Yes, you are entitled to accrue statutory annual leave during periods of SPL as if you are still at work. These types of policies reduce the amount of paid shared parental leave available to the father/partner and/or reduce the amount of maternity leave taken by the mother. The time limit is strict and JobCentre Plus do not allow late claims under any circumstances. If the mother returns to work before giving notice to take SPL/ ShPP she must give at least 8 weeks’ notice to curtail the maternity pay period before the end of the 38th week. You could use SPLIT days to try out a new working pattern before making a formal flexible working request or to return to work in a gradual way. do you want to take leave together or separately? Or, if the mother wants to take her leave more flexibly in the first year, she can end her maternity leave and pay early and create shared parental leave and pay to take later in the year. If your employer offers enhanced contractual shared parental pay it should be offered to men and women taking shared parental leave. You should be consulted about any proposed redundancies if you are on shared parental leave and your employer must follow a fair procedure. This means that she will have to give notice by the end of the 30th week of the maternity pay period at the latest. If a parent is going to be made redundant and wants to receive the remaining ShPP, s/he should book the rest of the ShPP period before their employment ends otherwise s/he will lose it. Claim on form SF100 (Sure Start), available from Jobcentre Plus offices, from 11 weeks before the baby is due until 6 months after the birth. Your employer must consider your request within a reasonable time and give you a decision within three months. For more information on requesting changes to your working hours, see Child-friendly working hours. I am self-employed and my partner is employed. Your employer can agree to more than three notices. If you have given your employer a booking notice requesting discontinuous leave and your employer has refused the request or no agreement has been reached within the two-week discussion period as to when the leave will be taken, you may withdraw the period of leave notice. Do I have to give up some of my Maternity Allowance? Once the mother has curtailed (reduced) her maternity leave/SMP or Maternity Allowance it can only be withdrawn in very limited circumstances so the mother cannot go back onto maternity leave/SMP/Maternity Allowance if things change. Fathers and partners can take the shared parental leave immediately after paternity leave when both parents are off work together or when the mother has returned to work. Single parents will not be able to qualify for shared parental leave. Parental Leave is different from shared parental leave and is usually unpaid. You should bear in mind that Government guidance on shared parental leave has conflicting information on this: ‘Employed mothers who qualify for MA cannot take SPL or ShPP themselves but can ‘create’ SPL and/or ShPP for an employed father or partner to take….’ page 10.