MOM states that eligible parents share 10 weeks of parental leave for children born from 1 April 2026 onwards, compared with six weeks for the earlier specified period. Eligibility includes citizenship, service and other conditions. The guidance also addresses estimated delivery dates and adoption situations, which need their own review.

The 10 weeks are a shared pool under the scheme, not automatically 10 additional weeks for each parent. Check the official allocation and scheduling arrangements before agreeing a plan.

Start with eligibility and the relevant date

Identify which scheme and date provisions apply. Employees and self-employed parents have different factual checks, and adoption circumstances should not be inferred from a simple birth-date summary. Use the official leave portal for the complete rules.

Keep sensitive family documents within the approved HR process. A colleague helping arrange cover generally needs the confirmed absence and handover information, not private details supplied for an eligibility assessment.

Plan the discussion with your employer

Explain the arrangement you want to discuss, the dates being considered and which points still depend on the official allocation process. Ask HR which notifications, records and approvals apply. Do not treat a provisional calendar entry as a complete leave agreement.

For example, two parents can first map the periods when each expects to be available, then review the official allocation rules and their separate employers' processes. Keep assumptions visible until the relevant steps are confirmed.

Make the handover useful

List the tasks that need an owner, upcoming commitments and where approved records are kept. Agree who handles urgent decisions and which colleagues can provide cover. Avoid designing a plan that assumes the parent will remain routinely available during leave.

Managers can review workload and training needs before the absence rather than simply forwarding every task to one colleague. Record the confirmed working arrangements and discuss the return-to-work process at an appropriate time.

Keep related entitlements separate

Shared parental leave, maternity leave and paternity leave have different rules. Do not combine headline week counts into an individual entitlement without checking every relevant condition. If information changes, ask for a clear updated record so both the parent and employer know which arrangement is current.

Official source

Checked on 27 October 2026. Read the official guidance for eligibility, exceptions and later updates. This is general information; individual cases may need qualified advice. Explore opportunities.