First published on Friday, April 24, 2026
Last updated on Friday, April 24, 2026
From 6th April 2026, an estimated 32,000 more dads can access paternity leave from day one of employment, and 1.5 million workers now have the right to take unpaid parental leave immediately.
What are the paternity and parental leave rights of an employee in the UK?
Employees can now give notice of paternity leave or unpaid parental leave from their first day of employment. This applies in England, Scotland, and Wales.
What are the paternity leave rules?
Fathers and partners can take up to two weeks of paternity leave, either in one two-week block or two separate one-week blocks. A week of paternity leave is the number of days normally worked in a week. So, if your employee works four day weeks from Monday to Thursday, then their week of leave will also be four days. They can take paternity leave as well as shared parental leave.
You can find more information about paternity leave and pay on the UK government website.
What are the parental leave rules?
Unpaid parental leave entitlement comprises 18 weeks for each child or adopted child, to be used up to their 18th birthday. Again, this must be taken in whole weeks (a week being the number of days the employee usually works in a week, or the average divided by 52 if hours vary). A maximum of 4 weeks per child can be taken in a year, and these rules do not reset when an employee starts a new job.
You can find more information about unpaid parental leave on the UK government website.
What should employers do about paternity and parental leave changes?
Family leave is an area you can’t afford to leave to chance. Paperwork may not be your favourite part of being a business owner, but it’s vital here. To update your employer responsibilities around paternity and unpaid parental leave, you should:
Check your paternity leave and parental leave policies reflect day-one eligibility
Update your employee handbook and any template documents to scrap service-length requirements
Ensure your line managers are up to date and armed with the information they need to have conversations about paternity and parental leave
Ensure your HR and payroll software is ready to handle changing leave and pay requirements
Communicate the changes to your workforce
If you’re a BrightHR customer, we’ll have changed your policies, handbooks and templates already. There are also guides, videos, and e-learning courses for your managers. The webcast ‘New Act, New Risks: a business owner’s guide to family-friendly rights’ is available on-demand for an expert run-down of how the changes will affect your business.
There are more employment law changes to come
Day-one rights to paternity and parental leave were among the first measures implemented under the Employment Rights Act 2025, alongside changes to SSP, record keeping for annual leave and holidays, redundancies, trade unions, and more. It’s a lot to keep up with, and there will many more changes over the next couple of years.
Are you confident you’re up to date and compliant with the April 2026 changes? And how do you feel about October 2026 and beyond? Check your business is fighting fit with the BrightHR Health Check. It’s a five-minute quiz that could save you thousands. Along with your results, we’ll give you practical advice to help you comply with the changing laws.
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