Just wondered if anyone else has recent experience with paternity pay?
My partner has worked for his company since the end of Jan 2005 which makes his 26 weeks basic employment will be in July and the 15 weeks before the babies are due falls around 12th August. So, is he entitled to full pay rather than statutory paternity pay?
Also, if I was to go into labour one day while he's at work and he comes home that day, does that count as day one of his paternity leave, even if he's worked part of the day?
Does the 14 week parental leave rule apply to fathers and is there legal guarantee about his job being there if he takes the time?
One site I looked at suggested a self certification about being the biological father etc - is this really needed or just a one off for this site?
I'm told that child tax credits must be claimed within 3 months of giving birth and then it's constant from then on, how much should this equate to in total? Does it make a difference that we're having twins? I can't find much info about actual value.
Anything else we need to know?
Thanks in advance, this parenthood business is complicated already :D

In my experience, he will only get statutory paternity pay of £100 p/w for two weeks unless his employer has a more generous scheme.
As for tax credits, there are so many variables. If you go on the inland revenue website and follow the links to tax credits - click on 'do i qualify?'. Fill in the form and it will give you an estimate of what you can expect to receive.

i am sure he is only entitled to statutory paternity pay, also the parental leave i am sure only is like the flexible working hours which means only the main carer qualifys.
as for the tax credits, it all depends on salary and hours you work and your age. your partners salary is also counted. working tax is differeant to childs tax. you get a higher rate until the children are 1 y/o. you have 3 months to claim to be able to get it from the date of birth , anythime after this they do not need to back date it. same goes with your child benefit. just ring the inland revenue and have a chat, they are really helpful:thumbsup:

Originally posted by savbaby
i am sure he is only entitled to statutory paternity pay, also the parental leave i am sure only is like the flexible working hours which means only the main carer qualifys.

IIRC you can take up to 13 weeks(?) but it is unpaid, but guaranteed job at the end of it.

When my second was born (1 week before new paternity laws came in. Grrr) the best I did was being allowed to take 5 days holiday at short notice.

Originally posted by savbaby
i am sure he is only entitled to statutory paternity pay, also the parental leave i am sure only is like the flexible working hours which means only the main carer qualifys.


Thanks everyone.
The main carer thing makes sense. That would be me but I'll only be part time anyway so it shouldnt be a problem and there's always maternity leave.
Twins being twins, I'm not sure what we'll do if they're very early and in incubators etc. I can't imagine he'd want to go to work much, that's why I wondered about the parental leave.
I had already looked at the site for working the tax stuf out and wondered if I'd gone wrong because it said under £2,000 per annum. Someone I know has two kids, both under 3 and recieves £7,000.
Finally, I figured out this must be a culmination of working tax, family allowance and child tax credits. Or so I think.
There really should be an idiots guide to the governments view of new parents, and which includes all the forms etc.

paternity leave obviously applies to the father, not the primary carer.
It's only a few weeks though and any pay above the statutory amount is discretional.
It would be a bit harsh to count the half a day if he has to leave when you go into labour, but I guess that depends on his manager.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cyclone
paternity leave obviously applies to the father, not the primary carer.
It's only a few weeks though and any pay above the statutory amount is discretional.
It would be a bit harsh to count the half a day if he has to leave when you go into labour, but I guess that depends on his manager. [/QUOTE
yeah paternity leave is for the father but what i think is the main carer is parental leave or time off for dependants as its sometimes called. obviously paternity leave is the father as maternity leave is the mother!:hihi:

edit:dont know why the quote box went like that!:suspect: :help:

Hi
I think that the parental leave (13 weeks leave to take before they are 5y) is actually for both parents - ie. you could both opt to take 13 weeks. It is unpaid though. Some companies will only allow you a maximum of 4 weeks a year (which is what the law says they can offer) and normally in a minimum of 1 week blocks.

Re paternity pay your partner would need to inform his company in the same way that you do for maternity leave (i.e. same amount of notice required to say when your due date is etc). He would then be entitled to the 2 weeks paternity leave - but would only get the minimum of £100 instead of his normal wage during the time off.

I dont think anyone understand child tax credit - even the people you phone so cant help here.

Anyway good luck:D
LisaH xxx

Originally posted by lisaH


I dont think anyone understand child tax credit - even the people you phone so cant help here.



:clap: hehehe yup I agree, maybe it's the new parenting test?