Parental leave

If you have worked for the same employer for 12 months, you are entitled to 18 weeks leave per child. You must use it whilst the child is under 18 years old, and you must be a parent (on the birth certificate, adoptive or having acquired legal parental responsibility).

You can usually take this up to a maximum of four weeks in a year, and must give at least 21 days notice to your employer.

The employer can postpone your leave at the time requested if it would cause disruption the company. If so, you must be informed within seven days of your request for leave being made.

The time off is unpaid, unless your employer has stated otherwise as a contractual right.

Parental Bereavement Leave is a law that came into force in April 2020. This gives all employed parents a statutory right to two weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18. You can read more about this on the ACAS website here.

In the UK, the Carer’s Leave Act has recently become law, and will come into effect at earliest by April 2024. This new Act will give unpaid carers balancing unpaid care with paid employment the legal right to five days of unpaid carer’s leave.