Paternity leave in the UK

Employed new fathers in the UK are now entitled to at least two weeks' paternity leave on the birth of their child. Some employers offer longer or more flexible deals than the legal minimum, but they cannot go below it. Here are the basics you need to know about your right to time off when your baby is born.

Paternity leave was introduced to the UK in 2003, and was long overdue! There's a minimum of 2 weeks off work, paid at a minimum of just over a £110 a week - not much, but it's something.

Our recommendation is that you:

1. read up on the legal minimum your employer has to offer (see below)
2. then find out what your employer offers (they may be better then the legal minimum, but they can't be worse)

Paternity Leave - the details

• Who's eligible and how do I get it?
• How long and how much?
• What if I'm Self Employed

What to do if you have problems with your employer

If your boss refuses, talk to the person above them, or to the HR department. If you have an employee representative (e.g. a trade union official), they may be able to help.

If this doesn't work, read this:

• What do I do if your rights are denied? 

What's all this about six month's paternity leave?

The Government has also said that it will introduce a scheme whereby dads can take six months off work, starting six months after the baby has born, and receive the maternity pay that their partner would have got if she had continued to take maternity pay.

They've called this scheme Additional Paternity Leave and it's designed to create the possibility that both parents can take six months off work during the first year of their baby's life, and still keep their jobs.

Great idea, you may think, so why the delay? Why indeed. Why not chivvy them along by writing to your MP.

Author

Tom Beardshaw is a co-founder and the Publisher at Dad Info, creating the website and the things we print. He lives and works in Cardiff raising his son and supporting his other lad in South Africa. Find his blog at www.tombeardshaw.com.

Your experiences

What do you think of the paternity leave system we've got in the UK? How long should new dads get? What do you think of the proposal for six month's additional paternity leave? What do you think the system should be? Share your thoughts using the comments system below.