Shared parental leave - what is it and how does it work | Winston Solicitors Skip to main content
Legal news

Shared parental leave - what is it and how does it work

James Stephenson James Stephenson
2 min read

Shared Parental Leave (“SPL”) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (“ShPP”) have recently come into force. If your baby is due on or after 5 April 2015 (including if you adopt a child), you may be entitled to SPL and ShPP.

SPL entitles parents (or partners if they are not the parent) to split the period which the mother would normally take under maternity leave. This must be taken between birth of the child (or adoption) and its first birthday (or first year of adoption). For example, the mother could end her maternity leave after 12 weeks, then take 20 weeks of SPL leaving a further 20 weeks of SPL for the other parent/partner.

SPL can be taken in up to 3 separate blocks and these can either be taken separately or the mother and parent/partner can take the leave at the same time. It may be possible to split the blocks into shorter periods but the employer would have to agree to this.

If you are eligible for SPL you can start the period of SPL by the mother either:

· Ending any maternity (or adoption) leave by returning to work;

· Given “binding notice” to their employer of the date when they plan to end the maternity leave; or

· Ended maternity pay or allowance.

This means that SPL can begin whilst the mother is still on maternity leave, however please note that the mother cannot return to work in the first compulsory 2 weeks following birth, or 4 weeks if she works in a factory.

ShPP is worked out the same was as Statutory Maternity Pay (“SMP”) at the rate of £138.18 or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Currently although mothers are allowed to take a full 52 weeks of maternity leave, they are only entitled to SMP for 39 weeks (or 37 weeks if they are only entitled to Maternity Allowance). During the period of SPP, the mother and parent/partner can take the rest of the 39 weeks of maternity pay (or if allowance - 37 weeks) as ShPP.

Client feedback

Monika dealt very well with probate on a house of mine that I’m selling, she was very professional,Dealt quickly, and very polite. Kept me updated the whole way through .Thank you Monika five star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Anne-Marie
Great to deal with, quick replies to questions, would definitely recommend.
Megan
This team is really well organised, professional and thorough.My family have now used the Conveyancing service, both as Buyer and Seller, numerous times and have been extremely impressed and satisfied. They use simple and effective tools for great communication so you know the status at anytime and don't have to chase to find out. I would recommend Winston Solicitors without hesitation.
Marnie
I have just purchased my first property and used Winston Solicitors after being recommended by my Mortgage Advisor. I dealt with Samantha and Michelle who were amazing throughout the whole journey. They kept me informed of all steps throughout and responded to any queries in a timely manner. They also had an app where you could see progress and what the next steps would be which helped a lot for someone who didn’t know what to do. From putting my offer in to completed took around 8 weeks (no chain). Would highly recommend and I will definitely use them again in the future.
Mattheuw
Winston Solicitors were absolutely amazing! This was our second time moving house with Leasa and Julie and we genuinely cannot imagine the moving process without them! They were so friendly, kept us up to date throughout the whole process (without any legal jargon!) and kept communication open up and down the chain to ensure we had a quick and easy move (with 5 houses in the chain this was no mean feat!) Leasa and Julie went above and beyond, were always accessible via email and telephone, and there was never any need to “chase” because they were both so on top of everything! Words can’t express our gratitude for all the support they gave us in helping us move to our dream home. Thank you both so much!
Sophie
We found Winston Solicitors to be competent, pleasant and helpful and happy to discuss and explain the interpretation of the legal terms.
Anonymous
I'm really pleased with the work done so far,I'm proud and happy to use the Winston solicitors
Omonigho
Winston Solicitors have acted for me on many occasions for the conveyancing of property purchases and remortgages. I can't recommend Leasa Foster and her team enough. They make the transactions run very smoothly. They are clear with the information they provide to me, they are clear with the information they expect from me, and they are very thorough.
Sarah
Contact James