What is the timeframe for exercising a right to paternity leave? What if paternity leave cannot be taken within the timeframe?
Published on: 01/10/2019
Issues Covered:
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.

What is the timeframe for exercising a right to paternity leave? What if paternity leave cannot be taken within the timeframe?

The statutory entitlement of one or two consecutive weeks’ leave (known as ordinary paternity leave) must be taken between the date on which the child is born or placed with the adopter and 56 days after that date. However, if the child is born before the first day of the expected week of its birth, the timeframe for taking paternity leave ends eight weeks (56 days) after the first day of the expected week of its birth

Therefore, if the employee falls sick just before they were due to take their paternity leave and wishes to delay it, they would need to ensure that they exercise their right before the end of the 56 day period (from the date of birth or adoption).

Continue reading

We help hundreds of people like you understand how the latest changes in employment law impact your business.

Already a subscriber?

Please log in to view the full article.

What you'll get:

  • Help understand the ramifications of each important case from NI, GB and Europe
  • Ensure your organisation's policies and procedures are fully compliant with NI law
  • 24/7 access to all the content in the Legal Island Vault for research case law and HR issues
  • Receive free preliminary advice on workplace issues from the employment team

Already a subscriber? Log in now or start a free trial

Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 01/10/2019