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You and your partner may be able to get paid time off work if your newborn baby is premature or sick and needs neonatal care.

鈥楴eonatal care鈥� is the name given to care for newborn babies which starts in the first 28 days after birth. This may be for:

• hospital care
• medical care after leaving hospital - this must be under a consultant and include ongoing visits or checks arranged by the hospital where your baby was treated
• palliative or end of life care

You may be able to get:

• Neonatal Care Leave
• Statutory Neonatal Care Pay

You can get one week鈥檚 leave for every 7 full and continuous days your baby is in neonatal care, for up to 12 weeks.

You get Neonatal Care Pay and Leave in addition to other parental pay and leave entitlements. If you鈥檙e already on maternity leave or adoption leave, Neonatal Care Leave must be taken at the end of that entitlement.

There are rules about when you can take your leave and how to claim.

Employment rights when on leave

Your employment rights are protected while on Neonatal Care Leave. This includes your right to:

• pay rises
• build up (鈥榓ccrue鈥�) holiday
• return to work

You may be entitled to Neonatal Care Leave, Statutory Neonatal Care Pay, or both.

You can get one week鈥檚 leave for every 7 full and continuous days your baby is in neonatal care.

Neonatal Care Leave

You can get up to 12 weeks鈥� Neonatal Care Leave if you鈥檙e classed as an employee. It does not matter how long you鈥檝e been with your employer.

You must take the leave within 68 weeks (just under 16 months) of your baby鈥檚 birth date.

The notice period you must give your employer will depend on whether you鈥檙e taking leave:

• while your baby is in neonatal care, or up to a week after leaving (this is sometimes called 鈥榯ier 1鈥�)
• more than a week after your baby has left neonatal care (this is sometimes called 鈥榯ier 2鈥�)

How you take the leave

While your baby is in neonatal care, or up to a week after leaving, you can take leave in separate blocks of at least one week at a time.

After this, you must take leave in a single continuous block.

If you鈥檙e already taking maternity or adoption leave

If your baby enters neonatal care while you鈥檙e on Statutory Maternity Leave or Statutory Adoption Leave, you must take your Neonatal Care Leave after your maternity or adoption leave is finished.

If you鈥檙e taking Shared Parental Leave or Statutory Paternity Leave

You can take Neonatal Care Pay and Leave either:

• before you start Statutory Paternity Leave or Shared Parental Leave
• between blocks of Shared Parental Leave that you booked before your baby started neonatal care (this includes if the Shared Parental Leave is for another child)聽

If you鈥檙e using your leave and pay at least one week after your baby leaves neonatal care, you must take all of it in a single block. You can do this before or after your Shared Parental Leave or Statutory Paternity Leave.

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay

If you claim Neonatal Care Leave, you may also be able to claim Statutory Neonatal Care Pay if you鈥檙e eligible.

You鈥檒l get either 拢187.18 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower).

Any money you get is paid the same way as your wages, for example weekly or monthly, along with deductions for tax and National Insurance.

If you have more than one baby in neonatal care

If your babies are in neonatal care at the same time (for example, if you have twins), you can only claim Neonatal Care Pay and Leave for one of them, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.

If your babies are in neonatal care at separate times, you鈥檒l be able to claim for each of them - up to a maximum of 12 weeks in total.

You may be able to get up to 12 weeks鈥� Neonatal Care Pay and Leave if:

• your baby was born on or after 6 April 2025
• your baby spends 7 days or more in a row in neonatal care
• you鈥檙e the baby鈥檚 parent or partner of the baby鈥檚 mother, and have caring responsibility for the baby
• you鈥檙e taking the leave to care for the baby

You must also meet the eligibility criteria as an employee.

If you or your partner are an adoptive parent

You may be eligible if either:

• the baby has been placed with you
• you have the 鈥榦fficial notification鈥� confirming you鈥檙e allowed to adopt (if you鈥檙e adopting a baby from overseas)

If you or your partner had a baby with the help of a surrogate parent

You may be eligible if:

• you鈥檙e the intended parent and will be responsible for their care
• you鈥檒l have a parental order within 6 months of the baby鈥檚 birth date

Neonatal Care Leave

To get Neonatal Care Leave, you must:

• be classed as an employee - it does not matter how long you鈥檝e worked for your employer
• be employed in England, Scotland or Wales
• give your employer notice for Neonatal Care Leave

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay

To get Statutory Neonatal Care Pay, you must have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of what鈥檚 called the 鈥榪ualifying week鈥�.

If you get Maternity or Paternity Pay, the 鈥榪ualifying week鈥� is the 15th week before the baby is due. If you get Statutory Adoption Pay, it鈥檚 the week you were told you鈥檇 been matched with the baby for adoption.

Otherwise, the 鈥榪ualifying week鈥� is the week immediately before the baby enters neonatal care.聽

You must also:

• continue to be employed up to the week before you want the pay to start
• earn on average 拢125 a week (before tax) or more, over an 8-week period

You claim Neonatal Care Pay and Leave through your employer. You must take it within 68 weeks (just under 16 months) of your baby鈥檚 birth date, including if your baby is adopted.

You must give your employer notice before you take Neonatal Care Pay and Leave. If you鈥檙e eligible for both, you should ideally do this at the same time.聽

How much notice you must give depends on when you鈥檙e taking the leave and pay.

If you鈥檙e taking leave and pay while your baby is in neonatal care (or in the first week after)

This is sometimes called 鈥榯ier 1鈥� leave.

You need to tell your employer on the day you want your leave to start, ideally before the time you usually start work or as soon as you can afterwards. You can give notice to your employer for pay up to 28 days after your leave starts.聽

If you need to continue leave and pay for another week, you鈥檒l need to let your employer know again. You should do this by the end of the previous week.

If your baby is likely to be in neonatal care for a long time, your employer may agree that you can contact them less frequently.

You need to tell your employer the date your baby leaves neonatal care as soon as possible.

If you鈥檙e taking leave and pay more than a week after your baby has left neonatal care

This is sometimes called 鈥榯ier 2鈥� leave.

If you鈥檙e taking one week of leave and pay, you鈥檒l need to tell your employer 15 days before you want your leave and pay to start. If you鈥檙e taking 2 or more weeks鈥� leave and pay, you鈥檒l need to tell them 28 days in advance.

To claim neonatal care leave, you must write to your employer telling them:

• your full name
• your baby鈥檚 date of birth and, if adopted, the date they were placed with you (or the date they entered into Great Britain if adopted from overseas)
• the start and end date of your baby鈥檚 neonatal care
• when you want your Neonatal Care Leave to begin
• how many weeks鈥� leave you want to take

For pay and leave, you鈥檒l also need to confirm:

• you鈥檒l care for the baby during the period you鈥檙e claiming for
• you鈥檙e the baby鈥檚 parent or mother鈥檚 partner with caring responsibilities for the baby - you鈥檒l only need to give this information the first time you write to your employer

If you have more than one baby in neonatal care

You鈥檒l need to provide your employer with information for each baby.

You may be able to cancel your Neonatal Care Leave or Statutory Neonatal Care Pay depending on when your leave is due to start.

You can rebook your leave and pay if you give your employer the correct notice.

If your leave or pay is due to start more than a week after your baby has left neonatal care

To cancel your Neonatal Care Leave or Statutory Neonatal Care Pay, you鈥檒l need to give written notice to your employer. When you need to tell them depends on when your leave or pay is due to start.

If you鈥檙e taking:

• one week鈥檚 leave - you must let your employer know you want to cancel at least 15 days before the start of the planned leave
• 2 or more weeks鈥� leave - you must let your employer know you want to cancel at least 28 days before the start of the planned leave