Statutory paternity pay: April 2024 legislation

Updated legislation for statutory paternity pay (SPP) and statutory paternity leave (SPL) for the 2024/2025 tax year, in England, Scotland, and Wales.

This legislation covers both child birth and adoption, but the dates vary as detailed below.

The new legislation will come into effect from April 2024 with the following changes:

  • Employee must confirm the dates they wish to take at least 28 days before the start date.

  • Employee can take PPL in 2 non-consecutive 1 week periods or a 2-week consecutive period.

  • Employee must complete the PPL period within 52 weeks of the date of birth or placement date.

    The notice of entitlement period for PPL has not changed. Employees must inform employers that they intend to take PPL at least 15 weeks before the planned start date.

Dates of changes

The 2024 legislation will be apply for:

• Placement dates on or after 6 April 2024 in the case of adoption.

• Births on or after 7 April 2024 in the case of births, including surrogacy.

If date of birth or placement date is before these dates, 2023 legislation will still apply.

Useful links

These are external links to GOV.UK, and may not yet reflect the 2024/2025 legislation changes.

Employee

Employer