Statutory Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

From 6 April 2025 HMRC will begin to administer a new statutory allowance — Statutory Neonatal Care Leave and Pay (SNCL&P) on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade. 

There will be circumstances where a baby is born sick or prematurely and may require neonatal care. In some cases, this care may need to last for a prolonged period. SNCL&P therefore looks to reduce some of the burden on new parents who might otherwise have to return to their workplace at a time when their baby is still receiving neonatal care.

This new statutory allowance:

• is claimable in the first 28 days following the birth of that child after they have spent 7 consecutive days in neonatal care
• can be paid for a maximum period of 12 weeks but will allow some flexibility dependent upon individual parental circumstances and other statutory payments to which they may be entitled

SNCL&P will give such parents the option:

• to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave
• to take Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (SNCP) in addition to other leave entitlements currently in place for example, statutory maternity or paternity leave
• to afford them the opportunity to find, and spend, more time with their baby in neonatal care at what is most probably a time of great stress.