Statutory Paternity Pay Calculator UK

Paternity rights changed meaningfully in April 2026, but in a way that's created a genuinely confusing split: paternity leave is now a day-one right you can take from your first day in a job, while paternity pay still requires 26 weeks of service. It's now entirely possible, common, even, for a new starter to be entitled to two weeks off but not a penny of statutory pay for them. This calculator works out where you stand on both.

The 2026/27 rate

Statutory Paternity Pay is the lower of £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, for up to 2 weeks. Unlike maternity pay, there's no enhanced earnings-related phase, it's the flat structure from day one. Anyone averaging above roughly £216 a week receives the full £194.32; below that, you get 90% of your earnings.

Leave vs pay: the two different tests

Paternity leave — a day-one employment right since 6 April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act. No minimum service. Start a job on Monday, take paternity leave the following week if your baby arrives.

Statutory Paternity Pay — still requires:

• 26 weeks of continuous employment with your employer by the end of the qualifying week (the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth)
• Average weekly earnings of at least the Lower Earnings Limit, £129 a week for 2026/27
• Being the child's father, the mother's partner, or the adopter's partner, with responsibility for the child's upbringing

If you qualify for the leave but not the pay, the two weeks are unpaid at the statutory level, check whether your employer offers enhanced paternity pay, which a growing number do.

How the leave can be taken

Since April 2024, the 2 weeks no longer need to be taken together or immediately after birth:

• Take them as two separate one-week blocks, or one two-week block, whole weeks only, not odd days
• Take them any time within 52 weeks of the birth or adoption placement

This flexibility is genuinely useful: one week at the birth, one week when your partner returns to work, or when grandparent help ends, is a common pattern.

Notice requirements

• 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth: tell your employer you intend to take paternity leave (form SC3 or your employer's equivalent)
• 28 days before each block of leave: confirm the actual start date, and you can change dates with 28 days' fresh notice

For adoption, the notice anchors to the week you're notified of the match rather than a due date.

Worked example

Chris earns £31,200 a year (£600 a week) and has been with his employer for three years:

• 90% of £600 = £540, which exceeds £194.32, so the cap applies
• Two weeks of SPP: 2 x £194.32 = £388.64 gross, against £1,200 he'd normally earn in a fortnight
• SPP is taxed and NI'd like normal pay through payroll

The gap between £388.64 and normal earnings is why checking for an enhanced employer scheme, and budgeting ahead if there isn't one, matters.

After paternity leave: Shared Parental Leave

Paternity leave is separate from, and can be combined with, Shared Parental Leave. If the mother ends her maternity leave early, up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay (also at £194.32 a week) can be shared between parents, taken in blocks, together or separately. Since 6 April 2026, you can take paternity leave and pay either before or after Shared Parental Leave; the old restriction that forced paternity leave to be taken first has been removed.

Related entitlements worth knowing

• Neonatal care leave and pay: if your baby needs neonatal care, separate leave and pay (also £194.32 a week) applies on top of paternity entitlement
• Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave: from April 2026, a partner can take up to 52 weeks of leave as a day-one right where the child's mother or primary adopter dies
• Antenatal appointments: partners have the right to unpaid time off to attend up to two antenatal appointments
• Employer reclaim: employers recover 92% of SPP from HMRC (109% for small employers), the cost argument against paying it is weaker than it sounds

This is general guidance, not financial advice. For your specific entitlement and dates, check gov.uk or speak to your HR team.