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Original poster

Shared parental leave - help!

18 replies

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 18:28

Hello all,

This is my very first post on mumsnet so I hope I'm doing it right! I'm really confused about shared parental pay and hoping someone can help.

My husband and I would like to share as much time together with the baby as possible. It's looking like my employer's policy is pretty rubbish and I'd only be entitled to the statutory minimum of shared parental pay. (about 140 quid a week from what I can make out). But if we are both entitled to shared parental leave and shared parental pay, does this mean that only one of us will be getting the 140 quid and the other will be getting nothing? Or do we both get it? I'm so confused! Any advice would be very much appreciated.

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 15/03/2018 18:32

Does his employer offer an enhanced package at all?

jbee1979 · 15/03/2018 18:32

It's shared parental leave and you get paid for 39 wks if I remember correctly, so if you only wanted 20 wks mat leave, you could go back and your partner would get the £140 a wk for the next 19 wks then no pay for up to 52 wks. You both wouldn't be off at the same time though, except for his 2wks paternity leave and any holidays either of you took.

Colourmeblind · 15/03/2018 18:39

You can take the time off at the same time and you would both get your SMP.

I'm currently off for 6 months and my partners taking 6 months of after with a month over lapping in the middle.

You will get 9 months of paid leave to share between you, whether at the same time/ split up over the year and another 3 months unpaid.
Either of you can use these months up and you can take them at the same time as long as both of you don't take more than 52weeks.

You can take 3 months at the together, you have 3 months off and then your partner have 3 months off after.

Speak to both your HR departments and read the government website which explains it quite well.

NapQueen · 15/03/2018 18:40

You can split it so that of the 9 months paid one of you takes 4m and one of you takes 5m (for example). During your leave you get your rate and during dhs leave he gets his rate.

Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 18:41

Thanks guys, wow this is speedy! His employer does offer enhanced paternity pay - first week at 100% and then statutory pay (140 quid ish). My grand plan was something like this:

Me take last 4 weeks before due date as maternity (on 90% of current salary), and the following two weeks (ideally just after the baby is born, if it plays ball with the details of my master plan - highly dubious)! That would be the six weeks at 90% of current pay. My husband could also take his two weeks paternity pay just after the baby is born (one week enhanced, one statutory). That would leave me with 33 weeks of paid maternity leave to take - 39 minus the six I'd already taken. With me so far?! So then I could split the 33 weeks with my husband and we could take 16.5 weeks off together, at the same time. My googling tells me that you didn't used to be able to take it at the same time, but can now?

But when I first devised my master plan, I was thinking that when my first six weeks ran out and his two weeks paternity, we would BOTH be off together and BOTH getting the 140 quid a week - but is this the case? Or would we just be getting the 140 between us? That seems crazy low!

OP posts:

Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 18:46

Thanks Colourmeblind, that's really helpful. So just to be super clear for my post-work slowness, you will both be getting SMP for the overlapping month where you're both taking leave?

OP posts:

NapQueen · 15/03/2018 18:47

If you are taking 39 weeks between you then you will both get the pay.

Weeks 1-6: you on 90%
Weeks 7-39: 140 per week for 39 weeks.
If you take 16 (cant take half weeks!!!) and he takes 16 you will both get 140 a week. Even if it overlaps wholly or partly.

So you as a family will be using up 32 weeks of Parental Leave. Doesnt matter if thats over in 16 weeks or over in 39.

Colourmeblind · 15/03/2018 18:50

Jennyz123 yeah I'll be getting SMP £140/ week.. Partner will get 90% of wage for the weeks overlapped (entitled to 12 weeks from work.)

It is so confusing and to a lot of people it doesn't work for their personal situation but for us it's working really well.

Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 18:52

Thanks NapQueen, that's exactly the answer I needed! I'm already struggling to think how we'll pay the bills, never mind if we were sharing 140 a week between us - but it seems too good an opportunity to miss, spending those first few months together as a family. I'm VERY new to all this - still waiting for my first midwife appointment! But I'll be able to relax and enjoy the pregnancy a lot more if I can just get my head around what it will look like when the baby is born - got to have a plan! Thanks SO MUCH everyone for all your help - I have the feeling this isn't the last silly question I'll be putting to mumsnet...

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Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 18:54

Thanks Colourmeblind, really good to hear. Glad it's working well for you, I can see it working for us. Let's hope the employers agree!

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Colourmeblind · 15/03/2018 19:00

If you're partner is taking one block of leave (first 16 weeks) they cannot refuse, by law.

They can refuse if you ask for different blocks of leave so day your partner has 1 month off, goes back to work for a 1month, has another month off.
Good luck with the pregnancy!

AvoidingDM · 15/03/2018 19:05

What's your plan for when you both return to work?

Having overlapping time off effectively means that your time off runs out sooner. Putting LO into childcare sooner.

NapQueen · 15/03/2018 19:14

Dont forget to include annual leave. So any you earn whilst on mat leave (both of you!)

Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 19:31

Well that's useful information Colourmeblind! Thanks so much.

AvoidingDM, our plan for when we both return is for both of us to go part time and share childcare between us - again I'm conscious that it may not work out that way but that's what we'd like and what we'll ask for I think. We're thinking I'll do three days and he'll do two. It'll be a major financial hit but again feels right for us, and childcare is so expensive! If one or both of us is refused, then back up plan is that I'll go back to work full time after shared parental leave and my husband would take over the child care full time - I have a permanent contract and he has temporary, so makes sense for me not to be the one to quit. It's all pie in the sky at the moment but we're trying to get a plan together!

Great call Napqueen - we'll definitely do that!

OP posts:

NapQueen · 15/03/2018 19:48

How long has he worked for his employer? And is his temp contract watertight?

Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 19:50

Hi NapQueen,

He's worked for his employer for a good six years - different jobs but always the same employer (local authority). It's a one year contract which will run out in March next year - but what can you do?

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NapQueen · 15/03/2018 19:55

Ah ok six years is good. Nothing wrong at all with temp contracts (Im about to start my second with the same employer), but check what it says about length of the contract. If it says "up to one year" or "up to x date" or "for the duration the post is required" then he may need to consider that they terminate his contract early for whatever business reason they can legally provide rather than pay him parental leave.

Not all businesses are callous, but just suggest both of you read through his contract. And ask him to bring home a copy of his works Parental Leave policy.

Original poster

Jennyz123 · 15/03/2018 20:26

Wow - I wouldn't even have thought of that!!! But you're right, definitely worth checking out - we'll look into it. I'd really hope they'd play fair - in fact they seem to be a much more generous employer than mine unfortunately! But definitely worth being sure of our ground as you never know.

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