Adoption leave in the UK: eligibility and pay

All eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks:

• 26 weeks of Ordinary Adoption Leave (OAL)
• 26 weeks of Additional Adoption Leave (AAL)

Only one period of leave is allowed per adoption, even if multiple children are adopted at once.

Adoption Leave is available from day one of employment.

Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP): You must have:

• 26 weeks of continuous employment by the end of the matching week.
• earn at least £125 a week, before tax, for at least 8 weeks before the week you’re matched with a child

If you’re not eligible for statutory adoption pay, you may still qualify for adoption leave without pay.

Employees should notify their employer as soon as possible about their adoption placement and within seven days of being matched with a child for adoption or confirmation of fostering a child permanently and becoming their legal parent (fostering to adopt). Use the Notification of Intention to Take Adoption Leave Form to confirm your plans.

Early notice helps with planning and gives you time to discuss preferred leave dates.

If you’re self-employed or working under a zero-hours or agency contract, you may still qualify for SAP but not adoption leave. Discuss leave arrangements directly with your employer if you’re not entitled to statutory adoption leave. Agency workers might also be able to get statutory adoption pay.

Only one partner can receive adoption leave and pay. Couples must decide who takes the lead as the primary or main adopter. The other partner may be eligible for:

• Adoption Paternity Leave and Pay
• Shared Parental Leave and Pay

Usually, adoption leave begins once the child or children are placed with their early permanence carers. Since April 2015, parents adopting through early permanence (previously referred to as foster to adoption) have the same rights to adoption leave and pay as any other adoptive parent.