LRD guides and handbook June 2016

Law at Work 2016

Chapter 9

Who is eligible for statutory maternity leave 


[ch 9: page 287]

Subject to notification rules set out below, all female employees are entitled to 52 weeks’ statutory maternity leave. There is no service requirement and no requirement to work a certain number of hours, or to reach any particular pay threshold. Only employees are eligible, not the self-employed or agency workers. For guidance on who is an employee, see Chapter 2.


A birth mother who gives birth in a surrogacy arrangement is entitled to statutory maternity leave and pay, including rights to time off for antenatal appointments (see above).