Understanding Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

Having a baby admitted to a neonatal unit can mean that the first days or weeks after birth look very different from what you had expected. For families with twins, triplets or more, this can be especially complex, with more than one baby needing care or babies coming home at different times.

Since 6 April 2025, parents in England, Scotland and Wales whose baby or babies require neonatal care may be entitled to additional time away from work through Neonatal Care Leave and, if they meet the eligibility requirements, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay.

What is Neonatal Care Leave?

Neonatal Care Leave is a statutory right allowing eligible parents to take additional time away from work when their baby requires neonatal care.

It applies to babies born on or after 6 April 2025 whose neonatal care starts within 28 days of birth and who receive at least seven full and continuous days of neonatal care.

Parents build up one week of Neonatal Care Leave for every seven full and continuous days their baby receives neonatal care, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.

This is in addition to other types of parental leave, including maternity, paternity, adoption and Shared Parental Leave.

Neonatal care does not only mean care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For the purposes of the entitlement, it can include hospital neonatal care, certain medical care provided after leaving hospital under the supervision of a consultant and palliative or end of life care.

Who can get Neonatal Care Leave?

Neonatal Care Leave is a day-one employment right. This means you do not need to have worked for your employer for a particular length of time before becoming eligible.

You need to be classed as an employee and be taking the leave to care for the baby.

Those who may be eligible include:

• The babies’ biological or adoptive parents where they have caring responsibility for the baby
• The partner of the babies’ mother where they have caring responsibility for the baby
• Intended parents through surrogacy who meet the relevant parental order requirements
• In some circumstances, the partner of an adoptive parent

There are additional eligibility requirements depending on your circumstances, so it is worth checking the full guidance on GOV.UK.

What is Statutory Neonatal Care Pay?

Neonatal Care Leave and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay have different eligibility rules.

Although leave is available from your first day of employment, to qualify for Statutory Neonatal Care Pay you normally need to have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the relevant qualifying week.

For the 2026/27 tax year, you must also normally have average weekly earnings of at least £129 a week before tax.

If you are eligible, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.

The qualifying week used to work out whether you are eligible varies depending on your circumstances, including whether you are entitled to maternity, paternity or adoption pay.

Statutory rates and earnings thresholds can change each year, so check the latest GOV.UK guidance when making a claim.

Your employer may also offer enhanced neonatal leave or pay, so it is worth checking your organisation's parental leave policies.

How does Neonatal Care Leave work alongside maternity and other parental leave?

Neonatal Care Leave is designed to provide additional time rather than replace other parental leave you are entitled to.

If you are already on maternity or adoption leave while your baby is receiving neonatal care, you cannot interrupt that leave to take Neonatal Care Leave. Instead, you can take the Neonatal Care Leave you have built up after your maternity or adoption leave finishes.

This can give parents additional time with their babies after they leave hospital, rather than having a significant part of their existing maternity or adoption leave taken up by their babies’ neonatal stay.

There are slightly different rules for Paternity Leave and Shared Parental Leave.

Neonatal Care Leave can be taken before Statutory Paternity Leave or Shared Parental Leave. It may also be possible to take it between blocks of Shared Parental Leave that were booked before your baby started neonatal care.

If you take Neonatal Care Leave at least one week after your baby has left neonatal care, you must normally take all the Neonatal Care Leave you have built up as one continuous block. This can be taken before or after Paternity Leave or Shared Parental Leave.

All Neonatal Care Leave must be taken within 68 weeks of your babies’ birth.

What happens if you have twins, triplets or more?

For families with more than one baby from the same pregnancy, the rules around how leave builds up are particularly important.

If more than one of your babies is receiving neonatal care at the same time, you can only build up Neonatal Care Leave and Pay in respect of one baby during the overlapping period. You do not build up a separate entitlement for each baby for the same period.

If your babies receive neonatal care at separate times, you may be able to build up entitlement for each baby, as long as each baby receives at least seven full and continuous days of neonatal care.

For example, if one baby receives 14 qualifying days of neonatal care and another later receives seven qualifying days, you may be able to build up three weeks of Neonatal Care Leave in total.

However, the overall maximum remains 12 weeks of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay, even if more than one baby needs neonatal care.

This may be particularly relevant where one baby comes home while another remains on the neonatal unit or where babies are admitted to neonatal care at different times.

If babies from the same pregnancy are born on different dates, the 68-week period in which you can take Neonatal Care Leave runs from the birth of the first baby.

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How do I claim Neonatal Care Leave and Pay?

You claim Neonatal Care Leave and Statutory Neonatal Care Pay through your employer.

The amount of notice you need to give depends on when you are taking your leave.

While your baby is still receiving neonatal care, or during the first week after their neonatal care ends, the notice requirements recognise that circumstances can change quickly. You can normally notify your employer on the day you want your leave to start, including by phone, voicemail or text. It does not have to be in writing.

If you want to continue your leave for another week during this period, you will normally need to tell your employer again by the end of the previous week, unless you have agreed different arrangements with them.

If you take your Neonatal Care Leave later, different notice requirements apply and you will normally need to give your employer notice in writing.

You will need to provide information including your babies’ date of birth and the dates their neonatal care started and ended.

What about parents in Northern Ireland?

Equivalent statutory Neonatal Care Leave and Pay rights are not currently in force in Northern Ireland. Employment law is devolved in Northern Ireland, so parents who work there should check their employer's policies and the latest information about the employment rights available to them.

Support when your babies need neonatal care

Having one or more babies in neonatal care can be an uncertain and exhausting experience. Alongside understanding your rights at work, getting the right practical and emotional support can make a difference.

Twins Trust has information and support for families whose babies are born prematurely or spend time in neonatal care. Whether you are currently on a neonatal unit, preparing to bring your babies home or adjusting to life afterwards, support is available.

To find out more about Neonatal Care Leave and Pay, visit the GOV.UK Neonatal Care Pay and Leave guidance.