Shared parental leave entitlement calculator, 2026/27
Aimed at company directors planning around a new baby, this calculator shows the pool of Shared Parental Leave weeks and pay still available once maternity or adoption leave is cut short, so both parents can plan cover for the business.
The shared parental leave entitlement calculator runs on the rates and thresholds HMRC has published for the 2026/27 tax year, so the figures you see reflect the position your company is actually filing on rather than a historic set of bands. Change any input and the result recalculates immediately, with no sign-up and nothing sent anywhere.
If you are a director of a UK limited company, use it as a first look before a decision rather than as the decision itself. Maximum entitlement pools are 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay, reduced by whatever maternity or adoption leave and pay has already been taken before curtailment. Real company positions bring in other income, reliefs, group structures and prior year adjustments that a single page of inputs cannot see, which is why the workings are written out below under property & landlord. Read those, then check the numbers against your own accounts, and speak to us if anything looks materially different from what you expected.
Last reviewed 12 September 2026 for the 2026/27 tax year. Reviewed by Waqas Sagar, Member of ICAEW, Fellow of ACCA, Fellow of AAT.
Regulated by
Regulated & AML supervisor
AAT fellow member
Xero Gold PartnerCertified advisor
QuickBooks PartnerCertified ProAdvisor100+ yearsCombined team experienceFully insuredUp to £2m indemnityShared parental leave entitlement calculator
Result, 2026/27
Shared Parental Leave weeks available
Shared Parental Pay weeks available
Maximum value of remaining ShPP
At the statutory weekly rate of £194.32Notice needed before first block of leave
Illustration only, figures are based on the rates you have selected and the information entered. Please check your own position with us before acting.
Estimates for the 2026/27 tax year using published GOV.UK rates. Switch between 2026/27 and 2025/26 above.
How this is calculated
The total pool available for Shared Parental Leave is 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay, calculated by taking the maximum maternity or adoption entitlements, 52 weeks of leave and 39 weeks of pay, and deducting the compulsory two-week period a mother or adopter must take regardless.
Once the mother or adopter formally curtails her own maternity or adoption leave and pay, whatever remains of that 50-week and 37-week pool becomes available to be shared between both parents, in whatever pattern they agree with their respective employers.
This calculator deducts the weeks already taken from the maximum pool to show what remains, and values the remaining pay weeks at the standard statutory weekly rate, which is the figure most parents will actually receive unless their average weekly earnings are lower.
Notice and planning for a limited company
Parents wanting to take Shared Parental Leave must give at least eight weeks' notice before each block of leave begins, and provide a non-binding indication early on of how they intend to split the total entitlement, which helps employers plan resourcing.
For a small limited company, a director or key employee taking several separate blocks of leave across the year can be more disruptive to plan around than a single continuous absence, so early conversations about the intended pattern are worthwhile.
Two employers, two calculations
Where each parent has a different employer, each employer only needs to know the total pool and how much of it their own employee intends to use; they do not need to communicate directly with the other employer, though evidence of the other parent's curtailment is required.
Self-employed parents and some agency workers may not qualify for Shared Parental Leave or Pay in the same way, even if their partner is an eligible employee, so eligibility should be checked separately for each parent before assuming the full pool is usable.
What this means for your company
Treat the result as a planning figure for the 2026/27 tax year. If it changes what you were about to do, take a director's salary, a dividend, a large asset purchase or a filing decision, check it against your own accounts first. We can review the position with you and confirm the tax treatment before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How many weeks of Shared Parental Leave are there in total?
Up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay are available to be shared, once the compulsory two weeks of maternity or adoption leave have been taken and the remaining entitlement has been curtailed.
Can leave be shared if the parents work for different employers?
Yes. Each parent's own employer handles their share of the leave and pay independently, based on notice given and evidence of the other parent's curtailment of their maternity or adoption leave.
How much notice is needed to take Shared Parental Leave?
At least eight weeks' notice is required before each block of leave starts, along with an early, non-binding indication of the pattern of leave both parents intend to take across the year.
What if the mother does not curtail her maternity leave?
No pool becomes available to share. The mother or adopter must formally bring their maternity or adoption leave and pay to an early end before any remaining weeks can be shared with the other parent.
Keep going
Related calculators
Same rates, different question.
Shared parental leave pay calculator
Calculate Statutory Shared Parental Pay for 2026/27 across the weeks you plan to take, plus what your limited company can recover from HMRC.
CalculatorParental bereavement pay calculator
Work out Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay for 2026/27 using the weekly statutory rate, employer recovery, and eligible weeks off work.
CalculatorContractor take-home calculator
Estimate your take-home pay through a limited company for 2026/27 from your day rate, working days and expenses, after corporation tax, NI and dividend tax.
CalculatorSelf Assessment tax calculator
Estimate your Self Assessment bill for 2026/27 from self-employed profit, salary and dividends, including income tax, Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance.