UK | Statutory Neonatal Care Leave & Pay Guide
From 6 April 2025, parents of newborns requiring extended neonatal care have access to Statutory Neonatal Care Leave (NCL) and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (SNCP). These new entitlements provide eligible parents with additional time off work and, in some cases, financial support — ensuring they are not solely reliant on existing family leave entitlements such as maternity or paternity leave.
Under the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 and its supporting regulations, employees have a day-one right to NCL if their baby is admitted to hospital for at least seven continuous days within the first 28 days after birth. Employees who meet the relevant length of service and earnings criteria may also qualify for SNCP, which will be taxable and subject to National Insurance Contributions in line with other statutory family payments.
The attached guide provides a detailed overview of these new statutory rights, including eligibility criteria, leave entitlements, notice requirements, tax and NIC treatment, employer reimbursement, and more.
Related Articles
UK | Statutory Neonatal Care Leave & Pay Effective 6 April 2025
From 6 April 2025, parents of newborns requiring extended neonatal care will have access to Statutory Neonatal Care Leave (NCL) and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (SNCP). These new entitlements provide eligible parents with additional time off work and, ...
United Kingdom Product User Guide
To aid our users in the understanding and application of compliance in UK, PaySpace has released an external Product User Guide. This is a "How to guide" to follow during company implementations, company maintenance, and for general support queries.
Leave | Statutory Sick Pay
Overview Employees are entitled to £109.40 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are too ill to work and is paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks. Employees cannot get less than the statutory amount, but can get more if the company has a sick ...
Leave | Statutory Parental Bereavement
Overview Statutory Parental Bereavement is time off from work if the employees child dies before they turn 18, or if the employee has a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy The employee can take 2 weeks leave from the first day of employment for ...
Leave | Shared Parental Leave
Overview Shared Parental Leave is time off after having a baby, using a surrogate to have a baby, adopting a child or fostering a child who you’re planning to adopt. Employees can share up to 52 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between the ...