When you take time off because your partner is having a baby, or you are adopting a child or having a baby through surrogacy, you may be eligible for paternity leave (sometimes also referred to as partner's leave). Since 2015, you can also apply for paternity leave and pay if you meet the eligibility criteria and intend to apply for a Parental Order under the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Act 2008.
Since 1 January 2023, LSE has removed the qualifying period for staff to request paternity/partner's leave. What's more, the period of paternity/partner's leave which staff can take has increased from 2 to 4 weeks.
'Partner' could be a child's biological father or it could refer to the partner of the mother (or adopter). This could be a spouse, civil partner, or a partner who is living in an enduring relationship with a mother and child.
What is the process for requesting and taking paternity/partner's leave?
From July 2025, notification and management of paternity/partner's leave is completed on MyHR. To help this process run as smoothly as possible, just follow the steps below - contact your HR Adviser if you're unsure about any of this.
1. Once you know that you'd like to request paternity/partner's leave, download and complete the Paternity Leave Notification Form on MyHR, including the block(s) of time that you'd like to take off.
2. Submit the completed form to your line manager on MyHR at least 28 days before of when you would like your leave to start. If you're a Head of Department, you should send the completed form to the Pro-Director, Faculty Development. Your manager will complete their parts of the form and the form will be sent to HR and Payroll.
3. You should also complete the SC3 form and upload it on MyHR for your HR Adviser and Payroll to review. You may also be asked to upload a copy of the birth certificate on MyHR. If, instead, you are adopting, you should send a completed SC4 form - or SC5 form if it's an overseas adoption.
4. Once approved, Payroll will write to you to confirm the dates of your paternity/partner's leave.