Maternity and Paternity Leave Policy Templates for UK Businesses
New 2026 Paternity Leave & Parental Leave Changes
- As of 6 April 2026, both Paternity Leave and Ordinary Unpaid Parental Leave are “day-one” rights for employees; the previous requirements of 26 weeks and one year of service, respectively, have been abolished.
- A new statutory right introduced in 2026 allows for Statutory Bereaved Partner’s Leave from the first day of employment,
- Protection against redundancy now extends from the moment an employee notifies the Company of their pregnancy until 18 months after the birth of the child.
- If a baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy, employees maintain their full statutory rights to maternity or paternity leave and pay.
- The right to request flexible working is a day-one entitlement for all employees.
- Parents of babies who are admitted to neonatal care within 28 days of birth for at least seven consecutive days are entitled to up to 12 weeks of Statutory Neonatal Care Leave in addition to other entitlements like maternity or paternity leave. This is a day-one right for all employees.
Download Free Maternity and Paternity Policy Templates
All our documents are supplied in standard MS Word format and feature an automated Document Management System. Once you input your company name, it auto-populates throughout the entire template.
Maternity Policy
Our Maternity Policy Template has been updated to ensure full compliance with current UK employment law and the reforms introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025. It provides a clear framework for managing statutory entitlements, integrating the latest 2026 standards—including enhanced redundancy protections and clear distinctions between ‘day-one’ leave rights and service-based pay—this policy helps you maintain HR best practices safeguarding your business against the risks of non-compliance.
Paternity Policy
The Paternity Leave Policy Template is updated to reflect the landmark 2026 reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025, specifically focusing on the transition of paternity leave into a ‘day-one’ right. This concise framework allows SMEs to manage leave requests with confidence, clearly outlining the new eligibility rules that remove previous service requirements for taking time off. It provides clear guidance on statutory pay thresholds, the flexible use of leave blocks, and the new neonatal care provisions,
Adoption Policy
Our Adoption Leave Policy Template has been updated for the 2026 reforms, ensuring it is fully aligned with the Employment Rights Act 2025. This template provides a clear roadmap for managing statutory adoption leave—a ‘day-one’ right for all employees—while detailing the specific service and earnings criteria for Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP). It incorporates the latest 2026 standards, including the newly extended redundancy protections that now safeguard adopters for 18 months, as well as the new provisions for neonatal care leave.
Parental Leave Policy
The Parental Leave Policy Template is fully updated to reflect the significant 2026 reforms, most notably the transition of ordinary unpaid parental leave into a ‘day-one’ right. This policy removes the previous one-year service requirement, allowing eligible employees to access their entitlement to 18 weeks of unpaid leave per child from the very start of their employment. Designed for SMEs, the template clearly outlines notice requirements and annual limits.
Shared Parental Leave Policy
Our Shared Parental Leave Policy Template is updated to align with the 2026 reforms. It provides a comprehensive framework for parents looking to share leave and pay during the first year of their child’s life. This template incorporates the critical 2026 update that removes the previous restriction on taking paternity leave after shared parental leave, granting families unprecedented flexibility in how they sequence their time off. Designed for SMEs, it clearly details the notice requirements and the ‘booking’ process for blocks of leave.
Parental Bereavement Leave Policy
Our Parental Bereavement Leave Policy Template has been updated to reflect the 2026 reforms , confirming that the right to take two weeks of leave is a ‘day-one’ entitlement for all employees. This template provides a sensitive and clear framework for managing this leave which can be taken as a single two-week block or two separate one-week blocks at any time within 56 weeks of the child’s death or stillbirth. The policy covers the loss of a child under the age of 18 or a stillbirth occurring after 24 weeks of pregnancy
Integrated Policy on Leave and Pay for:
Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Parental,
Parental Bereavement and Neonatal Care
This Integrated Policy has been fully updated for 2026. It incorporates all the elements of the individual parental leave policies including the latest ‘day-one’ statutory rights—such as the new right to Paternity and Unpaid Parental Leave from the first day of employment—and introduces the new Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave and Neonatal Care provisions. This integrated policy will be useful if you don’t want to have a suite of individual policies.
Neonatal Leave Policy
Neonatal Care Leave in accordance with the latest UK statutory requirements. This entitlement offers up to 12 weeks of leave for parents whose babies (under 28 days old) are admitted to neonatal care for seven consecutive days or more. Neonatal Care Leave is a day-one right, ensuring support is available from the employees first day of employment. For eligible employees, this leave is supported by Statutory Neonatal Care Pay
Procedure for Making a Flexible Working Request
Any member of staff regardless of length of service can request flexible working. Here is a template which you can use with mimimal customisation for your business. It outlines a a formal, transparent model procedure for requesting flexible working, It fully conforms to ACAS guidelines and revised 2026 legal requirements.