Shared Parental Pay

Agency Worker Handbook – Shared Parental Pay

Overview

If you are eligible for Maternity or Paternity Pay you may be eligible for Shared Parental Pay. Where your baby is due on or after 5 April 2015, eligible mothers will be able to volunteer to end their maternity pay early to create pay which they can share with the child’s father or their partner as shared parental pay (if the partner/father is eligible). Shared parental pay is paid at the lower of 90% of salary or the flat rate of £145.18 a week (April 2018- 2019 tax year). It is paid in the same way that other statutory payments (such as statutory maternity pay or statutory paternity pay) are paid. You must:

Have been employed by the same agency in each of the 26 weeks ending with the qualifying week (the 15th week before the week your baby is due), and Still work for the agency in all or part of your qualifying week, and Earn at least £116 per week (April 2018 - 2019) on average in the eight weeks (if paid weekly) or two months (if paid monthly) up to the last payday before the end of the qualifying week. You must share the main responsibility for the care of the child that the shared parental pay relates to with the other parent (i.e. their partner or the child’s father) at the date of the child’s birth or placement for adoption. The other parent must meet the ‘employment and earnings test’ for you to qualify for shared parental leave. To be eligible to share the parental pay the other parent must:

Qualify for Statutory Paternity Pay,

Have worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the expected week of childbirth, and

Have earned at least £390 in total in 13 of those 66 weeks.

The mother may curtail their pay to create a right to statutory shared parental pay, subject to meeting the qualifying requirements for this, however, a mother cannot curtail her maternity pay without having taken 2 weeks maternity pay after the birth (or 4 weeks if she works in a factory or workshop) and a maximum of 37 weeks statutory shared parental pay can be created.

If you wish to participate in shared parental pay please speak to Top Job Recruitment for more information.