New paternity leave rules will come into force from next month to give new dads more flexibility and a slight pay rise, the government has announced.
The changes will mean that new fathers can take their statutory two-week leave in separate one-week chunks, instead of having to take it as two consecutive weeks, as well as giving them an extra £13 a week.
However, the changes have been criticised as, despite the tweaks, campaigners say more needs to be done to help new dads in the early stages of fatherhood.
At present, the UK has the least generous paternity leave entitlement in Europe, giving new fathers just two weeks leave with a statutory pay of £172 a week – less than half the national living wage. The change, which comes into effect for babies born after April 6 will see dads getting a £13 a week rise to £185.03.
But some new dads have said the changes are ‘pointless’ and they will still not be able to afford to spend time with their new families.
Sean Craig, spoke to the BBC about the struggles he faced preparing for the arrival of his daughter, as they realised they would not be able to afford the ‘massive drop’ in wages.
Sean explained that he would not be able to afford his rent with the current £172.48 weekly maximum
“That’s not even two shifts a week,” says Sean, who works night shifts in a casino.
Instead, Sean chose to take two weeks of annual leave instead – almost half of which was spent looking after baby Isla, who had jaundice, in hospital.
A survey from parenting charity Pregnant Then Screwed (PTS), in 2024, found of more than 500 new fathers and secondary parents who did not take their full paternity or parental leave allowance, 70% said they could not afford to.
In a similar survey, in 2023, 43% said they could not use their full parental leave entitlement because of financial concerns.
Meanwhile, fathers are ineligible for statutory paternity leave if they are self-employed, earn less than £123 a week or have not been continuously employed by the same company for at least 26 weeks.
Further reading
Employment terms and conditions and breach of contract – Oakwood Solicitors
Paternity leave rights – Oakwood Solicitors
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Fiona Almazedi has been with Oakwood Solicitors for the last 10 years working as a consultant and taking up the position of Head of Employment on the 3rd January 2024.
Fiona has over 20 years of ex…
