Glossary · UK
What is Keeping in Touch (KIT) Days?
Up to 10 optional days an employee on maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave can work for their employer without losing Statutory Maternity Pay or the corresponding leave entitlement for that week.
Full Definition
Keeping in Touch (KIT) days are up to 10 days an employee on maternity leave or adoption leave can work for their employer during the leave period without it ending their leave or Statutory Maternity Pay (or Statutory Adoption Pay) entitlement, provided both the employee and employer agree -- the employer cannot force an employee to work KIT days, and the employee is not obliged to agree to work them. "Work" for KIT day purposes can include any activity done under the employment contract: attending a training day, a team meeting, a conference, or a normal working day, and even a small amount of work on a given day (for example, attending a two-hour meeting) counts as using a whole KIT day, regardless of hours worked. Employees on Shared Parental Leave have a similar but separate allowance called Shared Parental Leave in Touch (SPLIT) days, currently up to 20 days, reflecting the potentially longer period over which Shared Parental Leave can be taken by one or both parents. Pay for KIT days (and SPLIT days) is not set by statute and is instead a matter of agreement between employer and employee -- many employers pay normal full pay for a day worked as a KIT day, though the employer must ensure the employee still receives at least Statutory Maternity Pay for that week if working the KIT day would otherwise reduce their pay below the statutory floor. Working beyond the 10-day KIT day allowance (or 20-day SPLIT day allowance) during the leave period -- other than in a way that constitutes the employee actually ending their leave and returning to work -- breaches the rules and can result in the loss of Statutory Maternity Pay for that week, so employers need to track KIT days used carefully, particularly where an employee works several partial days for different purposes (client work, training, appraisals) that could each separately count as a KIT day. KIT days are optional for both parties and are intended to help maintain a connection with the workplace, ease the return to work, and allow the employee to keep up to date with developments while on leave, without being treated as ending the leave itself.