Dads across the UK have taken to the streets this month to demand better paternity leave rights from the government and their employers.
Paternity leave and pay is a pressing issue for many. But many people don’t realise that self-employed dads face an even bigger challenge around taking time off for their newborn.
While employed dads are entitled to statutory leave and pay, those who work as freelancers or sole traders don’t have the same rights.
What are the current paternity leave rules for the self-employed?
As it stands, the statutory weekly rate of paternity pay in the UK is £187.18, or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
In terms of leave, employed dads are entitled to either one or two weeks’ leave, as long as they worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the baby is due and earn at least £123 per week.
In comparison to these still meager allowances, self-employed dads enjoy even less time off.
Dads-to-be who are sole traders have basically non-existent entitlements to paternity leave or pay in the UK. To enjoy all-important time with their new child, they need to take unpaid time off from their work, or try to work through it and juggle both work and parental duties.
It’s a different story for company directors, since they may be able to receive paternity pay by claiming it as an employee of their own company. This is why many soon-to-be fathers choose to register their business as a limited company, rather than a sole tradership.
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) allows parents-to-be to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay. However, self-employed fathers can’t take SPL unless they are also employees. Only mothers who are self-employed can allow their employed partner to take SPL.
Why are dads striking — and what’s at stake?
Earlier this month, hundreds of dads joined protests in London and Edinburgh. Dubbed the ‘world’s-first dad strike’, the action was based on frustration over the lack of support, financial insecurity, and poor work-life balance for self-employed fathers.
While Labour’s reforms to employment rights included a day one right to maternity leave, paternity leave was left off the agenda. And the UK is lagging behind other countries in its disregard for dads. For example, Swedish parents are entitled to a shared pool of 480 paid days off work for the child’s first four years of life, to be split between parents.
Other Nordic countries also grant dads precious time off with their newborns. Norwegian dads can take up to 12 months of leave, while Finland has scrapped separate maternity and paternity policies in favour of a ‘parental leave’ which entitles parents to 6.6 months each.
George Gabriel, from the Dad Shift, the campaign which organised the protest, told the Guardian that “At the very least we want to see six weeks of paternity leave at regular pay. That was recommended by the Women and Equalities Committee on Tuesday.
“It should be a basic minimum – the average across Europe is eight weeks. The UK paternity leave is lowest in Europe, and 40th out of 43 developed countries.”
It’s also an issue of gender equality. The Dad Shift also says that improved paternity leave policies would help to address the gender pay gap. By allowing fathers to share childcare, fewer new mothers would have to take career breaks or switch to part-time hours.
More generous maternity leave also perpetuates the dated notion of the mother as the primary caregiver. Giving fathers more leave would honour both parents’ key role in childcare and early development and address the so-called ‘Motherhood Penalty’.
What can self-employed dads do — and what’s changing?
While dads-to-be in 2025 are taking to the streets to push for reform, there are a few ways self-employed fathers navigate the UK’s stingy paternity leave allowance in the meantime.
Setting aside savings before the baby’s arrival may be a no-brainer, but can also provide a crucial buffer during the early weeks off work. Income protection insurance is another option worth exploring, especially for sole traders whose earnings stop the minute they do.
Flexible working can also help. Freelancers may be able to restructure their workload, frontloading projects before the due date or lining up less-demanding tasks for the newborn phase. You might also want to collaborate with trusted peers or colleagues to delegate tasks.
While these strategies help, systemic change is still necessary. Campaigns like The Dad Shift are raising awareness, and there’s growing pressure for legislative change.
The Women and Equalities Committee has recommended six weeks of paid paternity leave. Let’s hope that future employment law reform could put fathers on more equal footing.
