What is neonatal leave?

For employed parents in Great Britain whose newborn baby needs a week or more of neonatal care.

Applies to: England, Scotland, Wales Last checked against official sources: 6 October 2026

Neonatal Care Leave gives parents up to 12 weeks off work if their baby needs neonatal care soon after birth.

It is for babies born on or after 6 April 2025 who spend 7 days or more in a row in neonatal care.
Care must start in the first 28 days after birth.
You get 1 week of leave for every 7 full days of care, up to 12 weeks.
Leave is a day-one right for employees in England, Scotland and Wales.
Statutory Neonatal Care Pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of your earnings if lower (2026/27).

Different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

Rules may be different in:

Northern Ireland: Check nidirect for Northern Ireland

Key facts

Up to 12 weeks' leave
1 week per 7 days in care
Pay: £194.32 a week (2026/27)
Take within 68 weeks of birth

What neonatal leave is

Neonatal Care Leave is time off for parents whose newborn baby needs neonatal care. It started for babies born on or after 6 April 2025.

Neonatal care is care that starts in the first 28 days after birth. It covers:

care in hospital
medical care at home after leaving hospital, if a consultant is still overseeing it with regular follow-ups
palliative or end-of-life care

Who it is for

You may get it if your baby spends 7 full days or more in a row in neonatal care, and you are the baby's parent or the partner of the baby's mother. There are also rules for adoptive parents and surrogacy.

	Neonatal Care Leave	Statutory Neonatal Care Pay
Employment status	Employee	Employee
Time with employer	None needed (day-one right)	At least 26 weeks into the qualifying week
Earnings	No minimum	Average of at least £129 a week (2026/27)
Where you work	England, Scotland or Wales	England, Scotland or Wales

How much you get (2026/27)

You get 1 week of leave for every 7 full days your baby is in neonatal care, up to 12 weeks.

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower. Tax and National Insurance are taken off.

Example: Sam's baby is in neonatal care for 14 full days. Sam earns £300 a week. 90% is £270, which is more than £194.32, so Sam gets £194.32 a week. Sam can take 2 weeks of leave and gets £388.64 in total.

If more than one baby from the same birth is in care at the same time, you can claim for one of them only, up to 12 weeks.

When to take it

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

While your baby is in care, or within 1 week of them leaving, you can take leave in separate blocks of at least a week.
After that, the rest must be taken in one continuous block.
If you are on maternity or adoption leave, neonatal leave is added on at the end.

How to apply

During care or up to 1 week after: tell your employer on the day your leave starts, before you are due to start work if you can. A phone call, voicemail or text is fine.
Later leave: give written notice at least 15 days ahead for 1 week, or 28 days ahead for longer.
For pay: give written notice within 28 days of your leave starting. You can use the NEO3 form, an email, a letter or your employer's own form.

Tell your employer your name, your baby's date of birth, the dates of neonatal care, when you want leave to start and how long for.

Things to know

Your rights to pay rises, holiday and returning to your job are protected.
If you disagree with a pay decision, talk to your employer. If it is not sorted out, contact HMRC's Statutory Payment Disputes Team within 6 months of the decision.
Neonatal Care Leave covers employees in England, Scotland and Wales only.

Related guides

Where these figures come from

Get it done

This takes you to the official service, which is free to use.

Claim Neonatal Care Leave

Common questions

Do I need to have worked for my employer for a while?

Not for the leave. For pay, you need 26 weeks with your employer and average earnings of at least the threshold.

What if I am already on maternity leave?

Neonatal Care Leave is added on after your maternity or adoption leave ends.

When must I take neonatal leave?

Within 68 weeks of your baby's birth.

Official sources

1.Neonatal Care Pay and Leave (GOV.UK)www.gov.uk/neonatal-care-pay-leave
2.Neonatal Care Pay and Leave: check if you're eligible (GOV.UK)www.gov.uk/neonatal-care-pay-leave/check-eligible
3.Neonatal Care Pay and Leave: what you can get (GOV.UK)www.gov.uk/neonatal-care-pay-leave/what-you-get
4.Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC)www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2026-to-2027
5.Neonatal Care Pay and Leave: how to claim (GOV.UK)www.gov.uk/neonatal-care-pay-leave/how-to-claim

Checked against GOV.UK on 6 October 2026

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