Statutory Paternity Pay - qualifying rules

The criteria an employee must meet to qualify for Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) in Sage Payroll.

The employee must complete and provide you with one of the following forms. The forms give employees the terms and conditions relating to SPP and paternity leave:

• SC3 Becoming a birth parent
• SC4 Becoming an adoptive parent
• SC5 Adopting a child from abroad

The employee must complete the declaration and give it to you at least 28 days before the start of payment. You can’t pay SPP if the employee hasn't supplied the declaration.

Download Statutory pay forms from the HMRC website at gov.uk.

For more information on SPP, read Statutory Paternity Pay and Leave: employer guide at gov.uk.

To qualify

• Your employee must have worked for you continuously for 26 weeks up to and including the qualifying week

• The employee’s average weekly earnings (AWE) in the eight weeks before the qualifying week is at least £125 (2025/26) or £129 (2026/27)

• SPP birth – Must be the baby’s biological father. Married to or in a civil partnership with the baby’s mother. Can also be living with the mother in an enduring family relationship. Can't be an immediate relative
• SPP adoption – Requires a prescribed relationship with the child. A prescribed relationship with the person responsible for the child is necessary

The employee has to give you at least 28 days notice of when they want SPP to start. They need a good reason for notifying you later than that.

Employee doesn’t qualify

If your employee doesn’t qualify, you must give them form SPP1 - Ordinary Statutory Paternity Pay: non-payment explanation. You can access this gov.uk

Read more about processing SPP in Sage Payroll.