NHS Shared Parental Leave and Pay: How to Split It

Shared parental leave lets parents split time off in the first year after a birth or adoption, instead of the birth parent or main adopter taking it all. It can be taken in blocks, together or one after the other. For NHS staff there is an extra advantage: occupational shared parental pay.

How it works

The birth parent must take at least two weeks of maternity leave after the birth. They can then end their maternity leave early, and the remaining weeks become available as shared parental leave for either parent.

The total leave is 52 weeks, of which up to 39 weeks can be paid. Any weeks of maternity pay the birth parent has already received are taken off the 39.

Statutory shared parental pay

Statutory shared parental pay is £194.32 a week from April 2026, or 90% of the parent's average weekly earnings if that is lower. Each parent must meet their own service and earnings tests: 26 weeks with their employer by the 15th week before the due date and average earnings of at least £129 a week.

A worked example

The birth parent takes 20 weeks of maternity pay and then ends maternity leave. That leaves 19 weeks of pay to share.

• The partner takes 10 weeks: 10 x £194.32 = £1,943.20.
• The birth parent takes the other 9 weeks: 9 x £194.32 = £1,748.88.

Together that is £3,692.08 of statutory pay.

NHS occupational shared parental pay

Since April 2019, NHS staff who qualify for occupational maternity or adoption pay can get occupational shared parental pay at the same level. That means the shared weeks can be paid at full pay or half pay plus statutory pay, following the same pattern as maternity pay, rather than at the flat statutory rate.

The rules on who qualifies mirror the maternity rules, including 12 months of continuous NHS service. If both parents work in the NHS, each needs to qualify in their own right for their share.

Booking the leave

You need to give your employer at least eight weeks' notice of each block of shared parental leave. Each parent can usually book up to three separate blocks. Your employer can agree to more flexible patterns but does not have to.

Is it worth it?

Shared parental leave suits families where the partner wants a longer period at home, or where the birth parent wants to return to work earlier. Because NHS occupational pay is generous, it can make longer leave affordable for the partner too. Compare it with the partner's two weeks of NHS paternity pay, which are separate.

Common questions

Can we both be off at the same time? Yes. Shared parental leave can be taken by both parents at once, as long as the total does not exceed what is available.

Can the birth parent go back to work and return to leave later? Yes, if leave is booked in separate blocks. This gives flexibility to stagger time off.

Does shared parental leave affect annual leave? Annual leave continues to build up during shared parental leave, in the same way as during maternity leave.

What if my partner is self-employed? The self-employed partner cannot take shared parental leave, but their eligibility can still affect yours. The rules are detailed, so check GOV.UK's eligibility checker.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting that the birth parent must formally curtail maternity leave before shared parental leave starts.
• Not giving eight weeks' notice for each block.
• Assuming statutory rates apply when you may qualify for NHS occupational shared parental pay.

A worked example with NHS occupational pay

Both parents work in the NHS and each has more than 12 months of service. The birth parent, on Band 5, takes 20 weeks of maternity leave. Her partner, on Band 6, takes 10 weeks of shared parental leave. Because both qualify for occupational pay, the partner's weeks follow the same pattern as occupational maternity pay would have at that stage, rather than the flat statutory rate. The exact amounts depend on which weeks of the 39-week pay period each parent uses, so ask HR to model your plan before you book the leave.

Split it your way

The shared parental pay calculator shows how statutory shared parental pay is divided depending on how many weeks of maternity pay the birth parent takes first and how many weeks the partner takes. For the maternity stage itself, see the maternity pay guide.