If you run a small business, you're probably comfortable handling holiday requests. But what about when someone needs time off for jury service? Or when a member of staff needs to take carers leave? Or when the rules around paternity leave turn out to be more complicated than you expected?
Leave types can feel like a minefield. There are statutory entitlements, discretionary policies, and a whole layer of employment law sitting underneath it all. This guide cuts through the noise and gives you a plain-English overview of the main types of leave UK employees are entitled to - and what they mean for you as an employer.
Annual leave
This is the one most people know. Full-time employees in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 28 days of paid annual leave per year, which includes bank holidays. Part-time workers get a pro-rata equivalent based on the days they work.
That 28-day minimum is a legal floor, not a ceiling. Many employers offer more - 25 days plus bank holidays is a common benchmark.
A few things worth noting as a small business owner:
Annual leave accrues from the employee's first day of work. If someone joins halfway through the year, they're entitled to leave for the proportion of the year they've worked.
Carry-over rules changed in 2024. Employees can now carry over up to 28 days of untaken leave if they weren't able to take it due to being on sick leave, maternity or parental leave. For other reasons, carry-over is at your discretion unless you have a policy that allows it.
You can require staff to take leave at specific times - for example, if you close the office over Christmas - as long as you give them appropriate notice.
Sick leave
There's no statutory right to a set number of sick days in the UK. What employees are entitled to is Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), which kicks in after four consecutive days of illness and currently pays £116.75 per week (2025/26 rate). Employers can offer more than SSP as part of their own sick pay policy, but the statutory minimum is SSP only.
In practice, how you manage sick leave day to day is largely up to you. Most small businesses ask employees to self-certify absences of up to seven calendar days, after which a fit note from a GP is required.
Short-term and long-term absence often need to be handled differently. A pattern of frequent one or two-day absences is a different conversation to someone dealing with a serious illness. It's worth having a clear policy so that both you and your team know what to expect.
Maternity leave
Employees who are pregnant are entitled to up to 52 weeks of maternity leave - 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave followed by 26 weeks of additional maternity leave. They don't have to take all of it, but they must take at least two weeks off after the birth (four weeks if they work in a factory).
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid for up to 39 weeks. For the first six weeks it's paid at 90% of average weekly earnings. After that it drops to the standard weekly rate, which is currently £184.03 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings - whichever is lower.
Employees need to give you at least 15 weeks' notice before their due date, and they can change their start date with eight weeks' notice.
Paternity leave
Eligible employees can take up to two weeks of paternity leave within 52 weeks of the birth or adoption. Statutory Paternity Pay is paid at the same standard rate as SMP.
There are eligibility requirements - the employee must have worked for you continuously for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the due date.
It's worth noting that paternity leave entitlement has been under review in recent years, with various proposals to extend it. Worth keeping an eye on if you haven't already.
Shared parental leave
Shared parental leave (SPL) allows eligible parents to split up to 50 weeks of leave between them in the first year after a child is born or adopted. It's flexible - leave can be taken in blocks, and both parents can even be off at the same time.
The administration around SPL is more complex than standard maternity or paternity leave, involving curtailment notices and advance notice periods. For a small business with limited HR resource, it can feel like a lot to navigate. The good news is that it's still relatively rare - but if a member of staff raises it, it's worth familiarising yourself with the process ahead of time.
Adoption leave
Employees who adopt a child are entitled to up to 52 weeks of adoption leave, with Statutory Adoption Pay payable for up to 39 weeks. The rules broadly mirror maternity leave.
Only one person in a couple can take adoption leave - the other may be entitled to paternity leave or shared parental leave depending on circumstances.
Parental leave
Separate from maternity, paternity or shared parental leave, employees with at least one year of service are entitled to up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child, up to the child's 18th birthday.
This can be taken in blocks of one week (unless the child is disabled, in which case individual days are allowed), and no more than four weeks can be taken in any given year per child.
Parental leave is unpaid unless your policy says otherwise.
Time off for dependants
This is slightly different from the leave types above. Employees have a statutory right to take a reasonable amount of time off to deal with emergencies involving a dependant - for example, if a child is sick, if care arrangements fall through, or if a dependant has an accident.
This is unpaid unless your policy offers pay, and it's designed to cover unexpected situations rather than planned absences. There's no fixed limit on how much is "reasonable", which means it's one of those areas where having a clear company policy helps avoid ambiguity.
Carers leave
From April 2024, employees with caring responsibilities have a statutory right to up to one week of unpaid leave per year to provide or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. Employees don't need a minimum length of service to qualify.
This is a relatively new entitlement and one that many small business owners may not be fully aware of yet.
Jury service
Employees called for jury service have the right to take time off. You can't refuse to let them go, and you can't dismiss them or treat them unfairly for attending.
You're not legally required to pay employees during jury service, though many employers do - often topping up the court's daily allowance to normal pay. Either way, it's worth having a clear policy so there's no confusion if it comes up.
Bereavement leave
Statutory bereavement leave is limited at present. The main statutory entitlement is Parental Bereavement Leave - up to two weeks of paid leave for parents who lose a child under 18, or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks.
For other bereavement - the death of a spouse, parent, sibling or close friend - there's currently no general statutory entitlement, though this may change. Most employers offer some paid compassionate leave as a matter of good practice, typically three to five days.
Keeping track of it all
The variety of leave types isn't just a compliance question - it's an operational one. When you're running a small team, any absence has an impact. Knowing who's off, why, and when they'll be back is basic information that you need to be able to access quickly.
That's exactly what Absently is built for. It handles all the main leave types out of the box, lets you add your own custom types, and gives your whole team a clear view of who's in and who's off - without the spreadsheet.
If you'd like to see how it works, start a free 30-day trial. No credit card needed.