Maternity, paternity, adoption, parental and shared parental leave letters and forms
Sample letters and application forms to help you manage your workers' rights to maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave.
Your responsibilities in relation to rights of working parents - or parents to be - are explained in our maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave section.
Specific Employers' Handbook guidance
Further best practice advice and practical documents to help you communicate with your workers in respect of their entitlements are included in the Invest Northern Ireland Employers' Handbook including:
- Section 8: Maternity leave and pay (PDF, 83K)
- Section 9: Paternity leave and pay (PDF, 71K)
- Section 10: Adoption leave and pay (PDF, 71K)
- Section 11: Shared parental leave and pay (PDF, 114K)
- Section 12: Parental leave, parental bereavement leave and time off for dependants (PDF, 82K)
Sample employer documents
You can download, customise and use sample documents from the handbook that are relevant to maternity, paternity, adoption, parental and shared parental leave:
- model letter for employers to acknowledge notification of maternity leave (DOC, 14K)
- model letter for employers to acknowledge notification of adoption leave (DOC, 14K)
- sample employee application for parental leave (DOC, 14K)
- sample letter to employee of notification of postponement of parental leave (DOC, 13K)
- sample shared parental leave (birth) policy (DOC, 39K)
- sample shared parental leave (adoption) policy (DOC, 38K)
- sample confirmation of entitlement to shared parental leave (DOC, 27K)
- sample confirmation of shared parental leave booking (DOC, 27K)
- sample shared parental leave request to discuss leave booking (DOC, 27K)
- sample shared parental leave refusal of a discontinuous leave booking (DOC, 27K)
For help with administering paternity and adoption leave, use the maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay calculator for employers.