I'd like to take paternity leave. What notice do I need to give my employer?

If you intend to take paternity leave you have to give your employer notice that specifies:

• the week your child is due to be born in; and
• the length of leave that you intend to take – either one week or two consecutive weeks; and
• the date that you have chosen your leave to begin on.

You must give your employer this notice in, or before, the 15th week before the week the child is due. In cases where this is not possible, or reasonably practicable, for example, if the child is born prematurely or the pregnancy is discovered very late, then notice must be given as soon as is reasonably practicable.

If you qualify for paternity leave you may be asked by your employer for a self-certificate, form SC3 'Becoming a Parent', confirming you are entitled take the leave (you can download a pdf file of this form from the HMRC website).

By law, you only have to give your employer a completed certificate if they ask you to. However, in practice, if you qualify for ordinary paternity leave, then you automatically qualify for statutory paternity pay (SPP), and you will need to complete the self-certificate form in order to claim it. You only need to submit the self-certificate to your employer once to confirm your eligibility for both leave and pay and you should keep a copy of it so both you and your employer are clear of the dates and information.

You can choose when your leave period will begin, but it must take place within 56 days of the child’s birth and it must start on one of these dates:

• the day the child is born; or
• a day which falls a certain number of days after the child is born, as specified by you to your employer before the child is born; or
• a pre-determined date that falls after the first day of the week that the child is due, which you specify to your employer.

Once the child has been born and, as soon as is reasonably practicable, you must give your employer notice of the date that the child was born on.