Paternity Pay UK: Rates, Rules and How to Claim It
When your partner has a baby, or you adopt a child, you may be entitled to two weeks off work with pay. This guide explains how much paternity pay is worth, who qualifies, and how to claim it.
Key takeaways
- Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week in 2026/27, or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower.
- Take one or two weeks off, together or split, within a year of the birth.
- Paternity leave is a day-one right from 6 April 2026, but the pay still needs 26 weeks with your employer.
- Tell your employer the due date at least 15 weeks before the baby is due.
- If you do not qualify, shared parental leave, annual leave or unpaid parental leave may still help.
What paternity pay is
Paternity pay is what your employer pays you while you take paternity leave after the birth or adoption of a child. The statutory scheme sets a legal minimum, and many employers pay more, so the statutory figure is a floor, not a ceiling.
It is paid through payroll, like wages, with tax and National Insurance deducted. It is for the father, the husband or partner of the mother (including same-sex partners), the child's adopter, or the intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement, taking time off to look after the child.
How much paternity pay you get in 2026/27
For 2026/27, Statutory Paternity Pay is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. It is paid for each week of leave, up to two weeks, so the most the statutory scheme pays is £388.64.
Average weekly earnings are worked out over eight weeks ending with the qualifying week, the 15th week before the baby is due, and include overtime and bonuses. Our UK salary calculator turns an annual salary into weekly figures. The 90% rule matters for lower earners: below about £216 a week, 90% of your pay is under the cap, so you get 90% of your own earnings; above that, everyone gets the same flat rate.
Who qualifies for paternity pay
You must pass three tests at once: your relationship to the child, your service, and your earnings. Miss one and there is no statutory pay.
First, you must be the baby's father, the mother's husband, civil partner or partner, the child's adopter, or the intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement. Most agency and contract workers are not eligible, because the pay is tied to employee status. Second, you must have been continuously employed by the same employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of any day in the qualifying week, and still be employed up to the date of birth.
Third, your average weekly earnings must be at least £129 a week before tax, the Lower Earnings Limit for 2026/27. If your baby is born early, you still qualify if you would have reached 26 weeks by the qualifying week.
Since 6 April 2026, paternity leave has been a day-one right, so you can take the leave from your first day in a new job. The pay still needs the 26 weeks and the £129 earnings test, so a new starter can take two weeks off and get no statutory pay for them.
How long you can take off and when it must end
You can take one or two weeks, together as one block or split into two separate one-week blocks. You get the same amount even for twins. A week of leave is the number of days you normally work in a week, so if you work Mondays and Tuesdays only, one week of leave is two days. Leave cannot start before the birth and must end within 52 weeks of it, or of the due date if the baby arrives early. You can start on the day of the birth or a set date after it, with 28 days' notice to change your start date.
How to claim paternity pay
You claim through your employer, and you do not need to give proof of the pregnancy or the birth. First, tell your employer the baby's due date at least 15 weeks before the baby is expected, using the online form on GOV.UK, which replaced the old paper form SC3, or your employer's own form. Second, at least 28 days before your leave starts, tell your employer when you want it to begin and whether you want one or two weeks. A general time, such as the day of the birth, is enough at first.
Adoption and surrogacy have different deadlines: for adoption, claim within seven days of being matched with a child; for surrogacy, within 28 days before you want your leave or pay to start. If your employer decides you do not qualify, it must tell you within 28 days using form SPP1 and explain why.
What your employer must do
Your employer must pay the statutory amount through payroll, deduct tax and National Insurance, and keep paying even if the business stops trading. It can then reclaim usually 92% from HMRC, or 109% with Small Employers' Relief. Employers also pay National Insurance on top of wages, and our guide to employers NI explains that side of the payroll bill. Your rights are protected on leave: you keep building up holiday, you are entitled to any pay rises, and you have the right to return to your job.
Paternity pay vs shared parental leave
Paternity pay covers two weeks. For longer, the main alternative is Shared Parental Leave, which lets parents share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay. It works by the mother ending her maternity leave or pay early, freeing the unused balance for either parent. Statutory Shared Parental Pay is paid at the same rate and can be taken in up to three blocks, and you can take paternity leave and shared parental leave in any order.
If you do not qualify
Not qualifying does not leave you with nothing. Self-employed parents cannot claim Statutory Paternity Pay today, but from April 2029 eligible self-employed parents in Great Britain will be able to get two weeks of paternity pay, worth up to £194 a week at today's rate. If you are employed but fall short on service or earnings, consider annual leave, or unpaid parental leave, which gives parents 18 weeks per child, unpaid, up to the child's 18th birthday. If your employer treats you unfairly, talk to your employer or trade union first, then Acas or Citizens Advice for free, impartial help.
Sources & further reading
- GOV.UK, Paternity pay and leaveVerified 12 Nov 2026.
- GOV.UK, Statutory Paternity Pay and Leave: employer guideVerified 12 Nov 2026.
- Acas, Statutory paternity payVerified 12 Nov 2026.
- MoneyHelper, Paternity leave and payVerified 12 Nov 2026.
This article is general information only, not financial advice.
Worked example: what two weeks of paternity pay is actually worth
Take an employee earning £600 a week on average. Ninety per cent of £600 is £540, which is well above the £194.32 weekly cap, so the statutory pay is £194.32 a week. Over two weeks that is £388.64, against £1,200 of normal pay, a shortfall of £811.36 before tax and National Insurance are taken off. The cap bites once earnings pass £215.91 a week, because 90% of £215.91 is £194.32, so almost every full-time earner gets the same flat rate, whatever their salary.
Now take a part-time employee earning £180 a week. Ninety per cent of £180 is £162, which is below the cap, so the statutory pay is £162 a week. Over two weeks that is £324, against £360 of normal pay, a shortfall of only £36. The 90% rule protects lower earners, while the flat rate hits middle and higher earners hardest, so run your own numbers before the baby arrives and set money aside for the gap if you can.