Dad being the main carer to baby entitlement

[Kevinh1287]

Hi mumsnet not sure if anyone knows or has been in the same situation but due to circumstances I'm needing to be the main carer to my baby boy that's due to be born in 1 and a half weeks and I currently work full time just now and I've been told that I'm entitled to 2 weeks paternity pay but surely am entitled to longer pay? I've read about shared maternity pay but my partner doesn't work so that wouldn't apply to me so it would only be me applying for this maternity/paternity pay.

You might find this thread useful -
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/money-matters/4823154-paternity-leave-and-benefits-when-father-takes-full-custody#:~:text=Yes%20they%20can.,-Show%20quote%20history&text=He%20can%20take%2037%20weeks,weeks%20paid%20off%20in%20total.

You may need to be more specific around the individual circumstances as that may change things/open up different options. As it stands, if your partner doesn't meet the work/pay criteria for shared parental leave then unfortunately I do think it's only 2 weeks paternity leave + pay you're eligible for.

You can check whether you are eligible here:

https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay/eligibility-for-birth-parents

If the mother has been in work recently you might still qualify, if you check out the specifics on the linked page.

If she's not worked recently at all, then no, you will not be able to take more than the paternity leave offered by your company. You could take annual leave, and also perhaps unpaid parental leave which you can have up to 4 weeks of.

You need to check your employer's policies. Some are very generous and others less so. I read a thread once about a lad who got a girl pregnant and then took paternity leave but just went on holiday as he was not actually with the girl and wasn't actually caring foe the baby but this didn't actually contravene the employer's policies!

Also, if the baby is due in 1.5 weeks, then you are already past the point of notifying your employer that you intend to take paternity leave, unless you have already notified them?