Neonatal Care Pay and Leave
Check if you're eligible
You may be able to get up to 12 weeks’ 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’re the baby’s parent or partner of the baby’s mother, and have caring responsibility for the baby
- you’re 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 ‘official notification’ confirming you’re allowed to adopt (if you’re 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’re the intended parent and will be responsible for their care
- you’ll have a parental order within 6 months of the baby’s birth date
Neonatal Care Leave
To get Neonatal Care Leave, you must:
- be classed as an employee - it does not matter how long you’ve 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’s called the ‘qualifying week’.
If you get Maternity or Paternity Pay, the ‘qualifying week’ is the 15th week before the baby is due. If you get Statutory Adoption Pay, it’s the week you were told you’d been matched with the baby for adoption.
Otherwise, the ‘qualifying week’ is the week immediately before the baby enters neonatal care.
You must also:
- continue to be employed up to the week before you want the pay to start
- earn on average £125 a week (before tax) or more, over an 8-week period