Paternity Pay Calculator

How Statutory Paternity Pay works in 2026/27

Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) is the legal minimum your employer pays while you take time off to support your partner and care for a new child — whether by birth, surrogacy or adoption. Unlike maternity pay, it is short and simple: you can take one or two weeks, and each paid week is worth the lower of £187.18 or 90% of your average weekly earnings.

For most employees on a typical salary, that means the flat £187.18 a week. Only lower earners — those whose 90% figure falls below the cap — receive the percentage instead. Two weeks is therefore worth a maximum of £374.36 in statutory pay, though many employers top this up to full pay under their own enhanced schemes.

Who qualifies for paternity pay

To receive SPP you generally need to:

• Have been continuously employed for at least 26 weeks up to the qualifying week (the 15th week before the due date);
• Earn at least £125 a week on average — the lower earnings limit;
• Be the biological father, the mother's spouse or partner, or the child's adopter, taking leave to care for the child;
• Give your employer the correct notice — usually 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth.

The two weeks can now be taken as separate single weeks within the first year, giving more flexibility than the older "one block" rule.

A worked example: £550 average weekly earnings

With AWE of £550, 90% is £495 — well above the £187.18 cap, so your weekly SPP is the capped £187.18. Taking the full two weeks gives:

• £187.18 × 2 weeks = £374.36 before tax.

Because this is treated as earnings, your usual deductions apply. If you're weighing up paternity leave against using annual leave at full pay, model the difference with our salary calculator, and check maternity timing with the maternity pay calculator.