Parental leave confirmation letter template

UK employment law and best practice

This template is designed to support the process, but the document should be used alongside the relevant HR procedure and applied to the circumstances of the individual case.

Ordinary parental leave is a statutory right allowing eligible employees to take unpaid time off to care for a child. From 6 April 2026, the right became a day-one right, meaning an employee no longer needs to have worked for their employer for one year before becoming eligible. Employers should manage requests in accordance with the statutory requirements and their own parental leave policy. https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave

Eligibility

To qualify for statutory parental leave, the individual must be an employee and have parental responsibility for the child. They must generally be named on the child's birth or adoption certificate or have or expect to have parental responsibility. The child must be under 18.

The right applies to employees rather than individuals who are genuinely self-employed or workers. Foster parents are generally not eligible unless they have secured parental responsibility through the courts. Employers can reasonably request evidence of eligibility, such as a birth or adoption certificate, but should not request proof unnecessarily each time leave is taken. https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/eligibility

Day-one right

From 6 April 2026, eligible employees can take statutory parental leave from the first day of their employment. There is no longer a requirement for the employee to have completed one year's service before becoming eligible. This is an important change that employers and managers should understand when handling parental leave requests. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Entitlement

Each eligible parent can generally take up to 18 weeks of parental leave for each child, with the entitlement available until the child's 18th birthday. The entitlement applies to each child rather than being a single entitlement for the employee.

Unless the employer agrees otherwise, parental leave is generally limited to four weeks per child in each year and must normally be taken in whole weeks rather than individual days. Different arrangements can apply where the child is disabled. https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave/entitlement

Notice

Employees normally need to give at least 21 days' notice before the date they want a period of parental leave to begin and should provide the required start and finish dates. Specific rules apply where parental leave is requested to begin around the birth or adoption of a child. https://www.acas.org.uk/parental-leave

Postponing parental leave

An employer cannot refuse or completely cancel parental leave, but may be able to postpone it where the employee's absence would cause problems for the business. Where postponement is permitted, the employer must follow the statutory requirements, including notifying the employee within the required timeframe and consulting with them about alternative dates. https://www.acas.org.uk/parental-leave

Protection from detriment

Employees are protected from being subjected to a detriment or dismissed because they take, or seek to take, parental leave. Employers should ensure that managers do not treat employees less favourably because they have exercised or intend to exercise this statutory right. https://www.acas.org.uk/parental-leave

Record keeping

Employers should maintain accurate records of parental leave taken by each employee and each child so that remaining entitlement can be established. The employee should receive clear written confirmation of the agreed arrangements.