What are the UK’s biggest companies offering parents?
We ranked FTSE 100 companies by their maternity and paternity leave packages. Most of the companies we looked at offer more than the statutory minimum, some offer up to 40 weeks at full pay, and the most common offer is 26 weeks (6 months). Around a fifth offer the same leave to all parents, whatever their gender.
Among the most generous are Abrdn, NatWest, Aviva, Diageo and Haleon, which all offer mothers and partners at least 26 weeks at full pay.
In our latest survey, 66% of the men who responded said they would change jobs for a better paternity leave package.
We hope our findings encourage more companies to review their parental leave policies and offer competitive support to all employees.
Companies ranked by maternity leave
SMP and SPP are statutory maternity pay and statutory paternity pay.
| Company | Maternity Leave | Paternity Leave |
| Abrdn (formerly Standard Life Aberdeen) | 40 weeks full pay | 40 weeks full pay |
| Unilever | 39 weeks full pay (12 months’ service), 16 weeks full pay (immediate) | 3 weeks |
| Beazley | 6 months full pay | 6 months full pay |
| Aviva | 6 months full pay | 6 months full pay |
| Diageo | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| M&G | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| Haleon | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| NatWest Group | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| Phoenix Group Holdings | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| St James’s Place | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust | 26 weeks full pay | 26 weeks full pay |
| Airtel Africa | 26 weeks paid | 8 weeks paid |
| RSA Insurance Group | 26 weeks full pay | 6 weeks full pay |
| Flutter Entertainment | 26 weeks full pay | 4 weeks full pay |
| Sainsbury (J) | 26 weeks full pay | 4 weeks full pay |
| Reckitt Benckiser Group | 26 weeks full pay | 20 working days paid |
| Sage Group | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| AstraZeneca | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| British Land Co | 26 weeks (2 years’ service) or 12 weeks (1 year’s service) | 2 weeks (2 years’ service), 1 week (1 year’s service) |
| National Grid | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Lloyds Banking Group | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Barclays | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Experian | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Land Securities Group | 26 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Segro | 26 weeks full pay | Undisclosed |
| Intertek Group | 24 weeks full pay | 24 weeks full pay |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | 24 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| SSE | 21 weeks full pay | 10 days paternity pay |
| Pearson | 20 weeks full pay | 4 weeks full pay |
| Standard Chartered | 20 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Auto Trader Group | 20 weeks full pay | |
| HSBC Holdings | 19 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Burberry Group | 18 weeks full pay | 18 weeks full pay |
| Rio Tinto | 18 weeks full pay | 18 weeks full pay |
| BP | 18 weeks full pay | 6 weeks full pay |
| Barratt Developments | 18 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Anglo American | 18 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| BT Group | 18 weeks full pay + 6 weeks at 50% | 2 weeks full pay |
| 3i | 18 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Unite Group | 18 weeks full pay | 1 or 2 weeks |
| London Stock Exchange Group | 90 days full pay | Undisclosed |
| Vodafone Group | 16 weeks full pay | 16 weeks full pay |
| Spirax-Sarco Engineering | 16 weeks full pay | 16 weeks full pay |
| Shell | 16 weeks full pay | 8 weeks full pay |
| Schroders | 16 weeks full pay | 4 weeks full pay |
| Admiral Group | 16 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Johnson Matthey | 16 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| British American Tobacco | 16 weeks full pay | Undisclosed |
| Tesco | 14 weeks full pay, 14 weeks half pay (1 year’s service) | 2 weeks |
| Halma | 14 weeks full pay | 14 weeks full pay |
| GlaxoSmithKline | 14 weeks full pay | 8 weeks paid |
| Severn Trent | 14 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Taylor Wimpey | 3 months full pay and 50% for the second 3 months | 2 weeks full pay |
| Whitbread | 13 weeks full pay + 13 weeks half pay | 1 or 2 weeks full pay |
| Entain | Up to 12 weeks’ paid parental leave | Up to 12 weeks’ paid parental leave |
| ITV | 6 weeks at SMP or full salary, whichever is higher, then 12 weeks’ full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| United Utilities Group | 6 weeks at 90% of average weekly pay, then 12 weeks full pay | Up to 2 weeks full pay |
| RS Group | 12 weeks full pay | 2 weeks full pay |
| Rightmove | 12 weeks full pay | 1 week full pay plus statutory pay |
| Glencore | 12 weeks at 90% pay | 1 week full pay, then SPP |
| Legal & General Group | 10 weeks full pay, 8 weeks at 50% | 2 weeks full pay |
| Prudential | 10 weeks full pay (1 year’s service) | 2 weeks full pay (1 year’s service) |
| Hiscox Ltd | 6 weeks at 90%, 7 weeks at 100% and 13 weeks at 50% of basic weekly pay, with the other 50% paid on return to work | 2 weeks full pay |
| BHP Group | 8 weeks full pay | 8 weeks full pay |
| Kingfisher | 6 weeks full pay, 33 weeks at 50% or SMP (whichever is higher) | 1 week full pay, 1 week SPP |
| International Consolidated Airlines Group SA | 6 weeks at 90% of average earnings, followed by SMP up to week 39 | 1 week full pay, 1 week SPP |
| BAE Systems | 160 hours at full pay (full time, 40 hours); 120 hours at full pay (part time, 20 to 39 hours) | 160 hours at full pay (full time, 40 hours); 120 hours at full pay (part time, 20 to 39 hours) |
| Croda International | 6 weeks at 90% weekly salary 20% of weekly salary plus SMP for 33 weeks 20% of weekly salary for 13 weeks | 1 week at 50% or SPP (whichever is higher) |
| Hargreaves Lansdown | 6 weeks full pay, 18 weeks at 50% | 2 weeks full pay |
| Antofagasta Holdings | Undisclosed | 10 days |
This data was sourced from company websites and job descriptions, and in some cases crowdsourced from employees.
This information does not entitle employees to the leave stated. Employees should check eligibility with their manager or HR department, as other criteria may apply.
References: