When will someone taking additional paternity leave be entitled to receive statutory paternity pay?
Mothers are currently entitled to take up to 52 weeks maternity leave. Statutory maternity pay (SMP) is available during the first 39 weeks of this leave (assuming certain conditions are met). A father will only be entitled to be paid at a flat rate that is equivalent to SMP (from April 2010 124.88 a week) during APL if they take the leave during what would have been the mother’s paid maternity leave period. Certain other eligibility requirements will also apply. How will employers be required to administer the new right? The Government promised it would adopt a ‘light-touch’ when applying the new right, and so the system will rely heavily on self-certification by the parents as regards eligibility. An employee wishing to take APL will have to give the required notice and various pieces of information to their employer including a declaration from the mother setting out their name, address and National Insurance number and the date on which they intend to return from maternity leave. T
