Leila Fielding
Why I picked it
It's been a day-one right since April 2025, and plenty of UK payroll teams still haven't checked it's set up.
Where it helps
A parent whose baby needs neonatal care has their leave recorded and paid correctly, including RTI reporting.
Watch out: Review your absence and payroll setup to make sure the entitlement is switched on and matches your process.
From Oracle's note
Statutory Neonatal Care Leave came into effect in April 2025. For eligible parents it's a day one entitlement, but a surprising number of UK payroll teams haven't checked whether it's configured in their Oracle environment yet. Oracle 26B introduces native support including a new Person EIT, legislative DFFs, absence contexts, payroll processing and RTI reporting support.
- Parents accrue 1 week of SNC leave for every 7 consecutive days their baby spends in neonatal care within 28 days of birth, up to 12 weeks maximum
- Leave is taken in two tiers: Tier 1 in single-week blocks while the child remains in neonatal care; Tier 2 as a single continuous block after the Tier 1 window closes
- Payment follows the same AWE threshold as other statutory parental leave, the lower of 90% of AWE and the statutory neonatal care rate
Organisations should still review their absence and payroll configuration to ensure the new entitlement is enabled and aligned to their processes. Employees entitled to SNC leave don't need to wait. It's a day one right.
Last reviewed November 2026