Employees must meet specific criteria to be eligible to take paternity leave (and be eligible for the enhanced paternity leave package). The employee must have worked continuously for the University for at least 26 weeks by “qualifying week”. The qualifying week is the end of the:

• Childbirth (or surrogacy arrangement): 15th week before the Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC).
• UK adoption: week in which they are formally notified that they have been matched with the child.
• Overseas adoption: week in which they receive official notification of the adoption.

The employee must also: 

• Have or expect to have the main responsibility (apart from any responsibility of the mother) for the child’s upbringing (born and adopted).
• Be the biological father of the child, or the spouse, civil partner or partner of the child’s mother or are the adopter’s spouse, civil partner or partner.

It is encouraged to notify your line manager that you are expecting a child as early as possible. 

You must formally notify your line manager and HR of your intention to take paternity leave using the Paternity Leave Notification Form located in HR Self-Service (under My Forms). Although early notification is advised, you must notify the University of your intention to take paternity leave by no later than:

• Childbirth (or surrogacy arrangements): 15 weeks before the EWC
• UK Adoption: 7 days of being notified that you have been matched with a child
• Overseas Adoption: 28 days of receiving official notification. 

It is encouraged, if known, to confirm when and how you will be taken the leave (e.g., as a single block or split weeks) at the same time however this can be confirmed separately providing the correct notice is given. Note: A minimum of 28-days notice must be given for each statutory leave period. 

Yes. Employees are required to give notice of their intention to take paternity leave as confirmed in the FAQ "When should I notify my line manager of my intention to take paternity leave?" however for children born/placed on or after 06/04/24, employees can now confirm when they want to take their leave at a later date if they wish providing that a minimum of 28 days notice is given before each intended period of leave. 

It is however encouraged, if known, to confirm when and how you will be taken the leave (e.g., as a single block or split weeks) at the same time at the initial notification if at all possible to ensure adequate time is provided to the line manager. 

The University offers an enhanced paternity leave and pay package to employees who meet the eligibility criteria (which is confirmed in the question above). With effect from 11/09/2023, this increased to 3 weeks of full salary (inclusive of Statutory Paternity Pay).

From 8th March 2024, new regulations came into force which give fathers/partners greater flexibility in how they can take their statutory paternity leave. These regulations apply to children born or placed (for adoption) from 6th April 2024. 

• Eligible fathers/partners are permitted to split the two weeks of statutory paternity leave into two separate week-long blocks at any point in the 12 months after birth/placement, should they wish.
• The 3rd week (known as the additional week) can also be taken at the same time as the statutory leave, or at a later date. Similarly, the leave must be taken by the child's first birthday/anniversary of placement. The additional week can be taken as one block of leave, or intermittent days. 

For children born/placed before 06/04/24, unfortunately you must take this leave by 56 days of the child's birth/ placement. This is driven by statute. 

For children born/placed for adoption on 06/04/24 onwards:

Eligible employees have up to 12-months from the birth/placement to take their statutory and additional leave (week 3). Employees can also split this leave should they wish. 

For children born/placed for adoption prior to 06/04/24:

Eligible employees must take their statutory leave by 56 days from the birth/placement however they have up to 12-months from the birth/placement to take their additional week (week 3). 

The earliest day on which a period of paternity leave can begin is the date on which the child is born or placed for adoption (or the date the child enters the UK if the adoption is from overseas).

If paternity leave commences unexpectedly (e.g., because of earlier placement/birth), you must notify your line manager and Pay and Pensions of the date as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Yes however eligible employees must take their paternity leave first before taking any Shared Parental Leave. 

Yes. Employees who are eligible to request paternity leave will be eligible to take paid time off to accompany the pregnant person/primary adopter to up to two hospital/antenatal or adoption appointments. You should give as much notice as possible to your line manager when requesting time off to attend such appointments. 

No. You can take only one period of paternity leave even if more than one baby is born as a result of the same pregnancy. An employee does not get additional rights to paternity leave in the case of multiple births.

With effect from 11 September 2023, the University introduced Neonatal Care Leave "NCL". NCL applies to employees going on family leave from that date onwards. In the event that your child spends 7 consecutive days in neonatal care within the first 28 days from birth, you will be eligible to request NCL. You should ensure that your line manager is made aware of the admission and discharge date in order to process the leave. NCL must be taken no later than 68 weeks from the child’s date of birth. NCL can be used after your family leave has ended. More information can be read in the Neonatal Care Leave Policy.

If you want to revise your paternity leave dates, you must ensure that you give your line manager and Pay and Pensions at least 28 days notice. 

Note: If your paternity leave commences unexpectedly because of earlier placement/birth of the child, then you must notify your line manager and Pay and Pensions of the date as soon as is reasonably practicable to allow the paternity leave start date to be changed.

I want to take the additional paternity week as individual days. What do I need to do?

Employees should request to take this leave via HR Self-Service using the Additional Paternity Leave: Intermittent days request form. If you are taking the additional week as a one-week block then you should use the Paternity Leave Notification Form to request this. 

It is recommended that you agree the dates with your manager in advance of submitting the form.

Your line manager will received an electronic receipt of the form via email and will approve/decline the request. If approved, they will submit the form to Pay and Pensions which will instruct the team to process the leave. 

What happens if my fixed term contract end date is during my paternity leave? 

Your employment will still end but you will continue to receive paternity pay (if you are eligible). You will not be expected to repay the enhanced element. 

Fixed term contracts are not automatically extended in line with the period of family leave. If a fixed term contract ends during paternity leave the normal redundancy process should be followed.  If your line manager wishes to extend your contract, they should discuss this with Human Resources and the Finance and Support Team (for external funding).  

What if I do not have the required service to take paternity leave?

If you do not meet the required service to take paternity leave, you can request to take annual or unpaid leave. 

I want to take the "additional paternity leave (week 3)" at a different time to my statutory leave. Can I do this?

Yes. You can take this additional leave at any time before the child's first birthday/anniversary of placement. You can take this as a one-week block or as individual days. If you are taking it as one block, you should submit your request using the Paternity Leave Notification Form. If you are taking this leave as individual days, you should complete the Additional Paternity Leave - Intermittent days request form. Both forms can be accessed via HR Self-Service. Your line manager will receive acknowledgment of the request/s and can approve/decline this (similar to annual leave). If approved, the line manager will submit the form to Pay and Pensions in order to process the leave. 

What happens to my pension contributions while I’m on paternity leave?

Your membership of either USS, S&LAS or NOW: Pensions will be maintained during the duration of your paternity leave. If you have any questions about your pension, please contact our Pensions Administrator (pensions@st-andrews.ac.uk).

Do I have to complete any forms?  

When an employee informs you of their intention to take paternity leave, they must submit a paternity leave notification form via HR Self Service.  You will receive an electronic copy of the form and will be asked to acknowledge/sign off and submit this to Pay and Pensions to be processed.  You should also inform the Head of School/Unit for awareness. 

If employees do not confirm their paternity leave dates at the same time as the notification, they will need to submit another paternity leave notification form to request the dates they want to take this leave. Employees must give a minimum of 28-days notice to take this leave. Again, you will receive an electronic copy of the form and will be asked to acknowledge/sign off this leave and submit to Pay and Pensions. 

If the employee requests to take their "additional leave (week  3)" as intermittent days, then they must  complete the "Additional Paternity Leave - Intermittent days request form" (located in Self-Service). You will have to acknowledge/sign off these days and submit to Pay and Pensions to be processed. 

Can I request that the paternity leave is taken at a later date?

No. Paternity leave is a statutory right and therefore you cannot decline or request that the employee takes their statutory paternity leave at another time. Provided that an employee meets the conditions for taking paternity leave and takes the first 2 weeks (statutory leave) within the 12-months from the date when the child is born/placed (for children born/placed from 06/04/24), it is for the employee to choose when to start/take their paternity leave. 

We provide 3-weeks paternity leave to our employees. If the employee chooses to take the 3rd week at a later date, then they must seek approval with their line manager when to take this leave (either in one block or intermittent days).  Similar to annual leave, if the request is unreasonable/unsuitable due to operational demands, the line manager can request that this leave is taken at a different date. The employee has until the child's first birthday/anniversary of placement to take this additional leave. 

How are paternity leave costs covered?

For internally funded posts, costs are charged to the School/Unit’s salaries budget.  

If a post is externally funded, Human Resources will check with the Finance and Support Team whether the grant covers the costs of the paternity leave.  If it does not, these will be paid by the School/Unit salary budget.  

Who does the work whilst the member of staff is on paternity leave?  

A post may be covered by existing colleagues or by recruiting a temporary replacement, depending on business needs.  When determining the length of a cover post, you should consider any annual leave the employee may wish to use directly before/after their paternity leave (and any neonatal leave, if relevant). Requests for like for like paternity cover should be sent to the Director of HR (hrdirector@st-andrews.ac.uk) using the Replacement Cover Form. 

Are the entitlements the same if employees are on fixed term contracts?  

Eligible employees, including those on fixed term contracts who meet the eligibility criteria are entitled to enhanced paternity leave and pay (3 weeks at full pay).  If a contract expires during paternity leave , they will still receive their paternity pay. 

Fixed term contracts are not automatically extended in line with the period of family leave.  If a fixed term contract ends during paternity leave the normal redundancy process should be followed.  If you wish to extend a contract, you should discuss this with Human Resources, or the Finance and Support Team (for external funding).  

Am I allowed to contact a member of staff on paternity leave?  

Yes. A manager may make reasonable contact with an individual on paternity leave.   This should be agreed in advance of the employee going on leave. 

Can I ask an employee to work whilst on paternity leave?  

An employee cannot work during paternity leave. 

Useful internal support contacts

Useful external support

• DadPad
• Dadsnet
• Dads rock
• Dope Black Dads 
• Tommy's - looking after your mental health after baby is born (for dads and partners)
• NCT
• Tax Free Childcare
• Statutory UK Gov calculator