Career AdviceCareer DevelopmentPay and Benefits

Know your maternity and paternity rights

By Monster Contributor

Planning a new family is such an exciting time – but what’s it going to mean for your finances? Knowing where you stand with your workplace is an important part of planning for you and your baby’s future.And there’s good news for dads-to-be too: progressive government measures are working against traditional stereotypes of mothers being the main caregivers.
Here we explore the essentials of maternity and paternity leave: what exactly you can claim as an expectant mother or father, the healthcare freebies and benefits you’re entitled to and what to do if you need extra time off during a pregnancy because of illness.

Applying for maternity allowance

As well as basic maternity pay, mums and mums-to-be in the UK can get free prescriptions and NHS dental care up until a year after the birth of a baby. For free prescriptions in England, you need a maternity exemption certificate, which you can easily get from your doctor or midwife.

You’re entitled to paid time off on top of your annual holiday allowance to attend antenatal appointments. If you need days off work due to a pregnancy-related illness, you may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance.

Check out for a full run-down on what benefits you can claim when you are pregnant or have a baby.

How long is paternity leave?

For dads-to-be, unfortunately there’s less on offer. Even if you qualify for paternity leave pay and leave, the maximum time you can legally take off is two weeks. But if you’re itching to be a hands-on dad, it’s worth checking whether you could receive Shared Parental Leave or Statutory Shared Parental Pay.

The idea behind these new government measures is that they will remove the stereotype of a mother being the primary caregiver. It is also hoped that they will help to tackle the issue of the 'motherhood penalty', where employers – especially in small businesses – might be reluctant to employ women as they might take time off to have children.

If you're new parents, these measures allow you to share up to 50 weeks of time off work (37 weeks of which is paid) if you satisfy certain eligibility criteria, allowing you to split the task of caring for your bundle of joy more equally. You could be entitled whether you’re a heterosexual or same-sex couple, and you don’t have to be married to qualify. Put your details into this calculator to find out whether you could be eligible.

Key points to note about maternity and paternity leave:

  • By law, you must take at least two weeks off work (or four weeks if you work in a factory) after your baby’s born.
  • If you’re not entitled to Statutory Maternity Leave, check whether you’re able to get Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance instead.
  • You can only take Statutory Maternity Leave if you’re classed as an 'employee' (as opposed to a 'worker').
  • If you’re on a zero-hours contract or work for an agency, for example, you may be classed as a worker.
  • If you're self-employed you wouldn't normally be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, but it's worth checking your contract as you might count as an employee in legal terms.
  • If not, you may well still be eligible for Maternity Allowance. You should still accrue paid holiday whilst on leave.
  • Different rules apply to the police and the armed forces – speak to your employer about your status.

More about parental leave

Get the low-down on current maternity and paternity rights here on Monster. The law can be quite complex when it comes to these rights – if you're not sure where you stand, consult an organisation such as Citizens Advice.