Key points: Shared Parental Leave and Pay

• employed mothers will continue to be entitled to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance;

• if they choose to do so, an eligible mother can end her maternity leave early and, with her partner or the child’s father, will be able to opt for Shared Parental Leave instead of Maternity Leave. If they both meet the qualifying requirements and both qualify, they will need to decide how they divide their total Shared Parental Leave and Pay entitlement between them;

• paid Paternity Leave of two weeks will continue to be available to fathers and a mother’s or adopter’s partners;

• Shared Parental Leave replaces the current Additional Paternity Leave system, which enables a mother who returns to work early to transfer the remaining period of her leave to her partner, from April 2015;

• adopters will have the same rights as other parents to Shared Parental Leave and Pay; and

• intended parents in surrogacy who meet certain criteria will be eligible for statutory Adoption Leave and Pay and Shared Parental Leave and Pay.

Source: Acas