Answers · UK 2025/26

How does Shared Parental Leave pay work in 2026/27?

Shared Parental Leave (ShPL) lets eligible parents split up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between them after the initial 2-week compulsory maternity leave period. Statutory Shared Parental Pay is paid at the lower of £187.18 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings for 2026/27, the same flat rate as Statutory Paternity Pay.

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

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Shared Parental Leave (ShPL) allows a mother (or primary adopter) to convert some of her maternity leave and pay entitlement into leave and pay that can be shared with her partner, giving families more flexibility in how they divide childcare in the first year after birth or adoption. **How much leave and pay can be shared** Out of the standard 52 weeks of maternity leave and 39 weeks of maternity pay, a mother can choose to end her maternity leave and pay early (after a compulsory minimum of 2 weeks following birth, or 4 weeks for factory workers) and convert the remaining balance into ShPL: up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay, to be shared between both parents. **Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) rate** ShPP is paid at the lower of £187.18 a week or 90% of the claiming parent's average weekly earnings for 2026/27 -- the same flat rate used for Statutory Paternity Pay, and lower than the enhanced first-6-weeks rate available under Statutory Maternity Pay. **Flexibility in how it is taken** Parents can take ShPL either as one continuous block each, or split it into up to three separate blocks each, and can even choose to be off work at the same time as each other for some periods, or stagger it so one parent returns to work while the other takes over -- this flexibility is one of the main advantages over the older paternity-only system. **Eligibility** Both parents generally need to meet employment and earnings tests: the parent taking ShPL needs 26 weeks continuous employment by the qualifying week and to remain employed up to the start of their leave, while the other parent needs to have worked at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the due date and earned above a minimum threshold. **Worked example** After Emma takes 12 weeks of maternity leave (2 weeks compulsory plus 10 weeks paid at the enhanced/flat SMP rates), she and her partner James decide to split the remaining entitlement: Emma returns to work while James takes 20 weeks of ShPL, receiving £187.18 a week for the paid portion (assuming his earnings support that rate), before both eventually return to work. **Why families use it** ShPL is particularly useful where the second parent wants meaningful time with a new baby beyond the standard 1-2 weeks of paternity leave, or where it makes more financial or career sense for the mother to return to work earlier while the other parent takes on primary caregiving for a period.