Self-employed fathers and partners are to receive two weeks of paternity support under plans announced by the Government ahead of the Budget.
The extension would give eligible parents payments currently worth up to £194 a week, bringing financial help to people who have previously missed out because they work for themselves.
In its announcement on Monday, 26 October, HM Treasury said the wider expansion of parental pay would reach more than 150,000 additional parents each year. That figure includes self-employed dads and partners, rather than referring to them alone.
The Treasury has not yet set out when the new support will begin or how eligible parents will claim it.
A gap in the current system
Under current government guidance, statutory paternity pay depends on employment with an employer, alongside earnings and service requirements. Self-employed fathers do not qualify through that route.
The announcement comes while ministers are carrying out a wider review of parental leave and pay. In a written parliamentary answer on 12 October, employment minister Kate Dearden said the review covered existing entitlements and families excluded from them, including self-employed parents.
She said that review would conclude in early 2027, when the Government would set out its findings and next steps for potential reforms.
George Gabriel, co-founder of campaign group The Dad Shift, welcomed the newly announced support while calling for further changes through the review.
He said it would give self-employed dads “a chance to show up for their loved ones at one of the moments that matters most”.
