Paternity pay and leave in Northern Ireland

Including regular, surrogacy and adoption leave

Entitlement and eligibility

To qualify for paternity leave in Northern Ireland, employees must:

Have 26 weeks of continuous employment by either the end of the 15^th week before the start of the week the baby is due, or the end of the week you’re matched with your child in the case of adoption.
Be the child’s biological father.
Be the child's mother or adopter’s husband or partner (including same-sex couples).
Be the child’s adopter.
Be the Intended parent of a surrogacy arrangement.
Not have taken advantage of shared parental leave already during the pregnancy or placement.
Earn an average of at least £123 per week before tax.

If eligible, you’re entitled to:

Either one or two weeks of paternity leave, at your digression.
Leave cannot be taken as individual days; it must be taken as complete weeks.
If opting for two-week leave, the weeks must be consecutive.
The option to take unpaid leave to accompany your partner for up to two antenatal appointments.

How much pay am I entitled to?

The amount of statutory paternity pay depends on the individual’s weekly earnings. If the average weekly earnings are £123 or more before tax, SPP is paid for one or two consecutive weeks at £172.48, or 90% of the average weekly earnings if less.