What time off can I take for antenatal appointments?

A pregnant employee gets paid time off with no limit on the number of appointments; a partner gets unpaid time off for two. What each right covers, what evidence can be asked for, and what an employer cannot do.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 8 min
Read: 4 min

Short answer

A pregnant employee has a day-one right to paid time off for antenatal care, including travel time and classes recommended by a midwife or doctor, with no statutory limit on the number of appointments. The partner has a day-one right to unpaid time off to accompany her to two appointments, capped at six and a half hours each. Neither can be unreasonably refused.

The two rights look similar and are not. The pregnant employee's right is paid, uncapped and evidence-light; the partner's is unpaid, limited to two appointments, and supported only by a signed declaration. Employers frequently apply the partner's rules to the pregnant employee, which is where most disputes start.

Step by step

Know the pregnant employee's right first.Paid time off for antenatal care, from the first day of employment, with no statutory cap on the number of appointments. It covers the appointment itself and the travel to and from it.
Include the classes.Antenatal care is not only medical appointments. Parenting and relaxation classes count where they are recommended by a doctor, midwife or health visitor.
Understand what evidence can be asked for.For the first appointment, none. From the second onwards the employer can ask to see a certificate confirming the pregnancy and an appointment card. They cannot demand anything beyond that.
Know it must be paid at your normal rate.Time off for antenatal care is paid at the appropriate hourly rate. The employer cannot require you to make the time up, take it as annual leave, or work it back later.
Then the partner's right, which is narrower.Unpaid time off to accompany the pregnant woman to up to two antenatal appointments, capped at six and a half hours each including travel. It is a day-one right for employees.
Check the partner qualifies.The spouse or civil partner, a partner in an enduring family relationship of either sex, the child's father or a legal parent under the fertility legislation, and intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement applying for a parental order.
Use a written declaration for the partner's request.The employer can ask for a signed declaration stating the relationship and the purpose. They cannot ask for the appointment card or a medical certificate for the partner's request.
Know the refusal position.Neither right can be unreasonably refused. Refusing or subjecting someone to a detriment for taking it can be pregnancy or maternity discrimination as well as a breach of the time-off right.
Agency and Northern Ireland positions.Agency workers gain the right after a qualifying period in the same assignment. Northern Ireland has equivalent rights; for IVF, Northern Ireland guidance notes that paid antenatal time off begins after embryo implantation.

Tips

Give your employer the appointment dates as far ahead as you can. It removes the friction without giving up any right.
Ask whether the employer pays partners for antenatal appointments. Many do and it is rarely written down anywhere visible.
Telling your employer about the pregnancy is what starts the redundancy protection running, which is a reason not to leave it too long.

Common mistakes

Applying the partner's two-appointment cap to the pregnant employee — There is no cap on the pregnant employee's appointments, and treating them the same is the single most common error employers make here.
Not telling the employer about the pregnancy until late — The paid antenatal right, and the redundancy protection that starts when you tell them, both depend on the employer knowing.

If it doesn't work

You were told to use annual leave

Cause: The employer is treating it as ordinary time off — Fix: Put in writing that antenatal time off is a paid statutory right for a pregnant employee and ask for the leave to be reinstated. Contact Acas if it is not.

Your employer asked for evidence for the first appointment

Cause: Evidence can only be required from the second appointment — Fix: Say so politely and offer the certificate for later appointments. It is a small point but it sets the tone for the rest of the pregnancy.

The partner's request was refused

Cause: Employers often do not know the right exists — Fix: Provide a signed declaration of the relationship and purpose, and refer them to the GOV.UK page on time off for antenatal appointments. It cannot be unreasonably refused.

Questions people ask

Is there a limit on how many appointments I can attend?

For the pregnant employee, no. The right is to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care as advised by the midwife or doctor, and there is no statutory number.

Can my employer make me book them outside working hours?

No. They can ask you to try to arrange appointments to minimise disruption where that is possible, but they cannot require it or refuse time off because an appointment could in theory have been arranged differently.

Is the partner's time off paid?

Not by statute. Many employers pay it as a matter of policy, so check the handbook or ask HR.

What if I am a worker or self-employed?

The paid antenatal right is for employees, with a separate route for agency workers after a qualifying period in the assignment. Workers and the self-employed do not have it, though a good client or employer may agree time anyway.