NI17A - A guide to Maternity Benefits
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP)
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) is paid by employers to employees. SPP can be paid to employees whose wife or partner is expecting a baby or where a child is placed for adoption. SPP can be paid for either one or two consecutive weeks.
Eligibility
To qualify for Statutory Paternity Pay and Leave, you must have or expect to have responsibility for the child’s upbringing and be taking leave to care for the child or support the mother or the adopter. You must also be the:
- biological father of the child or
- mother’s spouse or partner or
- the adopter’s spouse or partner
You must also satisfy other rules:
- To qualify for paternity leave you must satisfy the continuous employment rule
- and To qualify for Statutory Paternity Pay you must satisfy the continuous employment rule and the earnings rule
The continuous employment rule states that:
You must have been employed by the same employer for at least 26 weeks up to and including the 15th week before the week the baby is due or the week the adopter is told that they have been matched with a child for adoption (the matching week).
You must remain employed by the same employer up until the baby is born or the child is placed for adoption.
The earnings rule states that:
Your average weekly earnings must be at least equal to the lower earnings limit for National Insurance (NI) purposes. The lower earnings limit is the point at which you start to be treated as if you have paid NI contributions.