before the expected week of the child’s birth. They must inform the manager of:

Pregnancy
Expected week of childbirth
Intended maternity leave start date
Date from which they will be claiming SMP

A MAT B1 certificate signed by a registered doctor or midwife must also be provided.

Returning to Work

Employees must give their line manager at least 8 weeks’ written notice if they wish to return to work before the end of their full maternity leave entitlement.

Paternity Leave and Pay

Eligible employees can take up to two weeks’ Statutory Paternity Leave following the birth of a child, taken in order to support the mother or care for the new child. It can be taken as a single week or two consecutive weeks but must be taken within 56 days of the birth.

Statutory Paternity Pay is paid at a fixed rate per week or 90% of average earnings if that is less.

Additional Paternity Leave and Pay

From 3rd April 2011, employees may qualify for Additional Paternity Leave and Pay under certain conditions.

Additional Paternity Leave is for a maximum of 26 weeks and can be taken between 20 weeks and one year after the child is born or placed for adoption.

Parental Leave

Eligible employees can take up to 13 weeks’ unpaid Parental Leave or 18 weeks’ unpaid leave if the child is disabled. Up to four weeks’ Parental Leave can be taken each year in blocks of one week or more.

Employees must give their line manager at least 21 days notice of their intention to take Parental Leave.

Time Off for Dependents

Employees are legally entitled to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with certain prescribed emergencies involving dependents. This leave is called Time off for Dependents.

Dependents include the employee’s child, spouse, or parent, as well as someone who lives in their household or reasonably relies on them.

Any time taken off must be necessary and reasonable in the particular circumstances.