Shared parental leave and shared parental pay

New and updated

• Type:

  Quick reference

  Redundancy protection: pregnancy and family leave - protected periods

  Updated to set out the protected period for employees on bereaved partner’s paternity leave.

• Type:

  Quick reference

  Types of family leave

  Updated to include new details on bereaved partner's paternity leave.

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Redundancy: protection during pregnancy and during/after family-friendly leave

  Updated to confirm that enhanced redundancy protections will apply for employees taking, or returning, from bereaved partner's paternity leave. HR teams should ensure that their redundancy policies and processes reflect this additional protection.

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Shared parental pay

  Updated to reflect an increase in the rate of statutory shared parental pay from 5 April 2026, and an increase to the rate of Small Employers' Relief.

• Type:

  Employment law guide

  Shared parental leave

  Updated to confirm that, from 6 April 2026, under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employees no longer lose the right to take paternity leave if they have already taken a period of shared parental leave. HR teams should update their policies, and any internal communications to reflect this change.

• Type:

  Quick reference

  Statutory shared parental pay

  Updated to reflect the statutory shared parental pay rate in force from 5 April 2026. Employers should update payroll systems, relevant policies and check eligible employees are paid correctly.

• Type:

  FAQs

  Can employees take paternity leave as well as shared parental leave?

  The restriction preventing employees from taking paternity leave after a period of shared parental leave is removed from 6 April 2026. Employers will need to make sure their policies reflect this change.

• Date:

  18 February 2026

  Type:

  Commentary and insights

  April 2026 employment law changes: Six-point checklist for HR

  In April 2026, HR professionals face the challenge of dealing with business-as-usual employment law changes, such as increases in statutory maternity, paternity and sick pay, while also dealing with a raft of major changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025. We look at what HR needs to do to meet its employment law obligations this spring.

• Type:

  Policies and procedures

  Shared parental leave policy (adoption)

  Updated to reflect the right to take paternity leave after shared parental leave under the Employment Rights Act 2025, effective from 6 April 2026.

• Type:

  Policies and procedures

  Shared parental leave policy (birth)

  Updated to reflect the right to take paternity leave after shared parental leave under the Employment Rights Act 2025, effective from 6 April 2026.