Paternity leave

You can take up to 2 weeks' leave if you're the:  

• father
• husband or partner of the mother (or adopter) - this includes same-sex partners
• child’s adopter
• intended parent (if you’re having a baby through a surrogacy arrangement)

You can choose to take either:

• 2 weeks together
• 2 separate blocks of 1 week

Maternity and adoption support leave  

You may be able to take up to 1 week’s paid leave if you’re the person nominated by the main carer to assist them in the care of their child, but are not the father, partner or intended parent. For example you could be helping your child after your new grandchild arrives.

When you can take paternity leave 

You can choose to take paternity leave: 

• on the date of the child’s birth or placement 
• an agreed number of days after the date of the child’s birth or placement 
• on the date the child arrives in the UK or an agreed number of days after this (UK adoptions only) 
• the day the child’s born or the day after if you’re working that day (surrogate parents)  

You can start your paternity leave on any day of the week, but it must be for a whole week (for example, Monday to Friday, Wednesday to Tuesday). 

You must take the leave within 52 weeks of the date of birth or placement.

If your baby is late, you must take your paternity leave from the actual date of birth, not the original due date. If you want to start your leave earlier, you can ask to use holiday before starting paternity leave. 

You can find out more about your entitlement in our family friendly leave and pay guide.

You can find out more about your employment rights while on leave on GOV.UK.