NICS maternity, paternity and adoption leave and pay

Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) staff on maternity or adoption leave are paid their full contractual rate for the first 26 weeks, if they meet the qualifying conditions and the baby is due, or the child is placed, on or after 6 April 2025. Partners who qualify for paternity leave take one or two consecutive weeks at full pay. Anyone with under 26 weeks’ service gets two days.

Maternity leave and pay

The NICS recruitment site says every pregnant employee, whatever her hours or length of service, has the right to at least 18 weeks’ maternity leave. She also gets reasonable paid time off in working hours for antenatal appointments. Part-time staff keep the same leave entitlement as full-timers, though the Department of Finance notes that the pay may reflect the hours worked.

On pay, the NIPSA members’ guide says you receive your full contractual rate for the first 26 weeks of maternity leave if you satisfy the qualifying conditions for contractual maternity pay and your expected week of childbirth begins on or after 6 April 2025. The guide is a union summary, and the full wording sits in chapter 3.02 of the NICS HR Handbook. The current text of that chapter was not available to read, so the qualifying conditions are not repeated here. HR will tell you which ones apply to you. For the general legal position, see maternity leave and pay.

Paternity leave and pay

HR policy 3.03 (version 8.0) says you may be entitled if you are the child’s father, the spouse, civil partner or partner of the person having the baby, or in an adoption or surrogacy (parental order) situation where you are not the person taking adoption leave. Colleagues have equal access whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity or route to parenthood.

There are two tiers:

• With at least 26 weeks’ continuous NICS service by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of birth, you can choose one week or two consecutive weeks’ statutory paternity leave, paid at your full contractual rate.
• With less than 26 weeks’ service, you can apply for two consecutive days at full contractual pay.

The leave must be taken within 56 days of the actual birth, or of the expected week if the baby arrives early. The statutory leave comes as a single block of one or two weeks, and only one period is available per pregnancy or adoption arrangement, even for twins. You cannot take statutory paternity leave if you have taken shared parental leave for the child. To claim, notify HRConnect in writing no later than the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth, or as soon as is reasonably practicable. Check the policy for the exact wording on late notice.

The policy also covers unpaid time off to go with a pregnant partner to antenatal appointments, and time off to attend adoption appointments for joint adopters. The paternity leave guide explains the position outside the NICS.

Adoption leave

The NIPSA guide says adoption leave is paid at full contractual rate for the first 26 weeks if you meet the qualifying conditions and the expected placement date is on or after 6 April 2025. For adoption from overseas the date is the child’s expected entry into Northern Ireland, and for parental order parents it is the expected week of childbirth. The Department of Finance says private adoptions, and a step-parent adopting a partner’s child, fall outside the NICS adoption policy. The full terms are in chapter 3.05 of the HR Handbook.

Shared parental leave and parental leave

Chapter 3.13 of the HR Handbook covers shared parental leave, and the paternity policy notes that eligible staff on maternity or adoption leave can convert their untaken leave. Shared parental leave explains how it works generally. The recruitment site also lists parental leave, which gives parents time off to look after a child or arrange the child’s welfare. It is unpaid.

How leave affects other terms

Maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave count as reckonable service for the higher annual leave allowance. Your pension is covered in the NICS alpha pension guide, and pay levels for each grade are in NICS pay scales.

What to check

• Your length of service at the 15th week before the due date.
• The qualifying conditions for contractual maternity or adoption pay.
• The notice dates in the policy for your situation.
• Whether your hours are reduced, because that can change the pay.

This is general information. NICSHR and your department’s HR team confirm what you are entitled to.