Use this page when you are deciding the route, not when you already know which statutory pay page you need.
A quicker signpost page to help users choose the right family-rights route based on whether the main question is maternity pay/leave, paternity pay/leave, or shared parental leave.
High-level differences between maternity, paternity, and shared parental routes.
Every adoption or surrogacy variation, or a full shared-parental-pay calculator yet.
Use maternity when the question is longer leave, the 39-week pay structure, and the qualifying week.
Use paternity when the question is short leave and the 1 or 2 week statutory-pay route.
Use shared parental when the real question is how parents want to split leave and pay after the birth or placement.
If the main question is a longer maternity leave and up to 39 weeks of pay, start with maternity. If it is 1 or 2 weeks of leave and a short statutory-pay question, start with paternity. If the real question is about sharing leave and pay between parents, start with the shared-parental route.
Do not assume that means no support is available. The next useful route may be Maternity Allowance, a paternity eligibility timing check, or Shared Parental Leave planning instead.
Best when the main question is longer maternity leave, SMP structure, the qualifying week, or what to do if SMP may not be available.
Best when the immediate question is 1 or 2 weeks of paternity leave and the weekly paternity-pay rate.
Best when parents want to share leave and pay in the first year after birth or placement.
Used for the overview that parents may share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay.
Used for the maternity leave structure.
Used for the paternity leave timing and 52-week window.
