---
title: Self-Employed Dads Will Get Paternity Pay, but Not Before April 2029
description: Self-employed fathers will get two weeks of paternity pay worth up to £194 a week from April 2029. Here is who qualifies and what to do until then.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-02T08:02:00.189Z
updated: 2026-11-02T08:02:00.202Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/self-employed-paternity-pay-2029
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-5725553.webp
categories: Fatherhood, Money & Legacy
content_type: News
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
about:
  - type: Organization
    name: HM Treasury
    description: HM Treasury is the economic and finance ministry of the United Kingdom government, responsible for public spending, taxation and economic policy. It is led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
    url: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-treasury
    sameAs:
      - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Treasury
---

If you work for yourself and your baby is due next spring, the Budget has not changed your plans. Chancellor John Healey announced on 28th October that self-employed fathers and partners will be eligible for paid parental leave for the first time. The Budget documents set the start date at April 2029.

That leaves two and a half years between the announcement and the first payment. A baby conceived this Christmas will be toddling around your kitchen before the scheme opens.

## What the Budget Gives Self-Employed Fathers

The new payment is called Parental Allowance. It gives eligible parents two weeks of support worth up to £194 a week at today's rate, or £388.64 in total. The BBC reported that about 150,000 parents who cannot currently claim statutory parental pay will qualify each year, including self-employed fathers and partners in same-sex couples.

The allowance also covers adoptive parents and people who have recently started a job, recently lost one or have a broken work history, provided they have enough work and earnings behind them. It applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is not included.

Healey told the Commons: 'I am making a downpayment on change today.'

## What the Announcement Leaves Out

HM Treasury has not published the eligibility rules, so you cannot yet check whether your earnings history is enough to qualify. The scheme is not law either. Parliament still has to pass it, and the government's wider review of parental leave and pay is due to conclude in early 2027.

The £194 figure is the 2026 rate. Statutory rates usually rise each April, so the amount paid in 2029 should be higher.

## Statutory Paternity Pay for Employed Dads in 2026

Since 6th April 2026, employed fathers can take one or two weeks of paternity leave from their first day in a new job. [Statutory Paternity Pay](https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave/pay) is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. To receive it, you need 26 weeks with the same employer and average earnings of at least £129 a week.

Self-employed mothers can claim Maternity Allowance for up to 39 weeks. Self-employed fathers have had no equivalent. In March, a 34-year-old carpenter from Lowestoft said on BBC Politics East: 'We are getting punished for being self-employed.' A committee of MPs had already described the UK's parental leave system in 2025 as one of the worst in the developed world.

## What You Can Do Before April 2029

If your baby is due before the allowance starts, these steps protect your income:

1. **Pay yourself a salary through your own limited company.** A director paid through PAYE counts as an employee of that company and can claim Statutory Paternity Pay after 26 weeks, provided the earnings test is met. Speak to your accountant before you change how you pay yourself.
2. **Check what your partner can claim.** An employed partner may qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay, and a self-employed partner for Maternity Allowance. Self-employed fathers cannot take Shared Parental Leave, so your partner's entitlement carries the household through those first weeks.
3. **Build your own paternity fund.** Two weeks at the statutory rate comes to £388.64. Set aside at least that much in the months before the due date, plus a margin for work you will turn down or postpone.
4. **Give your regular clients a date.** Tell them in advance when you will be away and who covers urgent work, so you can switch your phone off for the birth.

## How Britain Compares With Ireland and Spain

Ireland has paid self-employed fathers two weeks of Paternity Benefit since 2016, funded through the social insurance contributions they already make. Spain now gives fathers up to 19 weeks of paid leave after a birth. From April 2029, Britain will give self-employed fathers two weeks.

The Treasury has promised further detail before the scheme opens. Until it publishes the eligibility rules, plan your finances as if the allowance does not exist yet.