Leave policy in the United Kingdom: Employer’s guide in 2026

UK employees are entitled to at least 28 days of paid annual leave a year, statutory sick pay, paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. These are all set as legal minimums under the Employment Rights Act and the Working Time Regulations, implying employers can offer more, but not less.

For companies hiring in the United Kingdom, leave is one of the most closely regulated parts of employment, and the rates change each April. 

This guide sets out every statutory leave type at its 2026/27 rate, the recent reforms to sick pay and family leave, what a mistake can cost, and how an Employer of Record like Payoneer Workforce Management can track it all for you. 

Book a demo today to see how we can support you with hiring in the UK.

What leave are UK employees entitled to?

At a minimum, UK workers get paid annual leave, sick pay, and a set of family leaves, each with its own rate and qualifying rules. The table shows the statutory floor for 2026/27; the sections below explain each one.

Leave type	Entitlement	Pay (2026/27)
Annual leave	28 days a year (full-time)	Full pay
Sick leave	Up to 28 weeks	SSP GBP 123.25/week, from day one
Maternity leave	52 weeks	39 weeks: 6 at 90%, then GBP 194.32
Paternity leave	2 weeks	GBP 194.32/week or 90% of pay
Adoption leave	52 weeks	39 weeks, as maternity pay
Shared parental leave	Up to 50 weeks (shared)	Up to 37 weeks at GBP 194.32
Neonatal care leave	Up to 12 weeks	GBP 194.32/week
Parental bereavement leave	2 weeks	GBP 194.32/week

What happens if you mismanage leave policy in the UK?

Leave and pay disputes in the UK go to an employment tribunal, and from April 2026 the new Fair Work Agency enforces areas such as holiday-pay records. Underpaying sick pay, miscalculating holiday pay, or refusing family leave can each become a claim.

Mistake	What it can trigger	How an EOR helps
Underpaying or delaying SSP	Employee complaint and Fair Work Agency enforcement	It helps you apply the current SSP rate and day-one rule
Miscalculating holiday pay	Tribunal claim for unlawful deduction, plus back pay	It supports you in calculating the 28-day entitlement correctly
Refusing statutory family leave	Automatic unfair dismissal or detriment claim	Helps you manage each family-leave right and rate

The wider legal backdrop, from contracts to dismissal, sits in our UK employment laws guide. 

How much annual leave do UK employees get?

Full-time workers get at least 28 days of paid annual leave a year. The law sets this as 5.6 weeks of leave, which comes to 28 days for someone on a 5-day week; part-time staff get a proportional share based on the days they work. 

An employer can count the 8 bank holidays toward this 28-day minimum, or give them on top, and the contract should say which. Unused statutory leave generally cannot be carried over unless sickness or family leave prevented the worker from taking it.

What are the UK bank holidays?

England and Wales have 8 bank holidays a year (Scotland and Northern Ireland differ slightly). They are not an automatic extra on top of the 28-day minimum unless the contract says so.

Here is a list of the public holidays in the country.

• Bank Holiday
• New Year’s Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Early May bank holiday
• Spring bank holiday
• Summer bank holiday
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day (substitute day)

How do sick leave and statutory sick pay work in the UK?

From 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is GBP 123.25 per week and is paid from the first day of sickness, after the Employment Rights Act 2025 removed the 3 waiting days and the Lower Earnings Limit. It is paid for up to 28 weeks at the lower of the flat rate or 80% of average weekly earnings. An employer can offer more through a contractual sick pay scheme, but not less.

An employee must give a fit note from a medical professional if they are off sick for more than 7 days in a row, counting non-working days. Statutory annual leave keeps building up while an employee is off sick.

SSP runs through your normal pay cycle, so it lands on the payslip like any other earning. Our UK payroll guide shows how that flows through each month.

What is the maternity leave policy in the UK?

Statutory maternity leave is up to 52 weeks: 26 weeks of ordinary leave and 26 weeks of additional leave. A new mother must take at least 2 weeks off after the birth (4 weeks in a factory). Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) covers 39 weeks: the first 6 weeks at 90% of average weekly earnings, then 33 weeks at the lower of GBP 194.32 or 90% of earnings.

To qualify for SMP, an employee needs 26 weeks’ continuous service by the 15th week before the due date and average earnings above the threshold. Adoption leave and pay follow the same pattern. See the GOV.UK maternity pay guide for the qualifying details.

How much paternity leave is there in the UK?

Fathers and partners can take 1 or 2 weeks of paternity leave, taken together or separately, ending within 52 weeks of the birth. Statutory paternity pay is the lower of GBP 194.32 or 90% of average weekly earnings, and from 6 April 2026 paternity leave is a day-one right. Paternity pay still needs 26 weeks’ service.

What other statutory leave applies in the UK?

Several further leaves apply, and two are recent additions employers often miss.

Shared parental leave and adoption leave

Parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay in the child’s first year. Adoption leave runs 52 weeks with 39 weeks of pay, mirroring maternity, and only one of a couple can take it.

Neonatal care and carer’s leave

Neonatal Care Leave gives up to 12 weeks of paid leave when a baby needs hospital care, live since April 2025, and Carer’s Leave gives 1 week of unpaid leave a year to care for a dependant.

Bereavement leave

Parental bereavement leave gives 2 weeks off if a child under 18 dies or after a stillbirth, paid at GBP 194.32 or 90% of earnings. From 6 April 2026, a new Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave gives partners up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave where the child’s primary carer dies.

How do I manage leave policy in the UK when hiring employees?

Keeping up with UK leave means tracking rates that reset every April and reforms that arrive mid-year. Payoneer Workforce Management can act as your Employer of Record in the United Kingdom. It can engage staff on your behalf and handle annual leave, SSP, and family-leave pay at the current statutory rate, so you can hire without a UK entity.

Our EOR services start at $249 per employee per month, with the exact rate depending on your headcount and contract type. 

Book a demo to see how we can help you hire, pay, and manage employees in the UK.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)