Shared parental leave?? 2015

[Alexanna0202]

Hi, what does this new law mean for me and my husband.
Can I take 6months and he take 3/4/5 months off alongside me?
How does pay leave work? Is it just the maternity pay?
Thanks

My understanding is you can't both take leave at the same time. The idea is it can be shared between parents more evenly, so rather than you taking 6/9/12 months your husband can take some.

He can still take his ordinary paternity leave of one or two weeks with you, then he has the option to take additional paternity leave instead of your maternity. So if you chose to go back to work after 6 months he could then take the rest.

Your employers need to communicate to ensure you have enough entitlement left before he goes off. Pay wise, statuatory is 90% of salary for first 6 weeks then around £138 a week up to 9 months then you have the right to take another 3 months but it's usually unpaid. Of course, your or your husband's emplyer may have a more generous policy. The entitlement is shared, so you don't get anything extra, it's just more flexible about who can use it.

Hope that helps!

As far as I understand it, it's can't be taken at the same time, just one after the other. You can request discontinued blocks (e.g. alternating a month each) but it doesn't have to be agreed.

The only way you will benefit financially is if your husband's work have more generous parental leave pay than yours. The statutory will work out the same.

To clarify you can do this now- law in place since 2012. You have to take at least the first 20 weeks then your OH is entitled to the remainder.

The 2015 changes are proposed to make the sharing more flexible so you could do 3 mo, swap for 3 mo and then you take another 3 months. Not sure there is ever the option.for you both to be off at the same time beyond 2 weeks maternity support (paternity)