Senior associate Victoria Eustace, in our Employment Law team, highlights the changes to family leave coming soon.
What are the changes?
Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in December 2025, changes to family leave entitlements are currently due to come into force in April 2026. In summary, these changes will include:
- Employees will be entitled to paternity leave from the first day of employment. At present employees are not eligible until they have been employed for 26 weeks.
- Employees will no longer be prevented from taking paternity leave and receiving statutory paternity pay if they have previously taken shared parental leave in respect of the same child.
- Employees will be entitled to take unpaid parental leave from the first day of employment. At present employees are not eligible until they have been employed for one year.
Considerations for employers
Employers should take steps now to ensure they are prepared before the changes come into force. Employers should consider:
- Reviewing family leave policies and procedures and updating where necessary to reflect the new rights.
- Updating payroll to reflect the new entitlements.
- Ensuring employees are informed as necessary.
Our Employment Law team advises employees and employers in relation to employees' rights, policies and procedures.
For further information or legal advice, please contact law@blandy.co.uk or call 0118 951 6800.
This article is intended for the use of clients and other interested parties. The information contained in it is believed to be correct at the date of publication, but it is necessarily of a brief and general nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific professional advice.
