The laws on paternity leave change today and mean that any father whose baby is born after 5th April 2015 will be allowed to share what is now termed Shared Parental Leave.
Mothers will still take two weeks compulsory maternity leave after the birth, with the traditional two weeks of paternity leave at statutory pay also staying, but from then on the mother can choose to end her maternity leave early in order for dad to take over. This means that businesses need to be prepared for requests from dads-to-be or the partners of new mothers for up to 50 weeks leave, 37 weeks of which will be liable for parental pay. Mothers will still be entitled to the full 52 weeks leave and 39 weeks pay allowance should they choose to take it. Adopters will also be eligible for the same rights.
This will be interesting news , coming hot on the heels of a report which suggested that a third of fathers were taking annual leave rather than attempting to survive on the statutory paternity leave pay.
Official predictions are that just four per cent of families will take up the new offer in the 2015, with a sharp increase expected in the following years.
Any thoughts or observations are welcome in the comments section. Have your say over the new rules.
Brilliant news and a great opportunity for dads, hope you don`t mind me reblogging………:)
Of course not! Will be interesting to see how it takes off in the next few years.
Reblogged this on funkydaddy and commented:
A great idea if this suits your domestic and financial situation, I’m 7 weeks into additional paternity leave and loving every minute of it!