Answers · UK 2025/26

How much is Statutory Paternity Pay in 2026/27?

Statutory Paternity Pay in 2026/27 is paid at the lower of £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, for up to 2 weeks, which can be taken together or as two separate one-week blocks within the first year after the birth or adoption.

Last updated: 1 July 2026Last reviewed: 1 July 2026How we verify

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Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) supports the partner of a new parent (not necessarily the biological father -- it can apply to a mother's partner, same-sex partner, or the partner in an adoption) to take a short period of paid leave around the arrival of a child. **The rate** Statutory Paternity Pay is paid at the lower of the standard statutory weekly rate (£194.32 for 2026/27) or 90% of the employee's average weekly earnings -- since 90% of most people's earnings above a fairly modest salary level exceeds £194.32, most eligible employees receive the flat £194.32 a week rate, rather than a percentage of their actual salary (unlike the higher 90%-of-earnings rate that applies for the FIRST six weeks of maternity or adoption pay, which has no equivalent higher tier for paternity pay). **Duration and how it can be taken** Eligible employees can take either one full week or two consecutive weeks of Statutory Paternity Leave and Pay -- as of recent rule changes, the two weeks no longer need to be taken consecutively and can instead be split into two separate one-week blocks if preferred, taken at different points within the first year after the birth or adoption (previously, paternity leave generally had to be taken within the first 8 weeks; this window has since been extended to within the first year). **Eligibility conditions** To qualify, the employee generally needs to have worked continuously for their employer for at least 26 weeks by a specified qualifying week (typically around the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth, or the equivalent notification week for adoption), and have average weekly earnings at or above the Lower Earnings Limit. They also need to have or expect to have responsibility for the child's upbringing and be the biological father, the mother's spouse or partner, or the adopter's partner. **Why paternity leave is much shorter than maternity or Shared Parental Leave** Statutory Paternity Leave (up to 2 weeks) is deliberately much shorter than Statutory Maternity Leave (up to 52 weeks) or the shared entitlement under Shared Parental Leave (up to 50 weeks combined) -- couples wanting the second parent to take significantly more time off than 2 weeks generally need to use Shared Parental Leave instead, converting some of the mother's (or primary adopter's) curtailed maternity/adoption entitlement into leave the partner can take. **Worked example** A new father earning £2,800 a month (average weekly earnings roughly £646) takes his full 2 weeks of Statutory Paternity Leave, split into one week immediately after the birth and a second separate week taken three months later. For each of the two weeks, he receives £194.32 (since this is lower than 90% of his weekly earnings, which would be around £581), a total of £388.64 in statutory paternity pay across the two weeks -- though many employers offer enhanced paternity pay above this statutory minimum. **Practical tip** Check your employer's specific paternity policy, since many employers (particularly larger organisations) offer enhanced pay well above the statutory £194.32 a week rate, and confirm the notice period your employer requires before each block of leave, since giving insufficient notice can delay when leave and pay can start.