Shared Parental Leave: How It Works and How to Calculate Pay

Shared parental leave (SPL) lets eligible parents split up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them, starting from the birth of their child. If you're planning to share parental leave and want to understand how it works and calculate your weekly pay, this guide breaks down the eligibility rules, how to divide your time, and exactly what you'll earn during leave.

What Is Shared Parental Leave?

Shared parental leave is a statutory entitlement introduced in the UK in 2015 that fundamentally changed how parents can divide time at home after birth. Instead of one parent (usually the mother) taking a fixed block of maternity leave, both parents can now mix and match how they use the available leave and pay.

Here's the headline: you get up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of statutory pay between you, to use however you both agree. One parent can take it all, they can share it equally, or they can stagger it so one stays home while the other works — the choice is yours.

The statutory rate of shared parental pay (ShPP) is lower than the statutory maternity pay rate for the first 6 weeks (which is 90% of average earnings). This is why financial planning matters. See the gov.uk Shared Parental Leave guidance for the current statutory rates.

Who's Eligible for Shared Parental Leave?

Not every parent qualifies, so check these rules first:

Both parents must meet these conditions:

You've worked for your employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before your expected due date (the "qualifying week")
Your partner has been employed in the 66 weeks before the due date and earned at least [STAT NEEDED: SMP qualifying threshold] in at least 13 of those weeks
You intend to share childcare after leave ends

Applies to:

Opposite-sex married or civil partnerships
Same-sex married or civil partnerships
Unmarried couples living together

Does not apply to:

One parent's employer has fewer than 50 employees (some employers are exempt, though many offer SPL anyway)
Self-employed parents (they may qualify for Maternity Allowance instead — see our guide on Maternity and Paternity Pay: What You Are Entitled To for details)

How Shared Parental Leave Works

This is where it gets practical. Here's the timeline:

Weeks 1–2 (the "compulsory leave" period): The birth-giving parent must take at least 2 weeks off for recovery. This is non-negotiable legally (though employers sometimes allow more).

Weeks 3–52 (the "flexible leave" pool): After week 2, up to 50 weeks of leave is available to share. You can use it however you want:

One parent takes it all
Parent A takes weeks 3–27, Parent B takes weeks 28–52
Parent A takes weeks 3–10 and 28–35, Parent B takes weeks 11–27 and 36–52
Parent A takes every other week while the other works (staggered)

Pay during those 52 weeks:

Weeks 1–6: the birth-giving parent gets statutory maternity pay at 90% of average earnings
Weeks 7–39: the person taking leave gets the statutory flat rate (ShPP)
Weeks 40–52: no statutory pay

This is why the "37 weeks of pay" claim you'll see — it's 6 weeks at 90% plus 31 weeks at the statutory rate, totalling 37 weeks where someone is getting paid.

Making it official: You must give at least 8 weeks' notice of your SPL dates in writing. Your employer has 14 days to respond and can only refuse if they genuinely can't cover your absence (rare). Use the gov.uk SPL notification form SL1 or your employer's own form. Your partner must also declare their entitlement to confirm they're eligible — both of you need to submit forms before leave starts.

Calculating Your Shared Parental Pay

Let's work through a realistic example. Imagine:

Parent A (the birth-giving parent) earns £28,000/year (£538/week average)
Parent B earns £32,000/year (£615/week average)
They want Parent A to take weeks 1–20, Parent B to take weeks 21–40

Parent A's pay:

Weeks 1–6: 90% of £538 = £484/week (6 weeks = £2,904)
Weeks 7–20: statutory rate at [STAT NEEDED: current ShPP weekly rate] = £[X]/week (14 weeks = £[Y])
Total for Parent A: roughly £[Z] (numbers depend on the current statutory rate)

Parent B's pay:

Weeks 1–20: no pay (still employed, but on unpaid leave)
Weeks 21–40: statutory rate at [STAT NEEDED: current ShPP weekly rate] = £[X]/week (20 weeks = £[Y])
Weeks 41–52: no statutory pay (12 weeks unpaid)
Total for Parent B: roughly £[Z]

The key insight: statutory parental pay is flat-rate, not earnings-related (except for the first 6 weeks of maternity pay). So the higher-earning parent doesn't get paid more during SPL — they both get the same statutory rate if they're taking SPL weeks.

If either parent is a higher earner or has an enhanced maternity/paternity package from their employer, that can change the calculation. Always check your employee handbook or ask HR.

Planning Your Finances Around Shared Parental Leave

The income drop during parental leave is real. Even with statutory pay, you'll typically earn 30–50% less than normal.

Before you go on leave:

Calculate your household budget on the reduced income (use both parents' SPL pay as the baseline, not your normal salary)
Build a buffer of 3–6 months' expenses. See our guide on Preparing Your Finances for Maternity Leave
Review your childcare costs for when you return to work; the 30-hour free childcare scheme and Tax-Free Childcare can help offset costs. Use our calculator on How to Calculate Childcare Costs for Your Area

Pension and National Insurance:

Weeks where you're on unpaid leave (weeks 41–52, or whenever you're not being paid SPL) still count toward your State Pension, but your employer does NOT make pension contributions
If you have a workplace pension, those weeks off might affect your auto-enrolment contributions — check with HR

Tax and benefits:

Your income during leave is still taxable — the statutory rates are paid gross, but you may owe less tax overall because your annual earnings are lower
If you're on statutory pay only, you might qualify for Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit top-ups — use the gov.uk benefits calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can we use shared parental leave for multiple children? A: SPL applies per child. If you have twins, you get 50 weeks of leave for both of them (not 50 weeks each). If you have a second child later, you get another 50 weeks for that child, but only if you haven't used SPL for a previous child or if that previous child is now over 1 year old.

Q: What if one parent earns much more than the other? A: Statutory parental pay is flat-rate, so it doesn't matter. However, if the higher earner's employer offers enhanced maternity/paternity pay (e.g., full salary for 12 weeks), they may lose that benefit if they switch to SPL instead. Check your handbooks — sometimes SPL calculations are different from standard maternity.

Q: Can we split leave week-by-week, or does it have to be in blocks? A: You can use SPL in blocks as short as a single week, and you can stagger it (one parent works one week, the other the next). However, you need to give 8 weeks' notice for each new block, so ad-hoc single weeks are tricky. Most parents plan in blocks of at least 4–8 weeks.

Q: Do I still qualify if I'm self-employed? A: No, you don't qualify for SPL. You may qualify for Maternity Allowance (if you're the birth-giving parent), which is lower than statutory maternity pay but more flexible. See Maternity and Paternity Pay: What You Are Entitled To for details.

Q: What if my employer goes bust or I'm made redundant while on leave? A: If you're made redundant, you still get your statutory pay for the weeks you're entitled to. However, if your employer becomes insolvent, the Insolvency Service will pay your statutory entitlements (up to caps set by law). Seek advice from ACAS if this happens.

Q: Can my employer ask me to come back early? A: No. SPL is a statutory right. Your employer cannot require you to cut your leave short. However, you can voluntarily return early if you both agree.

Q: If my partner doesn't take any leave, do I lose it? A: No. If your partner doesn't use their share, you can take up to 50 weeks of leave. However, you can only get 37 weeks of statutory pay between you both — the total pay doesn't increase if one partner doesn't use their weeks.

Plan Ahead and Get the Details Right

If you're expecting, use our due date calculator to work backwards and set your SPL start date. Then use Postpartum Recovery Timeline: What to Expect by Week to plan when you both might feel ready to return to work.

For the financial side, start preparing your finances for maternity leave now. Build that buffer, check your employer's enhanced packages, and use the gov.uk benefits calculator to see if you'll qualify for support.

Shared parental leave is one of the most family-friendly policies in the UK — use it to your advantage, but plan the finances carefully. The income drop is real, and the earlier you start preparing, the less stressful those first weeks back to work will be.