Here I am again with an Employment Rights Act (ERA) update for you and this one is all about paternity and parental leave updates in 2026. 

So you think you know the Employment Rights Act upcoming changes?

Or you have no idea and you were eagerly awaiting the next thrilling Keeping HR Simple instalment?

You can read more here or we can give you the information you actually need.

Let’s talk about some changes to family policies that you may not be aware of.

With effect from April this year, that’s April 2026 (I say that to remind myself because I’m still on 2025 time!), there are some changes that all businesses will need to know about.

Paternity leave – updates 2026

The law currently says that to be eligible for paternity leave, the parent must have completed 26 weeks of continuous service.

The change from April will be that parents will be eligible for paternity leave from day one.

Parental leave – updates 2026

The law currently says that eligiblity for parental leave is after one year of service.

The change from April will mean that parental leave becomes a day one right, i.e. parents will be eligible for parental leave from the first day of their employment.

What do these changes mean? Briefing your Managers and making them aware of these changes would be a good plan.

And, as you might expect, policies will need to be updated.

Of course you can have a good old google to find what you need. Or, you could just decide to sign up for our annual HR update service and have all the updates delivered straight to your inbox for one small fee.