Shared Parental Leave Planner
Updated November 2026 · Free · No sign-up
Plan Shared Parental Leave (SPL) — curtailing maternity/adoption leave converts the balance into up to 50 shareable weeks (37 paid at the statutory rate, £194.32 from April 2026), takeable in up to three blocks each, even simultaneously.
Quick answer: SPL math: 52 weeks’ maternity leave − weeks the mother takes = shareable balance (max 50 leave / 37 pay weeks). ShPP pays the statutory flat rate (£194.32/week from April 2026 or 90% of earnings if lower) — both parents can be off AT THE SAME TIME, in up to 3 blocks each.
How SPL Converts Leave
The mother (or primary adopter) curtails her 52-week entitlement with binding notice; what remains becomes SPL: 52 − weeks taken = shareable leave (the first 2 weeks are compulsory maternity, so max 50), and 39 − paid weeks taken = shareable ShPP weeks (max 37, since the first 2 paid weeks stay maternal). Both parents need the employment/earnings tests (26 weeks’ service by week 25 of pregnancy for leave; the partner’s employment+earnings test for the other side).
What Makes SPL Different
| Simultaneous leave | Both parents off together — impossible under maternity+paternity alone |
| Blocks | Up to 3 separate blocks each (8 weeks’ notice per block) — return-work-return patterns |
| SPLIT days | 20 keeping-in-touch days EACH on top of maternity’s 10 KIT days |
| The rate reality | ShPP is flat-rate throughout — unlike maternity’s first 6 weeks at 90% of ACTUAL earnings; mothers usually keep those 6 weeks before curtailing |
Worked Example
Mother takes 26 weeks (including the 90% weeks), curtails: 26 leave weeks / 13 pay weeks transfer. Father takes 13 paid weeks at £194.32 (≈£2,526) + 13 unpaid — or they overlap 13 weeks together in the baby’s second half-year. Employer top-ups: some enhance ShPP to match enhanced maternity (post-Ali case law doesn’t require it — but policies increasingly do; ask both HRs).
Planning Notes
Notices: curtailment + booking notices 8 weeks ahead, binding once given (one revocation window exists pre-birth). The 90%-earnings maternity weeks are too valuable to convert — standard strategy keeps weeks 1-6 maternal. Rates adjust each April (verify at gov.uk); self-employed partners qualify the mother for SPL but can’t take it themselves (Maternity Allowance interplay). See SMP and SPP for the base schemes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many weeks can be shared?
Up to 50 leave weeks and 37 paid weeks — 52/39 minus what the mother takes before curtailing (minimum 2 compulsory weeks).
What does ShPP pay?
The statutory flat rate (£194.32/week from April 2026) or 90% of average earnings if lower — flat throughout, unlike maternity’s 90% first six weeks.
Can both parents be off together?
Yes — simultaneous SPL is the scheme’s signature feature; combined with blocks, almost any pattern maps.
Why keep the first 6 weeks as maternity?
They pay 90% of actual earnings (uncapped) — converting them to flat-rate ShPP burns money; curtail after them.
Who qualifies?
The mother needs standard maternity qualification; the partner needs 26 weeks’ service by week 25 + the mother passing an employment/earnings test (and vice versa for the partner’s SPL).
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: November 3, 2026