The length, in one table
| Choice | How it works |
|---|---|
| 1 week | A single week of leave, taken within 52 weeks of the birth or placement |
| 2 weeks together | One continuous two-week block, the traditional choice at the birth |
| 2 separate weeks | Two one-week blocks on different dates, both inside the 52-week window |
A "week" means your normal working week, so for a part-time pattern of three days a week, a week of paternity leave is three days off. You cannot split leave into individual days, and you cannot carry unused paternity leave past the 52-week deadline — it is use-it-or-lose-it within the baby's first year.
Leave is day one; pay is not
Since 6 April 2026, paternity leave itself is a day-one employment right in Great Britain: a father or partner who started last week can take the leave. Statutory Paternity Pay is a separate test — 26 weeks' continuous service by the end of the 15th week before the due date, and average weekly earnings of at least £129 — and pays £194.32 a week or 90% of earnings, whichever is lower, for the weeks taken. That gap matters: new starters may have the right to be away but no statutory right to be paid for it, unless their employer offers enhanced terms.
Planning the two weeks
The most useful pattern for many families is one week at the birth and the second week later — when a partner returns to work, when childcare starts, or when the first week of sleepless nights has passed. Both blocks need their own 28 days' notice of dates, and you can change a planned date with 28 days' notice. Keep the 52-week deadline in view: a second week planned for month eleven is fine, but one planned for week fifty-three is lost. If your employer offers enhanced paternity leave above the statutory two weeks, that is a contractual benefit with its own rules — check the handbook before assuming the statutory pattern applies.
To work out your pay for the weeks you take, use the paternity pay calculator, and for the rate and qualifying rules in full see the statutory paternity pay rates guide.