Charities and Not-for-Profit Plus Blog

  • Six months of maternity leave to be transferrable to the father

    Consultation plans to allow new mothers to transfer some of their maternity entitlement to the father have been announced. The proposal would mean that mothers with maternity leave, will be able to transfer up to six months of this leave to the father, provided it is in the second six months of a child’s life.

    Up to three months of the transferred leave will be paid at the same rate as Statutory Maternity Pay as long as the leave is taken during the mother’s 39 week maternity pay period. Consultation on the implementing regulations is due to commence soon. The Government intends that the law will be in force by April 2010 and will be effective for parents of children due on or after 3rd April 2011, to allow employers to adjust to these measures.

    In terms of administering the new system, parents will be required to self certify by providing details of their eligibility to their employer. But as the system could be open to abuse, employers and HM Revenue & Customs will be able to carry out further checks on entitlement if they feel necessary.

    Posted to by Sarah Maguire on Monday, October 12, 2009

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