Day-One Right to Paternity and Parental Leave: What Employers Need to Know

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave will become a day-one right for employees from April 2026.

This represents a significant shift in family leave entitlements. Previously, eligibility depended on length of service. From April 2026, employees will be entitled to take leave from their first day of employment, provided they give the correct notice.

For employers, this change requires more than a policy update. It affects workforce planning, absence tracking, payroll coordination, and manager training.

Paternity Leave: What Is Changing?

From 6 April 2026, employees will have a day-one right to take Paternity Leave where:

• The Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC) is on or after 5 April 2026
• The child is born on or after 6 April 2026
• A child is placed for adoption on or after 6 April 2026

To support newly eligible parents, the Government is introducing a temporary transition period:

• The initial notice requirement will be reduced to 28 days (instead of 15 weeks)
• This allows eligible employees to take Paternity Leave from 6 April 2026
• Employees may give notice between 18 February 2026 and 25 July 2026
• Employees must still provide 28 days’ notice of their intended leave start date

While Paternity Leave becomes a day-one right, Statutory Paternity Pay does not. The existing 26-week qualifying period for Statutory Paternity Pay remains unchanged. This distinction must be clearly communicated to avoid misunderstandings.

Unpaid Parental Leave: Service Requirement Removed

From 6 April 2026, Unpaid Parental Leave will also become a day-one entitlement.

Currently, employees must complete one year of service to qualify. That requirement will be removed.

However:

• The requirement to provide at least 21 days’ notice remains unchanged
• All eligible parents, including new starters, must comply with the notice rules

Increased Flexibility Around Shared Parental Leave

The new legislation also removes the restriction that previously prevented employees from taking Paternity Leave and Pay after Shared Parental Leave and Pay.

This provides greater flexibility for families and reduces the risk of fathers or partners losing access to their paternity entitlement.

For employers, however, this may increase the complexity of leave scheduling and workforce planning.

Practical Considerations for Employers

This change is likely to increase requests for:

• Paternity Leave
• Unpaid Parental Leave
• Shared Parental Leave combinations

If multiple employees are absent simultaneously, operational strain may increase, particularly in smaller teams. Preparation should focus on compliance, communication, and workforce planning.

Policy and Contract Review

You should:

• Update Family Leave and Paternity policies
• Clarify notice requirements and pay eligibility
• Amend contracts where clauses reference qualifying service
• Ensure policies explain the difference between leave entitlement and pay entitlement

How HR Software Can Support Policy Compliance

HR platforms such as oneHR allow you to:

• Store and distribute updated policies
• Track employee acknowledgements through a digital signature
• Maintain version-controlled documentation
• Provide secure self-service access

System and Process Readiness

Your internal systems must be able to:

• Record leave requests from day one of employment
• Distinguish between paid and unpaid entitlement
• Track statutory eligibility for pay
• Manage overlapping leave types
• Provide reporting visibility

If your organisation relies on spreadsheets or manual tracking, the risk of error increases.

Workforce Planning and Operational Impact

Day-one eligibility may lead to:

• Increased leave requests shortly after recruitment
• Reduced predictability in workforce availability
• Greater need for temporary cover
• Higher short-term staffing costs

Forward planning is essential.

HR software with workforce analytics can help you:

• Forecast leave trends
• Identify high-risk coverage gaps
• Monitor departmental absence levels
• Support succession and contingency planning

Manager and HR Training

Line managers must understand:

• The removal of service requirements
• Notice periods and transitional arrangements
• The distinction between leave and statutory pay
• How Shared Parental Leave interacts with Paternity Leave
• Their responsibilities in approving and recording leave

Inconsistent handling increases the risk of:

• Employee relations disputes
• Discrimination claims
• Payroll errors

Training should focus on practical case studies and process walkthroughs, not just policy awareness.

Action Plan: Preparing for April 2026

To ensure readiness, employers should:

1. Update policies and contracts
2. Review payroll configuration
3. Implement or enhance leave management systems
4. Train managers and HR teams
5. Review workforce planning assumptions and assess the impact on your business
6. Communicate clearly with employees

Taking proactive steps now will prevent operational disruption later.

The move to day-one entitlement for Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave represents a meaningful expansion of employee rights.

While this supports working families, it also increases the administrative and operational responsibility on employers.

Organisations that update policies early, strengthen HR systems and invest in manager capability will be best positioned to manage these changes smoothly. Businesses that prepare now will avoid unnecessary cost, confusion, and compliance risk later.

Book a demo to see how oneHR can help to manage the changes to Paternity Leave and Parental Leave.

Call: 0330 107 1037

Email: contact@onehrsoftware.com

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