New rights for parents at work

New workers' rights came into force from 6 April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025, including for parents to certain types of leave with the correct notice, from day one of their employment. 

Previously, paternity leave was only available for employees who had worked for at least 26 weeks for the same employer and had to be taken within 8 weeks of the birth. Fathers or the mother's partner can now qualify for unpaid paternity leave straight away but must give their employer at least 15 weeks' notice of when the baby is due, and at least 28 days of when they want to take paternity leave, which must be taken within 52 weeks of the birth. Paternity leave is two weeks, which can be taken together or separately, and can be before or after shared parental leave. The rules for statutory paternity pay still require at least 26 weeks continuous employment. 

For more information see Paternity pay and leave: Overview - GOV.UK

Previously, unpaid parental leave was only available for employees if they had worked for at least 52 weeks. Parents can now qualify straight away but must give at least 21 days' notice of when they want the leave to start. The right to unpaid parental leave is up to 18 weeks’ leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 18th birthday, usually a maximum of 4 weeks a year. 

For more information see Unpaid parental leave: Overview - GOV.UK