Respond to an employee's request to take shared parental leave and pay where the employee is the child's father or the partner of the child's mother
Key points
The notice requirements for employees who wish to take shared parental leave and pay are complex. Employers should put in place procedures for dealing with such requests.
Where the employee is the child's father or the partner of the child's mother, they can take shared parental leave only if the mother has curtailed their maternity leave or returned to work. The employee must provide their employer with a notice of entitlement and intention to take shared parental leave and a period of leave notice, within the required time frame.
Similar notice requirements apply for statutory shared parental pay.
Employees can request either a single block of leave or discontinuous periods of leave. The employer can reject the leave pattern requested in some circumstances.
