Paternity leave help

D4nny

Iv just been told by my employer that i dont qualify for paid paternity leave.
Im gutted about this as im wanting to have 2 weeks off.i started work with this company 20th june this year and baby is due 3rd of feb. From what they have said i needed to have worked here for 26weeks (19th december) before the end of the week 15weeks before baby is due (29th october) is this correct? If so is there any other govement help i can get to have time off? Or am i not entitled to anything?

jackieblack

From this https://www.gov.uk/employers-paternity-pay-leave/eligibility it would seem that your employer is correct and you're not entitled.

Before paternity leave was introduced, new Dads just took a week or two of their holiday entitlement - would your employer allow you to do that?

[Deleted User]

Or if you don't have any holiday left, you are entitled to unpaid parental leave:

https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement

sheramber

Your employer should give you a form SPP1. This form should advise you what you need to do.

D4nny

Thankyou everyone.it would seem that yes iam able to use my holiday entitlment and reqards the spp1 form i presume this is what they were sending me but have now decided im no entitled to paid pat leave there bot going to bother any more ��

theoretica

It isn't clear to me if you are entitled to unpaid paternity (rather than parental) leave even if you are not eligible for the paid leave. Does anyone know?

tizerbelle

theoretica wrote: »

It isn't clear to me if you are entitled to unpaid paternity (rather than parental) leave even if you are not eligible for the paid leave. Does anyone know?

No, not entitled. The employed for 26 weeks bit applies to both statutory paternity pay and leave.

PeppaCoin

You're not entitled to paternity leave or pay. Options are really to take holiday if you have any left, or take unpaid leave if they will allow it. Or could you work some weekend etc to 'bank' some hours in advance of the time you want off. We have allowed employees to do that before.

To be honest basic paternity pay is only around £140 a week so you're not missing out on a huge amount of money in grand scheme of things. At my place of week many men simply save their holiday leave as some people can't afford to be off for 2 weeks if they are only being paid £280.