2026/27 gross statutory-pay illustration
Paternity and adoption pay calculator
Compare the capped paternity-pay rate with adoption pay’s first six weeks at 90% of Average Weekly Earnings. Use actual payroll AWE and check eligibility before treating an illustration as an entitlement.
By AfterTaxUK Editorial Team · Official rates and scope checked 27 October 2026
Gross statutory-pay illustration for 2026/27. Enter the relevant Average Weekly Earnings from your payroll records. Annual salary divided by 52 may not be the correct statutory average. This tool does not establish eligibility or calculate a net payslip.
Your statutory-pay inputs
Use the relevant statutory reference-period average confirmed with payroll, including applicable earnings. The £600 default is an editable example.
Paternity weeks can be booked together or separately where the applicable leave rules allow it; this tool simply totals the entered statutory-pay weeks. It assumes the whole illustrated period uses the 2026/27 pay rate. It does not decide leave dates, notice, service, evidence or entitlement across a rate change.
Your gross pay illustration
Gross statutory pay for 2 weeks, if all eligibility conditions are met
£388.64
Before Income Tax, National Insurance and any other payroll deductions. This amount is not net take-home pay.
| Pay phase | Weeks | Gross / week | Gross total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory paternity pay | 2 | £194.32 | £388.64 |
Paternity pay is the lower of £194.32 and 90% of AWE from the first week. Adoption pay uses 90% of AWE without that cap for the first six weeks, then the lower amount for up to another 33 weeks. Meeting the £129 earnings condition does not establish the other eligibility tests.
Contractual enhancements, payment frequency, your tax code, other pay and deductions can change what reaches your bank account. Employer top-ups and net PAYE are outside this tool.
A reproducible example: £600 Average Weekly Earnings
If all eligibility conditions are met, one paternity week gives £194.32 gross and two give £388.64. For adoption, the first six weeks give £540 a week, followed by up to 33 weeks at £194.32: £9,652.56 gross over 39 weeks. The example assumes the whole period uses these rates, with no contractual enhancement. It is not an example of net pay.
Check the pay and eligibility rules
The earnings condition is only one part of eligibility. Check the relevant employment service, notice, evidence, birth or placement dates and any special adoption/surrogacy rules. A period spanning a rate change requires the appropriate payroll calculation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gross-pay illustrations and the conditions to check.
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