The first weeks with a newborn are precious and exhausting in equal measure, and how much time off you can take — and what you’ll be paid — shapes them more than almost anything. The UK system has a few different kinds of leave that can fit together, and the rates and rules change regularly, so treat this as a plain-language map rather than the final word: always confirm the current details on GOV.UK or with your employer.
Maternity leave for the birthing parent
Eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave — 26 weeks of “ordinary” leave and 26 of “additional”. You don’t have to use all of it, but you must take at least two weeks off after the birth (four if you work in a factory).
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) can be paid for up to 39 weeks: typically the first six weeks at 90% of your average weekly earnings, then the rest at a flat statutory rate (or 90% of your earnings if that’s lower). If you don’t qualify for SMP — for example if you’re self-employed — you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance instead.
Leave for a partner or second parent
A partner or the baby’s other parent can usually take one or two weeks of Statutory Paternity Leave, paid at the flat statutory rate, taken as a single block within a set window after the birth. It can’t normally be split into odd days, so plan when you’ll use it.
Shared Parental Leave
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) is the flexible option: eligible parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay across the first year, once the birthing parent ends — or commits to ending — their maternity leave. You can take it in blocks, at the same time as each other or in turns, which lets you overlap in the hardest early weeks or hand over later.
A quick map
| Leave | Roughly who and how long |
|---|---|
| Maternity Leave | Birthing parent, up to 52 weeks (39 paid as SMP) |
| Paternity Leave | Partner/2nd parent, 1–2 weeks |
| Shared Parental Leave | Shared, up to 50 weeks leave / 37 paid |
| Maternity Allowance | If not eligible for SMP |
Practical tips
- Tell your employer in good time — there are notice deadlines for maternity and paternity leave, and missing them can affect your pay.
- Keep your paperwork (your MATB1 maternity certificate, payslips) somewhere easy to find.
- Plan how you’ll split it as a couple early — especially if you want to use SPL, which takes a bit of arranging.
- Check the current figures, because the rates and thresholds are updated regularly.
The short version
Time off after a baby isn’t a luxury — it’s how you recover, feed, and bond in the weeks that ask the most of you, and sharing it as a couple lightens the load on everyone. Sort the admin early so it isn’t hanging over the first weeks themselves, protect time for your own recovery and wellbeing, and — if you’re two — decide together how you’ll divide the days and the load that comes with them.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Leave types, amounts, eligibility, and deadlines change and depend on your circumstances — always check the current rules on GOV.UK and with your employer.