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Maternity and Paternity Leave

UK law protects the rights of mothers and fathers within the Work and Families Act. These laws are in place to help mothers and fathers adjust after the birth of a child and to assist them in the process of returning to the workforce.

Mothers are entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), which spans 39 weeks. While the first six weeks of SMP is at 90 per cent of average earnings, the remaining 33 weeks is paid at roughly £112 a week. This is set to be extended to 52 weeks paid leave as of April 2010.

If the mother has worked with the employer for 26 consecutive weeks since the 14th week before childbirth, she may take a further 26 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. It is worth noting that some employers offer more generous maternity leave policies, with additional leave often qualifying as paid leave.

For fathers, Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) is slightly lower than SMP at roughly £109 a week, spanning two weeks. This leave must be taken within eight weeks of the date of birth and fathers must have worked with the employer for a minimum of 26 weeks by the 15th week before childbirth.

While all UK employers must abide by these laws, many offer even more flexible working arrangements to parents so it is always worth checking directly with your employer regards their maternity and paternity leave policies and benefits.

Frequently, additional unpaid time off is made available to parents, while the use of annual leave to extend maternity leave is also sometimes an option.