(b) the other parent must have worked (in an employed or self-employed capacity) in at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the EWC and had average weekly earnings of at least £30 during 13 of those weeks; and (c) you and the other parent must give the necessary statutory notices and declarations as summarised below, including notice to end any maternity leave, statutory maternity pay (SMP) or maternity allowance (MA) periods. The total amount of SPL available is 52 weeks, less the weeks spent by the child's mother on maternity leave (or the weeks in which the mother has been in receipt of SMP or MA if she is not entitled to maternity leave).
4.3
4.4
If you are the mother you cannot start SPL until after the compulsory maternity leave period, which lasts until two weeks after birth or four weeks for factory workers.
4.5
If you are the child's father or the mother's partner, you should consider using your two weeks' paternity leave before taking SPL. Once you start SPL you will lose any untaken paternity leave entitlement. SPL entitlement is additional to your paternity leave entitlement.
5.
OPTING IN TO SHARED PARENTAL LEAVE AND PAY
5.1
Not less than eight weeks before the date you intend your SPL to start, you must give us a written opt-in notice giving:
(a) your name and the name of the other parent;
(b) if you are the child's mother, the start and end dates of your maternity leave;
(c) if you are the child's father or the mother's partner, the start and end dates of the mother's maternity leave, or if she is not entitled to maternity leave, the start and end dates of any SMP or MA period;
(d) the total SPL available, which is 52 weeks minus the number of weeks' maternity leave, SMP or MA period taken or to be taken;
(e) how many weeks of the available SPL will be allocated to you and how many to the other parent (you can change the allocation by giving us a further written notice, and you do not have to use your full allocation); (f) if you are claiming statutory shared parental pay (ShPP), the total ShPP available, which is 39 weeks minus the number of weeks of the SMP or MA period taken or to be taken); (g) how many weeks of available ShPP will be allocated to you and how much to the other parent. (You can change the allocation by giving us a further written notice, and you do not have to use your full allocation); (h) an indication of the pattern of leave you are thinking of taking, including suggested start and end dates for each period of leave (see paragraph 9 and paragraph 10 for information on taking leave). This indication will not be binding at this stage, but please give as much information as you can about your future intentions; and
(i) declarations by you and the other parent that you both meet the statutory conditions to enable you to take SPL and ShPP.
6.
ENDING YOUR MATERNITY LEAVE
6.1
If you are the child's mother and want to opt into the SPL scheme, you must give us at least eight weeks' written notice to end your maternity leave (a curtailment notice ) before you can take SPL. The notice must state the date your maternity
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