MPL REGULATIONS AND UPCOMING CHANGES
What Employers and HR Professionals Need to Know
The Maternity and Parental Leave (MPL) Regulations provide core protections for pregnant employees and parents, ensuring they can take time away from work for childbirth and childcare without detriment. As the UK enters a period of substantial family‑leave reform, employers must prepare for new compliance duties taking effect from 2026 onwards.
Current MPL Framework
The MPL Regulations give employees up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave, split into Ordinary and Additional Maternity Leave. Employees are protected from unfavourable treatment linked to pregnancy, maternity leave, or their return to work under the Equality Act 2010.
Employees are also entitled to up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave, traditionally requiring one year of service to qualify. Leave must usually be taken in weekly blocks with standard notice rules.
Redundancy protections require employers to offer employees on maternity leave priority access to suitable alternative roles, ahead of other at‑risk staff.
Key Reforms Coming in 2026–2027
The Employment Rights Act 2025 and related reforms will significantly update family‑leave rights. With these changes not too far away, it would be prudent for employers to act now to adjust systems, contracts, and policies.
Some of the key changes coming soon are:
☑️ Day‑One Rights to Paternity and Parental Leave (from 6 April 2026)
The most significant shift is the removal of qualifying‑service periods. Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave will become day‑one rights, replacing the current 26‑week and 12‑month requirements. This change demands updates to HR systems and automated eligibility rules, which otherwise risk defaulting into unlawful refusals.
☑️ Greater Flexibility for Shared Parental Leave (April 2026)
Under existing rules, beginning shared parental leave could disqualify an employee from later taking statutory paternity leave. From April 2026, this restriction will be removed, allowing parents to take their leave in any sequence that suits their circumstances.
☑️ Early Notice Rights (from 18 February 2026)
To ensure employees can exercise new rights immediately, notice for paternity or parental leave may be given from 18 February 2026, ahead of the April implementation. Transitional rules also shorten notice periods for babies due between April and July 2026.
☑️ Bereaved Partner’s Leave (from 6 April 2026)
Where the mother or primary adopter dies within the child’s first year, bereaved partners will be entitled to up to 52 weeks of paternity leave, available from the first day of employment – please see Sam’s article this month for an in-depth review on this new right.
What can we do now?
With all of these upcoming changes there is a key focus on preparation. To avoid any last minute changes or falling foul of the new regulations employers should prioritise:
• Updating HRIS and payroll systems
Qualifying‑service logic must be rewritten to avoid unlawfully blocking day‑one leave entitlements. This has been identified as a major operational risk. [gov.uk]
• Revising contracts and policies
Any clauses referencing old service thresholds for family leave must be updated.
• Training managers
Managers must understand new rights, especially notice rules and day‑one eligibility.
• Reviewing redundancy processes
Ensure policies incorporate both existing priority‑offer duties and upcoming strengthened parental protections.
If your organisation could benefit from a document review, some training for your managers or some advice on all of the upcoming changes more generally please do get in touch and one of our team will be more than happy to assist.
