Parental Leave Update – April 2026

From 6 April 2026, employees will be eligible for unpaid parental leave from their first day of employment, removing the previous one-year service requirement. Employees will still need to provide the correct notice before the intended start date of their leave.

Eligible employees can take unpaid parental leave to look after their child’s welfare, for example to:

• spend more time with their children

• look at new schools

• settle children into new childcare arrangements

• spend more time with family, such as visiting grandparents

Key points:

• Parents are entitled to up to 18 weeks of parental leave for each child (including adopted children) up to their 18th birthday.

• The maximum parental leave that can usually be taken in a single year is 4 weeks per child, unless the employer agrees otherwise.

• Leave must normally be taken in whole weeks (e.g., 1 week or 2 weeks), rather than individual days, unless the employer agrees otherwise or the child is disabled.

• The leave does not have to be taken all at once.

• A “week” equals the amount of time an employee normally works over 7 days.

• Parental leave applies to each child individually, not to the employee’s job.

This change aims to provide greater flexibility and support for working parents from the start of their employment.