How Paternity and Parental Leave Is Changing in April 

From April 2026, new family-friendly employment rights will take effect, designed to give parents greater flexibility and support when balancing work and family life.

What’s changing?

Day 1 right to Paternity and Parental Leave

At present, employees must have at least 26 weeks’ service with their employer before qualifying for statutory paternity and one years completed service to qualify for parental leave. From April 2026 these requirements will be removed, giving all employees the right to take paternity and parental leave from the first day of their employment.

More flexibility around Paternity Leave and Shared Parental Leave (SPL)

Currently, once an employee has started a period of Shared Parental Leave, they are unable to take statutory paternity leave. From April 2026 this restriction will be lifted, allowing parents to use paternity leave alongside SPL more flexibly.

What does this mean in practice?

• Employers will need to process paternity and parental leave requests for all employees, regardless of their length of service
• Policies, procedures, and payroll systems will need to be reviewed and updated ahead of April 2026
• With the increased flexibility, employers may see more varied requests for leave; line managers should be briefed and confident in handling them

How can employers prepare for the change?

• Update policies: Family-friendly leave policies must reflect the new day one rights and the removal of the SPL restriction
  
• Manager awareness: Training and guidance should be provided to ensure requests are managed consistently and fairly
  
• Planning ahead: With more employees likely to take up their entitlements, workforce planning and resourcing will be important

How can Stallard Kane support my business?

• If you are a Stallard Kane client, we will provide updated policy templates and guidance to ensure compliance with the new requirements
  
• As part of our HR Audits, we will check your family-friendly leave arrangements and recommend any changes needed
  
• In the run-up to April 2026, we will issue further updates and reminders to ensure you’re fully prepared

Talk to Us

Whether you already work with Stallard Kane or are looking for expert HR support, we’re here to help you prepare for these changes with confidence.

For existing clients, your designated HR Advisor will support you with updated policies, practical guidance, and ongoing advice as the law evolves.

To discuss how these changes could affect your business, contact our HR team:
hr@skaltd.co.uk | 📞 01427 402 403

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