The long-awaited Neonatal Leave and Pay provisions, introduced under the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023, have now been confirmed to commence on Sunday 6 April 2025.
Neonatal care leave (referred to as SNCL) and pay will give working parents of babies in receipt of neonatal care up to 12 weeks’ paid (eligibility criteria apply) time off. This is the first time employees will have such an entitlement.
Currently, working parents across the UK are forced to return to work if their new born babies are sick and require a stay in hospital.
This legislation will give eligible employees an entitlement of up to 12 weeks of paid leave if their baby requires neonatal care for an extended period following birth. Employees will be entitled to neonatal care leave and pay if they meet specific criteria.
Neonatal Care Leave will be a ‘day-one’ employment right, but to qualify an employee must have had a baby admitted to hospital for neonatal care within the first 28 days of life for at least 7 consecutive days, and must be the baby's parent, adopter, intended parent, or the partner of the child's mother or adopter, and have, or expect to have, responsibility for the baby’s upbringing.
For employees to qualify for up to 12 weeks Statutory Neonatal Care Pay, they must have been employed for 26 weeks by the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth; and earn at least the lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions applicable at the time the leave is taken.
These new rights will be available to each parent and are in addition to existing parental leave rights such as maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption leave.
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