Guidance on staff benefits

What IPSA funds

A homeworking allowance is paid monthly to any member of staff who is on a home-based contract. Once IPSA is a notified that a staff member is eligible, the allowance will be paid automatically alongside their salary. This is funded from the staffing budget.

The allowance is set by HMRC and is the maximum that can be paid to staff without requiring evidence of actual costs incurred.

As of April 2026, the homeworking allowance is £26 per month and staff members can no longer opt to request reimbursement for homeworking costs (i.e. costs incurred as a result of homeworking beyond the normal costs of running a home) instead of receiving the allowance.

What IPSA does not fund

Staff on hybrid or office-based contracts are not entitled to the homeworking allowance. If a staff member moves from a home-based contract to a hybrid or office-based contract, the allowance will stop.

As of April 2026, staff members can no longer opt out of the allowance to request funding for homeworking costs beyond the normal costs of running a home.

Office costs and IPSA's regulatory principles

To meet IPSA’s principles of accountability and integrity, MPs should ensure their staff members are on the correct contract type for their role. Moving a staff member to a home-based contract should be based on the needs of the role and structure of the team.

Additional support

The Members and Members Staff Services Team in the House can provide advice on the correct contract type for staff members.

More information

HMRC provide the limits on the homeworking allowance amount that can be paid without incurring tax.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Employees should report sick to their MP or proxy as soon as they are aware they will be unable to report for work.

Your sickness absence must be entered on IPSA Online by a full payroll proxy.

If you are sick for seven days or less, upon your return to work, you need to provide the proxy or the MP with confirmation of the first and last date of sickness absence, as well as the reason for absence. This is known as ’self-certification’.

Sickness absence includes Saturdays and Sundays, and any other days not normally worked. Complete this self-certification form and return it to your MP or proxy.

If you are sick for eight days or more, you must provide the proxy or the MP with a ‘fit note’ (medical certificate) from a registered healthcare professional.

Your proxy can access your sick record.

Calculating your statutory sick pay

You will receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) as required by law and depending on your length of continuous service in your current employment, you may also be entitled to Occupational Sick Pay.

If you have worked for less than one year for your current MP, you will receive one week’s full pay for every four weeks of continuous service, including any SSP due (see example 1).

If you have worked for more than one year for your current MP, you will receive a maximum of 26 weeks on full pay, then a further 26 weeks on half pay, including any statutory sick pay due. This is your maximum entitlement during any four-year rolling period.

Note that the four-year rolling period begins on the first day of your most recent absence. Once the four-year rolling period is up, i.e. four years since the first day of absence, your entitlement will reset to 26 weeks on full pay/26 weeks on half pay.

What staff members are entitled to for each sickness absence will be calculated according to these rules and will take into consideration the staff member’s current absence record and any previous payments for sickness absence.

Sickness relating to an employment with another MP (previous or current) is not considered during the four-year rolling period. In other words, the four-year rolling period exclusively relates to a single employment with an MP.

If you, the proxy or the MP want to check whether you will receive occupational sick pay for a period of absence, you should contact IPSA Payroll for details.

Example 1

You have worked for your MP for less than one year. Your employment started on 1 November, you were off sick from 4 January and are due to return three weeks later on 25 January.

The period of employment considered is from 1 November to 25 January: 12 weeks and one day, although only full weeks are counted.

The calculation: sick leave accrual (12 weeks) / 4 weeks continuous service = 3 weeks.

In this example, you would receive full Occupational Sick Pay for the whole three-week period that you were off sick.

In instances during the first year of employment where the sickness is ongoing and the return date is not yet known, sick pay will be calculated on a month-by-month basis.

Example 2

You have been employed with your MP for three years and you are currently off sick. Your sickness record indicates you previously received 26 weeks’ full pay during a separate period of long-term sickness within the last four years.

As a result, you are unable to receive occupational sick pay at full pay and would only be entitled to occupational sick pay at half pay for a total of 26 weeks. If the sickness continued after these 26 weeks at half pay, you would move to zero pay. This is because you would have also exhausted your Statutory Sick Pay, which is paid to you as a portion of the full/half pay you receive. After 12 months, your entitlement to statutory sick pay would reset.

Example 3

You started work for your MP on 13 March and went off sick on 31 March. As you were employed for less than four weeks, you are not eligible for occupational sick pay. Therefore, any absence less than four days will be unpaid. For any absence period over four days, you will receive Statutory Sick Pay.

Example 4

You’ve worked for your MP for six years but in the last four years your sickness record shows you have exhausted your full occupational sick pay and three weeks of your half pay. This means that any further sick pay will be capped to 23 weeks at half pay.

Accruing annual leave while on sick leave

Statutory holiday entitlement continues to accrue if you are off sick.

You may choose to take annual leave while on sick leave and be paid at your usual rate (for example, if you are not entitled to sick pay). This will pause your sickness absence for the annual leave duration.

If you fall ill or get injured just before or during a period of annual leave and you are consequently unable to take the holiday, you can take your annual leave at another time with the time off work treated as sickness absence. You must report your sickness to your proxy/MP if you want to take any holiday as sick leave in advance.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

What IPSA funds

From April 2025, IPSA provides funding to recognise eligible past service for staff who hold a standard IPSA model contract of employment with their current employer for the purposes of:

• Occupational family pay

• Occupational redundancy pay

Your MP is your legal employer and not IPSA. From a legal point of view, each MP is seen as a seperate employer. When you move from one MP employer to another, you lose any legal rights to redundancy pay or family pay and you have to ‘re-qualify’ for those statutory entitlements.

While IPSA cannot change the legal position, we want to support you with better employment conditions. IPSA will recognise your past service by providing funding for occupational payments based on your whole period of service as an active MP staff member, provided there is in break in service of more than 60 calendar days.

IPSA’s policy on recognising past service is not the same as ‘continuous service’. Continuous service is set out in law and applies to a period of service with a single employer.

Key points

• Occupational payments are based on the statutory calculation and the minimum and maximum periods apply, including payment caps and are calculated based on age.

• A staff member must have at least the equivalent minimum qualifying period of service before occupational payments will be made. This qualification period could be made up of the current period of employment and any recognised past service taken together.

• The legal position remains the same as before and statutory payments will still be linked to the qualifying periods of service with each individual MP employer.

Jargon buster

Statutory pay: this is a payment that the government will fund, usually via your employer.

Statutory qualifying periods: this is what the government decides are the minimum periods of service someone must meet to be able to receive a statutory payment.

Statutory calculation: this is the set of rules that the government places on a statutory payment. You may have to have a specific length of service. The payment may be decided based on your age or your salary, or that there is a cap on the maximum amount you can receive, and this is all set out on GOV.UK.

Occupational pay and qualifying periods: occupational entitlements are decided and funded by IPSA. The calculation for occupational payments for recognising past service adhere as closely as possible to the statutory calculation and statutory rules.

How it works

IPSA funds payments recognising eligible past service for MPs’ staff who currently hold a standard IPSA model contract of employment with their current employer for the purposes of occupational family pay and occupational redundancy pay.

Normal tax rules apply and any redundancy payment totalling more than £30,000 will be subject to tax in the normal way.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Will your past service be recognised?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, the service is unlikely to be recognised:

• Are you a casual worker, on a volunteer agreement, or paid as a bought-in service?

• Were you dismissed for gross misconduct?

• Is your gap in service as an MP staff member over 60 days?

Step 2: Family pay

For family pay purposes, these questions may apply and you may have the service recognised:

• How much service have you completed?

• What was the length of your most recent service?

• How much is the occupational family pay, including any statutory pay due?

Recognised past service and the government maternity allowance

Speak to your payroll officer if you have enough recognised past service across multiple MPs but don’t qualify for the statutory maternity pay, only the government’s maternity allowance.

IPSA will need to see your proof of eligibility and the equivalent amount will be deducted from the occupations payment to avoid any duplication of payments.

Break in service

A break in service is where you have left the employment of one MP and have not started working for another MP for a period of 60 calendar days. If the record shows there is a break in service, you will be treated as though you have no previous service and will start again to accrue the rights to redundancy and family pay. A permitted gap is 60 calendar days or less, 61 or more calendar days is a break in service.

It is important for you to keep an eye on your vetting status so that this does not expire in the middle of moving roles and push you over the 60-calendar-day break in service limit.

Dismissal for gross misconduct

When a period of service has ended in dismissal for gross misconduct, your service will not be recognised for the purpose of any future redundancy or family leave pay.

Once the period of employment ending in gross misconduct is discounted from the total length of service, this could create a break in service of over 60 calendar days.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Cycle2work

Find information on how the Cycle-2-work scheme works including FAQs.

Apply using IPSA’s employer code IPSAC2W.

Season ticket loan

Staff members can apply for an interest-free season ticket loan, which must be used to purchase an annual season ticket. These terms and conditions apply:

• The staff member must have completed any probation period.

• The loan will be recovered via salary deduction for a period of up to 12 months.

• There is no previous loan outstanding.

• The ticket must be for travel to and from work.

• IPSA may request proof of purchase.

Find out how to apply for a season ticket loan.

Bike loan

MPs and staff can apply for an interest-free bike loan, which must be used to purchase a bicycle. These terms and conditions apply:

• The staff member must have completed any probation period.

• The loan will be recovered via salary deduction for a period of up to 12 months.

• There is no previous loan outstanding.

• The bicycle must be for travel to and from work.

• IPSA may request proof of purchase.

Find out how to apply for a bike loan.

Give As You Earn (GAYE)

The GAYE scheme is run by the Charities Aid Foundation enabling you to:

• Schedule regular donations to one or multiple charities from a range of more than 160,000 organisations

• Respond quickly to campaigns or appeals

• Make one-off donations at any time

• Sponsor family and friends

You can choose how much to donate subject to a minimum of £4 and whole pound increments. You can take part in the scheme by using this sign-up link.

If you have any issues creating or accessing your account online or have any queries about the scheme, please call the Charities Aid Foundation at 030000 123 000 or email giveasyouearn@cafonline.org.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

The Working Time Regulations 1998 and The Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 entitle all staff members to a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) of annual leave.

This can include the public/bank holidays in the UK country in which the staff member works.

There is a minimum allowance of 20 days that must be taken in the year. This is pro-rated for part-time staff.

Staff members employed since 15 April 2015 have a leave year starting on 1 January and this should not be changed.

The leave entitlement is detailed in the employment contract (for contracts created before July 2024) or in the key terms document, which forms part of the contract or agreement with the MP.

Annual leave entitlement may rise with the length of service within the first three years.

Staff members are encouraged to take their full annual leave entitlement within the leave year to ensure a healthy work-life balance.

Managing annual leave

It is the responsibility of staff and their managers to maintain a record of all annual leave within the office.

This will make it easier to know who has taken leave out of their entitlement and enable the MP to monitor that staff are at least taking their statutory requirement.

Carrying over annual leave

The maximum amount of untaken leave that can be rolled over from one leave year to the next is five working days unless you have been prevented from taking leave due to sickness absence or family leave (maternity, paternity, adoption leave, etc.).

You are entitled to carry over up to 5.6 weeks of annual leave into the following leave year if you were unable to take all or part of their annual leave because you took maternity and other family-related leave.

In cases of sick leave, if you are working regular hours all year round and unable to take some or all of your statutory holiday entitlement as a result of being off sick, you will be entitled to carry forward up to 20 days (four weeks) of your untaken leave into the following leave year.

This is pro-rated for part-time staff. It must be taken by the end of the 18 months starting from the end of the leave year in which it was accrued.

MPs are encouraged to ensure staff use their holiday at appropriate times and in line with the statutory guidance.

The IPSA Online system will automatically roll over any unused holiday up to five days for a full-time member of staff.

Holiday pay cannot be paid to an individual unless they leave their employment.

Calculating annual leave for casual workers

Casual workers accrue annual leave pay based on their hours worked.

Their annual leave entitlement (the rate at which they accrue annual leave) is 28 days (inclusive of bank holidays).

Instead of requesting their holiday pay or being paid the entire amount when they leave, each month their holiday pay will be included in their monthly pay. It will appear as a separate line on their payslip.

This will reduce errors and ensure the MP has up-to-date spending figures in their budget rather than having an unexpectedly large claim at the end of the casual workers’ contract.

If you have any questions, please contact a member of the IPSA payroll team who can assist you.

Calculating annual leave for term-time staff

Term-time staff work only when the house is in session or the staff member’s children are at school.

They accrue annual leave based on the number of weeks worked across the year. This is done by multiplying the annual leave entitlement and the bank holiday entitlement by the number of weeks worked and dividing by 52 (the number of weeks in the year). For example:

25 + 8 bank holidays annual leave for someone working 39 weeks across the year would be 33/52 × 39 = 24.75 days

This should then be multiplied by the full-time daily hours to give the calculation in hours. Therefore for someone who works 37.5 hours per week, the annual leave should be multiplied by 7.5 (hours worked each day).

This is 24.75 × 7.5 = 185.62 or 186.0 when rounded to the nearest half-hour.

If the staff member works part-time, the calculation needs to be pro-rated in accordance with the number of hours worked across the week.

A term-time only worker's holiday entitlement will be based on the number of weeks they work across the year and they are restricted to taking leave during the weeks they are not contracted to work. This means that instead of requesting their holiday pay or being paid the entire amount when they leave, each month their holiday pay will be included in their monthly pay. It will appear as a separate line on their payslip.

Compressed hours

It is important to inform IPSA if a member of staff is working compressed hours. IPSA can produce a contract to reflect this agreement.

Payment or recovery of annual leave

Upon leaving, the calculation for the payment/recovery of annual leave to MPs’ staff is:

Days: annual basic salary / 260 = daily annual leave rate × numbers of days due or overtaken

Hours: annual basic salary / 52 / weekly working hours = hourly rate × number of hours due or overtaken

If there is anything not covered in this guidance, please call Members' HR at 020 7219 2080 or email membershr@parliament.uk.

MPs' staff can also speak to HR practitioners directly by calling 0207 219 2617.

Holiday entitlement

IPSA Online uses hours and not days.

This approach ensures consistency with part-time and other staff on flexible arrangements who need their holiday to be stated in hours.

IPSA Online must be programmed to know the staff member’s working pattern. If this is incorrect, the holiday entitlement is likely to be wrong.

To convert holiday days into hours, use these calculations:

Full-time

Annual holiday entitlement x hours per day = hours per year

25 days x 7.5 = 187.5 hours per year

Part-time

Full-time holiday hours / FTE hours per week x contracted PT hours per week = part time hours per year

187.5 (25 days) / 37.5 x 20 = 100 hours

If the part-time staff member works fewer than five days per week, please continue to the next step to calculate any bank holiday entitlement.

Bank holidays

If a staff member works fewer than five days per week (usually because they work part-time or compressed full-time hours), IPSA Online calculates the bank holiday entitlement automatically.

The relevant bank holidays will vary according to the UK country the staff member lives in.

Example part-time calculation:

Step 1

A staff member works 20 hours per week over four days. Those days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. They work five hours per day. They live in Scotland.

9 bank holidays x 7.5 / 37.5 hours x weekly hours (20 in this example) = 36 hours

IPSA Online uses the staff member’s personal working pattern to determine how many hours to book for bank holidays on the days that fall within their work pattern.

This is processed automatically as long as the work pattern is correct in IPSA Online.

Step 2

There are nine Scottish bank holidays this year, seven of which fall on either a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday.

7 x 5 hours per day = 35 hours

Going back to step 1, the bank holiday entitlement was calculated as 36 hours but based on the personal working pattern, those seven bank holidays equate to 35 hours. So the normal holiday entitlement for the year will be increased by the difference, which is one hour.

If the difference between steps 1 and 2 gives a negative figure, the normal holiday entitlement for the year will be reduced by the difference as they will not be working those hours because of their work pattern.

Holiday leave year

The holiday leave year stated in the MPs’ staff employment contract is January-December and this should not be changed.

There are some exceptions to this for staff members who were employed before 2015.

IPSA Online is built to accommodate the leave year as per the individual’s contract.

Upon staff leaving, IPSA will check the holiday being requested for payment. If the accrued amount is not in line with the calendar leave in the contract, IPSA may refuse payment for the whole amount.

Joining mid-year

If a staff member joins during the year and you want to calculate their holiday entitlement, use this calculation:

(Example)

The holiday calendar leave year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

They joined on 6 May with 25 days' holiday entitlement.

First, count the number of calendar days from 6 May to 31 December = 240 days.

25 days x 7.5 = 187.5 hours for the whole year

187.5 / 365 x 240 = 123.28, round up to 123.5 (always round up to the nearest half hour)

Any bank holidays due would be in addition.

Leaving mid-year

If a staff member is leaving during the year, this calculation can be used to determine if they have any holiday left to take or if they have taken too much:

(Example)

They are leaving on 27 August with 28 days' holiday entitlement.

First, count the number of calendar days from 1 January to 27 August = 239 days.

28 days x 7.5 = 210 hours for the whole year

210 / 365 x 239 = 137.5 hours

This can be compared to the leave they have taken.

Staff members should speak to their line manager to agree whether they can take any remaining holiday before they leave or can be paid for anything outstanding.

Upon staff leaving, IPSA will check the holiday accrued during the calendar year against what they have taken and determine the amount to be paid or recovered from their final pay.

Increases during years 2 and 3

The IPSA contract tool allows for increases to be awarded during years 2 and 3, ranging from 25-30 days (FTE).

If this has been included in the original contract, IPSA Online will automatically increase entitlements from 1 January (at the relevant year), not from the anniversary start date.

Useful videos

IPSA Online holiday key facts

Holiday proration for joiners and leavers

Converting holiday days into hours

Casual holiday accrual

Holiday carry forward

Holiday increases years 2 and 3

Part-time and bank holiday entitlements

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Maternity leave and pay are granted to employees in the UK who take time off when they are having a baby or via surrogacy, or when they are adopting a baby/child as the main adopter.

Notifying your employer

If you are pregnant, it is important to notify your line manage/MP in writing as soon as possible and no later than the 15th week before the expected week your due date.

You must include:

• The expected week of childbirth

• The maternity start date

Once you receive your MAT B1 certificate or doctors’ letter – provided by your doctor or midwife – you must share this with your employer as soon as possible but no later than 21 days before your maternity start date.

You will not receive Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) if you do not give your employer proof that the baby is due. Please note that the first two weeks of maternity leave are compulsory.

You should submit a maternity leave request form on IPSA Online and attach the MAT B1 for/doctor’s letter if available. If it is not available at the time of submission, please ensure you provide it no later than 21 days before the maternity start date.

Except for terms relating to your pay, your terms and conditions of employment remain in force during the ordinary maternity leave and additional maternity leave periods.

To check if you are eligible, you must:

• Be an employee, not an agency worker or self-employed

• Provide the correct notice and proof of pregnancy

• Have worked continuously for your MP for at least 26 weeks up to the end of any day in the qualifying week

• Earn at least £125 a week (on average) to receive Statutory Maternity Pay

Find out more about calculating the 'qualifying week'.

Maternity pay

The amount of maternity pay a staff member will receive depends on their length of continuous service.

Staff members with less than 26 weeks of continuous service (up to the end of any day in the qualifying week) will not receive maternity pay.

If you have past service with an MP, refer to this guidance.

Staff members who have 26 weeks of continuous service or more (up to the end of any day in the qualifying week) will receive full pay for the first 26 weeks, then Statutory Maternity Pay for the following 13 weeks.

Changing your intended maternity leave start date

If you want to change your intended start date, please inform your manager or MP in writing.

You must provide as much notice as possible, but wherever possible you must inform your employer at least 28 days before the original intended start date (or the new start date if you are bringing the date forward).

Your maternity leave should normally start on the intended start date. However, it may start earlier if you give birth before your intended start date, or if you are absent for a pregnancy-related reason in the last four weeks before your expected week of childbirth.

In either of those cases, maternity leave will start on the following day. The law states you are not allowed to work during the two weeks following childbirth.

Keeping in touch (KIT days) or Shared Parental Leave in touch (SPLIT days)

Staff members on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave can work for up to 10 'keeping in touch' (KIT) and 20 'shared parental leave in touch' (SPLIT) days without losing occupational family pay (covering maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave collectively), provided the MP gives advance approval.

KIT/SPLIT days do not trigger the end of the period of family leave.

Any type of work can be conducted on a KIT/SPLIT day including training, conferences, and meetings, but the staff member must be working. They are voluntary during family leave.

KIT or SPLIT days are paid at the employee’s normal full-time daily rate, regardless of the number of hours worked on that day. This applies irrespective of when the KIT or SPLIT day is worked. A full day's pay will be provided for each KIT or SPLIT day worked.

KIT/SPLIT days must be paid at the time a staff member works and cannot be delayed or added on to extend the leave.

The calculation is:

Annual salary / 12 / working days in the month = daily rate due per KIT/SPLIT day worked

In other words, this is the monthly salary divided by the working days in the month they came to work a KIT/SPLIT day. This can be between 20 and 23 days depending on the month. This means the rate may vary following the month it is served.

Women may be eligible to convert some of their maternity leave into shared parental leave.

See guidance on shared parental leave.

Antenatal care

Reasonable time off for antenatal care will also be paid at full pay.

Holiday entitlement during maternity leave

Holiday entitlement will continue to accrue during maternity leave.

An MP’s staff member is entitled to carry over up to 5.6 weeks of annual leave (28 days inclusive of relevant Bank Holidays) into the following leave year if they have been unable to take all or part of their annual leave because of taking maternity and other family-related leave.

If your maternity leave continues into the next holiday year, any holiday entitlement that cannot reasonably be taken before starting your maternity leave can be carried over. It must be taken immediately before returning to work unless your manager agrees otherwise.

Please discuss your holiday plans with your manager in good time before starting your maternity leave. All holiday dates are subject to approval by your manager.

Sickness before maternity leave

Maternity leave will automatically start four weeks before the baby is due if the staff member is off work for a pregnancy-related illness.

If the baby arrives early the leave will start the day after the birth.

You must inform the IPSA payroll team of this.

Return to work

You must return to work on the expected return date unless you tell your employer/manager otherwise.

If you wish to return to work earlier than the expected return date, you must give your employer/manager eight weeks' prior notice of the date. It is helpful if you give this notice in writing.

You may be able to return later than the expected return date if you request annual leave or parental leave, which will be at your employer/manager’s discretion.

If you decide you do not want to return to work you should give notice of resignation in accordance with your contract.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Employees in the UK are entitled to paternity pay and leave depending on their length of service. There are slightly different rules for employees in Northern Ireland.

Paternity leave is granted to employees in the UK who take time off when their partner is having a baby or via surrogacy, or when they are adopting a baby/child as the secondary adopter.

You get the same amount of leave even if you have more than one child – for example, twins. One week of leave is the same number of days you normally work.

You are entitled to take up to two weeks of statutory paternity leave (as long as you meet the qualifying period) within 52 weeks of the child's birth (or due date if the birth is early).

You cannot take leave before the birth. You can choose whether to take one or two weeks.

However please read the section below Paternity pay for birth; surrogacy or adoption below regarding any occupational pay entitlement.

Since 6 April 2024 in England, Scotland and Wales, the two weeks do not have to be consecutive – they can be taken together or separately.

In Northern Ireland, the two weeks must be taken consecutively.

You have the right to attend two antenatal appointments with your partner or surrogate at full pay.

If adopting, you have the right to two adoption appointments after you have been matched with a child/ren.

IPSA must be informed of this period of leave once agreed with the MP.

Use IPSA Online to enter your leave request and attach the MAT B1 form or matching certificate before submitting.

Learn more about submitting paternity leave requests.

Paternity pay

Paternity pay is only available to employees who have certain qualifying periods with their current employer and all employees must provide the correct notice.

If you are unsure of your entitlement to statutory paternity pay you can check using the Gov.uk online calculator.

Statutory paternity pay rates

The Gov.uk website also sets out whether you are eligible for the statutory weekly rate of Paternity Pay or the percentage of your weekly earnings (whichever is lower).

Paternity pay for birth, surrogacy or adoption

You must have completed 26 weeks of continuous service (up to the end of any day in the qualifying week) to receive full occupational paternity pay (four weeks of full pay).

If you have less than 26 weeks of continuous service (up to the end of any day in the qualifying week) you will be entitled to one week’s full occupational paternity pay.

The 'qualifying week' for birth or surrogacy is the 15th week before the birth of the child.

For adoptions in the UK, this is the week you're matched with the child.

For overseas adoption, this is either the week the child enters the UK or the week you want your pay or leave to start.

The qualifying week starts on a Sunday and finishes on the following Saturday.

Keeping in touch

For more information about KIT and SPLIT days, see our guidance on maternity leave and pay.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Under the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) system, eligible staff members have the right to share up to a maximum of 52 weeks’ leave, which does not need to be consecutive.

The first two weeks of leave are compulsory for women on maternity leave.

Use IPSA Online to enter your SPL request.

See guidance on submitting shared parental leave requests.

If the mother/primary adopter is only entitled to maternity allowance (and not maternity leave), the notice of curtailment must be submitted to Jobcentre Plus. The maternity allowance cannot be reinstated so they are in effect giving consent for their partner to take the whole of any SPL entitlement.

Shared Parental Pay is the same as Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) except that during the first six weeks, SMP is paid at 90% of whatever you earn (with no maximum).

If a staff member wishes to return from shared parental leave early, they must inform the MP eight weeks in advance so that preparations can be made for the staff member's return.

For information on any risk assessment needed, please call Members HR on 020 7219 2080 or email membershr@parliament.uk.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

From 6 April 2025, if you or your partner has responsibility for a child receiving neonatal care, you may be entitled to neonatal care leave, statutory neonatal care pay or both.

Neonatal care means:

• Medical care in a hospital

• Palliative (end-of-life) care

• Outreach care

This is not currently available in Northern Ireland.

Neonatal care leave

If you are classed as an employee, you may be entitled to neonatal care leave. You qualify for this from day one of your employment.

Leave must be taken between the child’s birth and before the end of 68 weeks.

The neonatal care must be given uninterrupted for a period of at least seven days.

A week of leave accrues for every seven continuous days that a child is admitted to neonatal care. This has a cap of 12 weeks for each parent/carer.

This leave can be added to the end of statutory maternity or statutory adoption leave.

It must be taken within 68 weeks of the child being born.

Tier 1 leave is where the NCL is taken while the child is in neonatal care of the first week following their discharge from care. It can be taken when it is accrued while care is still being provided.

Tier 2 leave is where the leave being requested has occurred during other periods of family leave and must be taken in one continuous period after the other parental leave has finished.

Neonatal care pay

If you or your partner has responsibility for a child receiving neonatal care, you may be entitled to Statutory and/or Occupational Neonatal Care Pay (SNCP).

To qualify for Statutory and Occupational Neonatal Care Pay, you must have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of the 'relevant week' and have met the minimum earnings requirement. This is in line with the rules for statutory maternity and adoption pay. The 'relevant week' is the week (ending with a Saturday) immediately before the week of the child’s birth.

If you are eligible, you will be able to get up 12 weeks occupational full pay (inclusive of SNCP).

Notice for neonatal care and leave

Notice for neonatal care leave is split into two tiers depending on the situation:

Tier 1 leave and pay (paternity cases)

Notice must be given either:

• before the employee is due to start work on their first day of absence from work where possible; or

• as soon as reasonably practicable following the child’s admission. 

Notice signifies your intention to take leave after it has been accrued.

Notice should be given on a weekly basis until the child is discharged or the leave ends.

Notice for Statutory Neonatal Care Pay must be given within 28 days following the start of the leave.

Tier 2 leave and pay (maternity and adoption cases)

For both leave and pay, you must give notice that is twice the length of the leave plus one day, and this is capped at four weeks’ notice.

Notification can be by phone, voicemail, text message or email to your employer.

More information

To inform IPSA of this absence, the payroll proxy can submit an absence on behalf of the staff member. IPSA will write to the staff member to confirm their entitlement to pay and leave.

Find out more about neonatal care pay and leave at GOV.UK.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

When a couple adopt a child, one person is the 'main adopter' and one is the 'co adopter'.

The main adopter can take adoption leave and pay equivalent to maternity pay and leave.

The co adopter can take paternity leave and pay.

It is important to notify your line manager/MP in writing as soon as possible when you are matched with a child for adoption and wish to take adoption leave – ideally within seven days of being notified (unless this is not reasonably practicable).

You must provide your line manager/MP with documentary proof of the adoption. This is usually a matching certificate from the adoption agency.

You must also notify your line manager/MP when you expect the child to be placed with you and when you want your adoption leave to start.

You can change your adoption leave start date if you give your line manager/MP at least 28 days’ notice unless agreed otherwise.

See guidance on submitting adoption leave requests on IPSA Online.

If you wish to return from adoption leave early, you must inform your MP eight weeks in advance so that preparations can be made for your return.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Paid carer leave (new from April 2024)

You have the right to take paid time off for caring responsibilities for a dependent who meets one of the following criteria set out on GOV.UK:

• A physical or mental illness or injury that means they’re expected to need care for more than three months

• A disability (as defined in the Equality Act 2010)

• Care needs because of their old age

You will be paid at your normal pay rate and are permitted to take one paid week a year. A week is counted as your normal working week.

The new carer leave policy was introduced into legislation in April 2024 – find out more.

Please submit a notification of carer leave on IPSA Online.

Emergency leave for dependants (replaces the 2017 carer policy)

You will have the right to take a reasonable period off work to deal with unforeseen circumstances and emergencies involving a dependant.

You may take up to five days leave and it may be paid in full at the discretion of your manager. Any additional leave will be unpaid.

You can take this leave if it is needed in any of these circumstances:

• To provide assistance if a dependant falls ill, gives birth, is assaulted or injured

• To make arrangements to provide care for a dependant who is ill or injured

• On the death of a dependant

• To deal with an unexpected disruption in care arrangement

• To deal with an incident involving your child while he/she is in school

• To attend a medical appointment with a dependant (as with your own medical appointments, these should be made outside working hours where possible)

For these purposes, a dependant may be a spouse, civil partner, partner, child, parent or someone who lives in the same household or relies on you for care or assistance if they are ill or injured.

This does not include an employee, tenant, lodger or boarder/flatmate.

Please submit a notification of carer leave in IPSA Online.

Unpaid parental leave

If a staff member has completed one year’s service with their MP, they are entitled to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave for each child born or adopted.

The maximum unpaid leave allowed in any one year is four weeks.

If the dependent has a disability, the carer leave policy may apply.

The leave can start once the child is born or placed for adoption, or as soon as the employee has completed one year's service, whichever is later.

Employees can take the leave any time up to the child's 18th birthday.

A request should be made to an employer giving 21 days’ notice of the start date of the parental leave.

If the employee qualifies for parental leave and gives the employer the correct notice, the employee should be able to take parental leave at any time.

To take parental leave straight after the birth or adoption of a child, an employee should give notice 21 days before the beginning of the expected week of childbirth or placement.

In cases where this may not be possible, they should give notice to the employer as soon as possible, e.g. if a child is born prematurely or when less than 21 days’ notice is given where a child is to be placed with you for adoption.

Parental leave should be taken in blocks of a week or multiples of a week and should not be taken as 'odd' days off – unless the employer agrees otherwise.

Employees cannot take off more than four weeks during a year per child. One week is based on an employee’s working pattern.

An employee will remain employed while on parental leave and some terms of the contract – such as contractual notice and redundancy terms – still apply.

See guidance on recording sickness and unpaid leave.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Here is an example of how to calculate the 'qualifying week' for maternity, paternity, adoption and surrogacy pay and leave:

You or your partner/surrogate is pregnant and the estimated due date is Wednesday 18 December.

The expected week of childbirth begins on Sunday 15 December and ends on Saturday 21 December.

Counting back 15 weeks from 18 December means 3 September.

Therefore the qualifying week starts on Sunday 1 September and ends on Saturday 7 September.

To have completed 26 weeks of continuous service, you must have been employed from 16 March.

The HMRC Maternity Calculator is a useful tool to help you calculate these dates.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

If you or your partner have a child who dies before they are 18 or if you have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy, you may be entitled to leave, statutory parental bereavement pay or both.

Parental bereavement leave

If you are classed as an employee, you may be entitled to two weeks’ leave from the first day of your employment for each child who has died or is stillborn.

You can take this in either one block of two weeks, two separate weeks or only take one week. A week is counted as your normal working week.

It can be taken from on or after the date of death or stillbirth and must be taken within 56 weeks of that date.

Parental bereavement pay

To qualify for Statutory and Occupational Parental Bereavement Pay, you must have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks up to the end of the 'relevant week' and have met the minimum earnings requirement. The 'relevant week' is the week (ending with a Saturday) immediately before the week of the death or stillbirth.

If you are eligible, you will be able to get up two weeks' occupational full pay (inclusive of SPBP).

If you are on another type of statutory family leave, parental bereavement leave must start after the other leave has ended. It does not have to be immediately after even if the leave is for another child.

Notice for parental bereavement leave and pay

Within zero to eight weeks after the child’s death or stillbirth, notice of leave must be given before you normally start work on the first day of your working week of the week(s) you want to take off work.

Within nine to 56 weeks after the child’s death or stillbirth, notice of leave must be given one week before the start of the week(s) you wish to take off work.

Notification can be by phone, voicemail, text message or email and no proof of death or stillbirth is needed.

For statutory parental bereavement pay, you must ask within 28 days starting from the first day of the week you are claiming.

This notification must be in writing stating your name, the dates of the period you wish to take statutory parental bereavement pay and the date of the child’s death or stillbirth.

You must complete a declaration to your employer regarding your eligibility.

Find out more about claiming Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP3).

See additional information on Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave.

To inform IPSA of this absence, the payroll proxy can submit an absence on behalf of the staff member.

Guidance updated on 2026.

Time off for public duties

Time off for public duties will be available in line with the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Time off may be paid or unpaid, which is also dependent on the MP’s business needs as to the time off requested.

The amount of time off will depend on the nature of the duties.

Jury service

If a staff member is required to undertake jury service, they will continue to be paid their normal salary (from the staffing budget) irrelevant of the length of time the hearing may be for. You must provide suitable documentation to your MP and IPSA.

Volunteer magistrates

The amount of time off for a voluntary magistrate will depend on the nature of the duties but is usually expected to be 13 days/26 half-day sittings per year.

Where possible, employees who volunteer as a magistrate should claim the allowances available to them for loss of earnings, travel and subsistence.

Find out more about available allowances on the Magistrates Association website.

Unpaid leave

A staff member may wish to take some time out of their role to advance their career development, care for a relative or for other professional and personal reasons. The staff member may want to use unpaid leave. This is left at the discretion of the MP.

Unpaid leave should be of short duration and agreed in writing with the MP to confirm the terms and conditions.

The MP should contact Members HR for advice before agreeing to this in writing. Members HR can be contacted at 020 7219 2080 or by email to membershr@parliament.uk.

Reservist duties

If a staff member undertakes mandatory training as an armed forces reservist during their normal working hours, their employer may grant up to 15 additional days (per person, per year) of annual leave, paid special leave or unpaid leave as per (7.12 (c)) of the Scheme.

If they take annual leave, their salary will continue to come out of the MPs’ normal staffing budget during this time. Cover for the staff member may be arranged but this cost will also need to be paid from the normal staffing budget.

Where the staff member is granted paid special leave to undertake mandatory training, their salary costs will be allocated to the staff absence budget for the period of leave. Cover could then be arranged using the regular staffing budget. An annual leave request should be submitted using the reason 'reservist duties paid'.

See guidance on booking annual leave.

If the reservist is mobilised, they will be paid through funds administered by the Ministry of Defence.

Party-political activities

If any staff members take time off for any party-political activities, such as campaigning at local or general elections, IPSA must be informed as this period will be unpaid.

The staff member may take annual leave or use up any accrued time off in lieu to undertake these activities.

During any period of unpaid leave, the contract of employment will remain for purposes of accruing continuous service with the MP.

Suspension on pay

Staff members will continue to accrue annual leave while on a period of suspension.

Compassionate or bereavement leave

It is at the MP's discretion as to what period of leave to approve. The cost of this will come from the staffing budget, irrelevant to the period taken.

See guidance on parental bereavement leave and pay.

Kinship care

'Kinship care', 'kinship carers' or a child living in kinship care is where a child lives with a relative or friend or other person connected to the child for some or all of the time, but who are not the parents, the local authority or a professional caregiver.

The local authority will support adults caring for a child in kinship care arrangements. Depending on the type of kinship care arrangement, there may be financial support available from the government or local authority.

MPs as employers should provide flexibility to their staff who are kinship carers, support them for time off for official appointments for the child, and treat kinship carers fairly and in line with other parents or carers.

Trade union activity

The decision to recognise a trade union or provide facilities time is within an MP’s discretion (as the employer of their staff) provided they are satisfied that they could justify doing so in relation to the principles set out in IPSA’s Scheme.

Any MP looking to do this should first speak to the Members' HR team for advice. If the MP decides to fund paid time off for facilities time, this will come out of the staffing budget.

Continuous service

If staff members are on a period of leave for any of the above reasons, it will still be counted as continuous service.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

Legal & General are the current pension provider for the MPs’ staff pension scheme.

MPs’ staff are automatically enrolled on the pension scheme when they start their employment.

Legal & General will write to a member of staff confirming this within six weeks of starting. At this point, they have the option to opt out of the scheme.

It is a non-contributory pension scheme, which means it is not compulsory for a member of staff to make any contributions. The employer contributes 10% of a member of staff’s salary into their pension pot.

Should a member of staff want to make voluntary pension contributions, please complete the change of voluntary contributions form and email it to IPSA at payroll@theipsa.org.uk.

MPs’ staff can find out more about the scheme by either calling Legal & General on 0345 070 8686 (pin 43) or by visiting their pension scheme website where they can view their Member Booklet and Investment information.

These documents contain important information. Please read them carefully before deciding how to proceed.

Manage your account

When Legal & General confirms the details of the scheme in writing they will also supply a unique member number. IPSA strongly recommends they register online using the 'manage my account' function on the pension scheme website.

It is a member of staff’s responsibility to update their personal details – including things like name and home address – as and when required by Legal & General.

By registering online using the 'manage my account' function, MPs’ staff will be able to change these at any point.

'Manage my account' gives MPs’ staff access to their pension and savings information whenever they want. It offers:

• Flexibility – MPs’ staff can monitor their pension plan and follow investment performance.

• Opportunities – to view and change where money is invested so a member of staff can make sure it’s working hard for them.

• Choices – MPs’ staff can request benefit and unit statements and explore their investment options.

• Education – MPs’ staff can look at the fact sheets about current and potential funds so they can be kept informed.

Summary of scheme charges

In November 2024, the default investment fund changed from the multi asset fund to the target date funds/lifetime funds.

Legal & General will initially invest contributions in the scheme’s default investment choice, which is the LGIM target date funds/lifetime funds.

The fund management charge (FMC) is 0.15% and the annual management charge (AMC) is 0.15% for this fund.

MPs’ staff can change how their contributions are invested at any time and can find out more about investing in other funds in the pension scheme information provided by contacting Lee & General or using their online account. The FMC can vary, depending on the fund chosen, currently between 0.08% and 0.97%. This is on top of the AMC of 0.15%.

Legal & General may make fair and reasonable changes to the charges and will provide at least 30 days prior notice.

Legal & General death in service benefit

The 'nominate your beneficiary' form must be completed to inform the trustees of the pension scheme who a member of staff would like them to consider making payment to should they die before taking their retirement benefits.

If changes need to be made to previous beneficiaries named, MPs’ staff must complete the above form when required.

The form should be sent directly to Legal & General:

Workplace DC Pensions, Legal & General, Brunel House, 2 Fitzalan Road, Cardiff CF24 0EB.

Your beneficiary instructions can also be emailed to employerdedicatedteam@landg.com.

More details are outlined at the end of the form.

Portcullis death in service

All permanent and fixed-term MPs’ staff are eligible to participate in the Portcullis Death in Service scheme, which will pay MPs’ staff dependants a sum equal to two times their salary if they die during employment.

Participation is subject to:

• The terms of the Portcullis Death in Service scheme, as amended from time to time

• The rules or the insurance policy of the relevant insurance provider, as amended from time to time

• MPs’ staff satisfying the normal underwriting requirements of the relevant insurance provider and the premium being at a rate which the trustee considers reasonable

Full details of the scheme are available from the Parliament intranet.

This benefit is administered by the Pensions Unit in The House of Commons and therefore IPSA cannot give any additional guidance regarding this.

The phone number for the Pension Unit is 020 7219 1356.

Pension opt-out

If a staff member decides to opt out of the pension scheme, they can do so as long as it is before the opt-out date shown on your enrolment letter from Legal & General.

This letter will be sent by post after they have been enrolled. It will give instructions on how to do this online.

If a member of staff does opt out by this date, they will be treated as if they had never joined the pension scheme.

If a member of staff doesn’t opt out by this date, they can then cease payments into the pension scheme at any time, in accordance with the pension scheme rules.

If they do this, both the employer contributions and any payments made by the member of staff up to that point may remain invested in the pension pot until they take their benefits.

MPs’ staff can take their benefits at any time from age 55.

Further information

Visit Legal & General for more about the scheme.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

If an MP requires an employment reference for future employment or for things such as mortgage applications, IPSA will provide these on request.

To request a reference, please email payroll@theipsa.org.uk. The request will be processed using a set format to ensure it complies with rules relating to references.

Guidance updated on April 2026.

As per the IPSA model contract, this is the employer grievance policy:

"This procedure does not form part of any employee’s or worker’s contract of employment or engagement. It may be amended from time to time and may need to depart from it depending on the circumstances of any case.

This procedure applies to all employees regardless of length of service. However, discretion may be applied to vary this process for employees or workers with less than two years’ service.

Grievances are concerns, problems or complaints raised by a staff member with management. Anybody may at some time have problems or concerns with their working conditions or relationships with colleagues that they wish to raise.

Most grievances can be resolved quickly and informally through discussion with your line manager or MP. If this does not resolve the matter or is not appropriate, you may choose to raise a formal grievance. The formal grievance procedure is set out below.

If you have a grievance that relates to ongoing disciplinary proceedings against you, you should raise this during the disciplinary procedure (e.g. during the disciplinary or appeal stage).

Step 1: written grievance

If your grievance cannot be resolved informally, you should put it in writing and submit it to me as your employer. If your grievance concerns me, you should still submit it to me, and I will treat all grievances fairly and objectively even if the grievance is about something I have allegedly said or done.

The written grievance should set out the nature of the complaint including any relevant facts, dates and names of individuals involved so that it can be investigated. It should also indicate the outcome that you are seeking.

However, if your grievance relates to bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct, you may choose to raise it directly through the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).

If your complaint relates to bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct you perceive to be caused by me, that complaint will need to be directed towards the ICGS as it would not be appropriate for me to investigate such claims.

Step 2: meeting

I will arrange a grievance meeting normally within one week of receiving your written grievance. However, if this is not possible, you will be informed of the reason for any delay. Every effort should be made to attend the meeting.

If you wish, you may choose to be accompanied at the grievance meeting by a work colleague or a trade union representative, and you should inform me in advance of the name of your chosen companion.

If you or your companion cannot attend at the time specified, you should let me know as soon as possible and I will try within reason to agree an alternative time.

Grievance meetings may be held remotely or in person and you will be informed of the relevant arrangements. Where meetings are held remotely, you should let the person chairing the meeting know of any questions regarding joining instructions in advance of the meeting.

If you have a disability or health condition that may have an impact on your ability to participate in this procedure, whether remotely or in person, or if you need assistance (e.g. where an employee has a hearing condition), you should let the person chairing the hearing know so they can make reasonable adjustments and appropriate arrangements for you.

The purpose of the meeting is for you to explain the nature of your complaint and what action you feel should be taken to resolve the matter. I may adjourn the meeting if I need to carry out further investigations, after which the meeting will usually be reconvened.

I will write to you usually within one week of the last grievance meeting to confirm the decision and notify you of any further action that I intend to take to resolve the grievance. I will also advise you of your right of appeal.

Step 3: appeal

If the grievance has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you may appeal.

Wherever possible, I will consider whether it is feasible for the appeal be heard by an independent party although it will remain my decision as the employer regarding any outcome. All appeals will be considered impartially.

An appeal should be made in writing to me stating your full grounds of appeal within five working days of the date on which the decision was sent or given to you.

I will hold an appeal meeting normally within two weeks of receiving the appeal.

If you wish, you may choose to be accompanied at the appeal meeting by a work colleague or a trade union representative, and you should inform me in advance of the name of your chosen companion.

I will confirm the final decision in writing usually within one week of the appeal hearing. There is no further right of appeal and my decision will be final."

Guidance updated on April 2026.

The ICGS helpline can provide you with support and guidance if you feel you have experienced, witnessed, been accused of or are supporting someone with bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct.

Email Support@ICGShelpline.org.uk or call 0808 168 9281.

For more information, visit the ICGS website or SharePoint page.