Shared parental leave: how sharing leave between parents works

Shared parental leave (SPL) lets parents split up to a year of leave between them instead of the mother taking it all. It is genuinely flexible, chronically underused, and wrapped in fiddly rules. Here is how it actually works.

The numbers

SPL starts from the mother's entitlement: 52 weeks of maternity leave and 39 weeks of pay. The two weeks of compulsory maternity leave after birth always stay with the mother. Everything after that can be shared:

• Up to 50 weeks of leave between both parents
• Up to 37 weeks of statutory shared parental pay at £194.32 a week (2026/27), or 90% of average earnings if lower

You can take it at the same time as each other, one after the other, or in alternating blocks with returns to work in between. Blocks are where SPL gets clever: a parent can take leave, come back, then take more later.

How it is triggered

The mother must end, or commit to ending, her maternity leave. She does this by giving her employer a curtailment notice, or by simply returning to work. Once maternity leave ends, the untaken balance becomes available as SPL for either parent to book.

Each parent then gives their own employer at least eight weeks' notice for each block of leave they want.

Who is eligible

Both parents have to meet basic tests:

• The mother must be entitled to maternity leave or pay and have curtailed it
• Each parent taking SPL must have worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the due date, and still be employed the week before their block starts
• The other parent must meet a looser work-and-earnings test over the previous 66 weeks

The same structure applies to adoption, using adoption leave as the starting point.

Keeping in touch

SPL has its own version of keeping in touch days: each parent can work up to 20 SPLIT days during their leave without ending it, on pay agreed with the employer.

Why so few people use it

Uptake has been stuck in the low single digits since SPL launched in 2015, and the reason is usually money. Statutory pay is £194.32 a week, and in most couples the higher earner taking months of leave at that rate is not affordable. Enhanced employer schemes change the maths completely, so check both employers' policies before deciding: some now match full maternity pay for SPL as well.

Also weigh it against the simpler options. Paternity leave is two weeks, straightforward and now a day-one right. SPL makes most sense when you want one parent home for longer than that without the mother using her whole entitlement.

The wider picture

For the pay rates SPL builds on, see our statutory maternity pay guide, and for the return afterwards, returning to work after maternity leave. Your rights are protected while you are off: being treated badly for taking or asking for SPL is unlawful, and pregnancy and maternity discrimination covers the common patterns.

If your employer is refusing SPL you are entitled to, blocking block-booking without a good reason, or your role has mysteriously changed while you were off, tell us what is happening and we will match you with a specialist within 24 hours.