Adoption pay and leave

Find out more about the adoption pay and leave entitlement available in England.

Adoption pay and leave

Adopters who are employed are usually entitled to adoption leave and may also be entitled to adoption pay. A more generous scheme may be offered by some employers over and above the statutory scheme, but they can't offer less than the statutory amounts.

Statutory adoption leave

Adopters (or one of a couple) are entitled to up to 52 weeks of statutory adoption leave. Adoption leave can start either:

Up to 14 days before the child starts living with them OR
From the day a child starts to live with the adopter.

There is no qualifying period in employment as adoption leave is a ‘day one’ right.

Employers need proof of adoption; usually a matching certificate with written notification of an early permanence arrangement and this must be from an adoption agency across the United Kingdom.

A prospective adopter should inform their employer within seven days of being notified that they are matched with a child or expecting an early permanence arrangement. If this is not possible, the employer should be informed as soon as possible. Adopters can return to their previous role if they take up to 26 weeks’ adoption leave. They must be offered a suitable alternative job if they return after 26 weeks, or at the end of 52 weeks’ leave.

Once a child is matched with a prospective adopter who are eligible for adoption leave, they are also entitled to time off with pay on five occasions (main adopter) or two occasions (secondary adopter) for adoption appointments relating to the child settling in.

Statutory adoption pay

An adopter (one of a couple) who has worked for their employer continuously for at least 26 weeks by the week they are matched with a child or notified of an early permanence placement, may qualify for statutory adoption pay. This is 90% of earnings for the first 6 weeks, and £172.48 (2024) or 90% earnings, whichever is lower, for a further 33 weeks. To qualify they must earn at least £123 per week before tax (2024) and give the correct notice and evidence to the employer for statutory adoption leave.

Self-employed

Statutory adoption leave and pay only applies to people who are employed. Unfortunately, there is no equivalent support for self-employed people who adopt, but speak to your regional adoption agency as some areas offer discretionary financial support, equivalent to statutory adoption pay.

Statutory paternity leave and pay

If adopting as a couple, the second adopter may be entitled to up to two weeks of statutory paternity leave and pay. Couples can choose which of them takes statutory adoption leave and which takes statutory paternity leave. To be eligible for statutory paternity leave, they must have worked for their employer for a minimum of 26 weeks and, for pay, must earn at least £116 per week before tax (2018-19).

Shared parental leave

Employees may be able to get Shared Parental Leave if they adopt a child. There is a 26-week qualifying period in employment and the adopter or partner must be eligible for statutory adoption pay or paternity pay or meet the employment and earnings test. Adopters can choose to end their statutory adoption leave and pay early (after a minimum of two weeks) and share up to 50 weeks of shared parental leave and 37 weeks of shared parental pay with their partner. See shared parental leave and pay: employer guide for more details.

If adoption leave is cut short

If a child is no longer placed, the adopter continues to be eligible for up to a further 8 weeks of statutory adoption leave and pay (unless leave/pay has already been used up) after which they would be expected to return to work. It is best to keep employers up to date if this should happen.

Taking a second adoption leave

If a second child is placed for adoption during or shortly after an adoption leave and the prospective adopter is still employed, they are entitled to statutory adoption leave again. An employer can't prevent adoption leave being taken.

Further information

This page is intended as a brief guide. For more information on statutory adoption leave and pay and how to claim. Adoption pay and leave: overview.

For information about shared parental leave and pay. Shared parental leave and pay: how it works.

Child benefit and child tax credit

Adopters can make a claim for child benefit from the time a child is placed for adoption with them but not if in an early permanence arrangement whilst fostering. If they receive an adoption allowance this won’t be treated as income and won’t prevent a child benefit claim. Adopters can also make a claim for child tax credit but not if in an early permanence arrangement whilst fostering. Qualification for this is also dependent on income and any adoption allowances are not counted as income.