Shared Parental Leave Entitlement

[SELONDMUM]

I lost my job when I was already pregnant. I’ve been unable to get a permanent role since and hoping now that I might be able to get freelance work before the baby comes. We really wanted my husband to take a few months of shared parental leave but from what I can find online it’s only possible if I’m in a permanent contract with an employer and not if I’m self employed. Does anyone have any experience of this?

You being self-employed doesn’t prevent your husband from taking SPL, as long as you both satisfy the tests. Your husband needs to be an employee and have sufficient continuous employment, but you can be self employed as long as you have worked for the required number of weeks and earn the required amount. You can see the criteria here: https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay/eligibility-for-birth-parents