Split parental leave between parents. Calculate ShPP payments for mother and partner.
By Konstantin Iakovlev · Founder, Calks.uk
Last updated: · Verified against HMRC and GOV.UK 2026/27 rates
Rates verified: 28 September 2026
Maternity leave plus any SPL she takes, minimum 2
Total Statutory Pay (SMP + ShPP)
£9,069.60
36 of 52 weeks used · 36 paid · 0 unpaid · 16 unused
Mother's Pay
£7,126.40
26 weeks · 26 paid
Partner's Pay
£1,943.20
10 weeks · 10 paid
Up to 52 weeks of leave and 39 weeks of statutory pay in total. The first 2 weeks after birth are compulsory maternity leave, so up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of ShPP can be shared. Only the mother's first 6 weeks of SMP are paid at 90% of earnings; after that, and for all ShPP, the rate is £194.32/week or 90% of earnings if lower.
Disclaimer
This calculator is for guidance only. It is not financial or tax advice: check anything you rely on against the official source or a qualified adviser. Rates and figures come from HMRC and GOV.UK and are reviewed for the 2026/27 tax year. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is sent to our servers.
How It Works
Shared Parental Leave allows eligible parents to split up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) between them. It has been available to parents of children born or placed for adoption since April 2015. The mother or primary adopter must first end their maternity or adoption leave by giving a binding curtailment notice. The first two weeks after birth are compulsory maternity leave and cannot be shared. Any remaining untaken weeks become available for either parent to book.
ShPP is paid at £194.32 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 39 weeks less any weeks of statutory maternity pay already taken, so at most 37 weeks because the first 2 weeks after birth are always maternity leave. Unlike maternity pay, ShPP does not include an initial six-week period at 90% of earnings. Nothing new is created by converting: the scheme simply moves the balance of the original parent's entitlement across, so the family cannot end up with more than the 52 weeks of leave and 39 weeks of pay the mother started with. Both parents can be off at the same time, which gives families the option of overlapping at home or taking turns.
The eligibility tests depend on who takes the leave. A parent taking SPL needs at least 26 weeks of continuous employment with the same employer by the end of the 15th week before the due date (for adopters, by the end of the week they are matched with the child), and average earnings of at least £129 a week to get ShPP. The other parent must have worked in at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due date and earned at least £390 in total in any 13 of them. Each parent then gives their employer at least eight weeks' notice before each block of leave. Leave can be taken in up to three separate discontinuous blocks per parent, though employers may refuse a discontinuous request and offer alternative dates instead.
Three patterns cover most families. In the first, the mother takes 6-9 months and the father takes the remaining 3-6 months once the child is older, which suits parents who want to stretch cover before nursery starts. In the second, the parents alternate blocks of 2-3 weeks at home, useful when neither job can absorb a long absence. In the third, the father takes the second half of the year so the mother can return to work earlier, which tends to make sense where she is the higher earner.
The awkward part is usually contractual rather than statutory. Many UK employers offer enhanced maternity pay at full pay for the early weeks but pay only the statutory ShPP rate of £194.32 a week for shared leave, so converting the entitlement can mean walking away from money. There is no legal duty to match the two: in Ali v Capita and Hextall v Leicestershire Police (2019) the Court of Appeal held that paying less for shared leave is not sex discrimination. Work out the cash difference before curtailing anything, because shared leave only pays its way when the loss of enhanced pay is smaller than the value of having both parents at home.
Splitting leave after mother takes 20 weeks maternity, both earning £600 a week
- Mother takes 20 weeks maternity leave (2 compulsory + 18 more): SMP 6 × £540 (90% of £600) + 14 × £194.32 = £5,960.48
- Remaining leave pool: 52 − 20 = 32 weeks leave, 39 − 20 = 19 weeks pay available to share
- Mother books 10 more weeks as SPL, partner books 22 weeks as SPL
- ShPP available: 19 weeks split as mother 10 weeks + partner 9 weeks at £194.32/week
- Mother's ShPP: 10 × £194.32 = £1,943.20. Partner's ShPP: 9 × £194.32 = £1,748.88 (remaining 13 weeks unpaid)
- Total statutory pay: £5,960.48 + £1,943.20 + £1,748.88 = £9,652.56 (mother 30 weeks, partner 22 weeks in the calculator)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can both parents share the weeks of leave after a birth?
- Eligible parents can divide up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay between them. The mother or primary adopter first has to end their own leave with a binding curtailment notice, and the two compulsory weeks straight after birth cannot be shared. Parents can take their blocks one after the other or be off together, whichever suits the family.
- How much notice must I give before each block of leave?
- At least eight weeks before every block of leave you intend to take, and each parent may book up to three separate blocks. Continuous blocks have to be accepted if you are eligible, but an employer can turn down a discontinuous request and propose alternative dates instead. Booking early matters when both parents are planning around each other, since a refused pattern can force the whole plan to be redrawn.
- Do both parents need to qualify for shared parental leave?
- Both have tests to pass, but not the same ones. A parent taking the leave needs 26 weeks of continuous service with their employer by the end of the 15th week before the due date (for adopters, by the end of the matching week) and average earnings of at least £129 a week for ShPP. The other parent only has to have worked in 26 of the 66 weeks before the due date and earned £390 in total in any 13 of them. If both want leave, both must pass the full test. Check this first, before the mother gives a curtailment notice, because ending maternity leave is a binding step.
- Will shared parental leave cost us enhanced maternity pay?
- It often does. A lot of employers top maternity pay up to full pay for an initial period but pay shared parental leave at the statutory £194.32 a week only, so converting the balance can be an expensive choice. Employers do not have to match the two: the Court of Appeal ruled in 2019 (Ali v Capita and Hextall v Leicestershire Police) that paying less for shared leave is not discrimination. Compare the two figures for your own contracts before curtailing, since the decision cannot easily be undone.