Shared Parental Leave and Pay

What it is about

Shared Parental Leave (SPL) gives you and your partner more flexibility in how to share the care of your child in their first year. You can choose to be off work together or stagger your leave and pay.

What is involved

Instead of taking standard maternity or paternity leave, you can share the time off. You must check your eligibility (usually requiring continuous employment and meeting earnings thresholds).

Timeframes

You need to share the pay and leave in the first year after your child is born (or placed with your family). We set a milestone at your child's first birthday to remind you before the window closes.

What you benefit from

You can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between you.