Adoption leave notification & confirmation

What you need to know

The plain-English guidance that comes with this document.

• Adoption leave mirrors maternity leave — treat it the same way. It's up to 52 weeks, it's a day-one right for the leave itself, and Statutory Adoption Pay works just like SMP: 6 weeks at 90% of average earnings, then up to 33 weeks at the flat rate (£194.32 from April 2026) or 90% if lower. Don't treat an adopting employee as a lesser case than a new birth parent — the entitlements are deliberately aligned.
• The trigger is the "matching", not a due date. For a UK adoption, the employee should tell you within 7 days of being matched with a child that they intend to take leave, and when they want it to start. You then confirm the end date (their expected return) within 28 days — that's Part 2 of this form.
• Only one person gets the adoption leave. If a couple adopts together, one takes adoption leave and the other can usually take paternity leave or Shared Parental Leave. This form checks who's taking what so there's no crossed wires.
• Different routes, similar rights. Adoption leave also covers some surrogacy and fostering-to-adopt situations, and overseas adoptions follow slightly different notice rules. If the employee's situation isn't a straightforward UK agency adoption, check the specific rules on gov.uk before confirming dates.
• They're protected too. As with maternity, don't let someone lose hours, pay or opportunities because they're taking adoption leave — and take advice before making an adopting employee redundant around their leave, as extra protections apply.
• You can reclaim most of the pay. As with the other family payments, small employers can usually recover most or all of Statutory Adoption Pay from HMRC — so the cash-flow worry is smaller than it looks.
• Applies UK-wide. Statutory adoption leave and pay apply across the UK; Northern Ireland's employment law is separate but broadly mirrors this. Where a figure or reform differs, check the current NI position.