SHARED PARENTAL PAY AND LEAVE
(BIRTH and ADOPTION)
TEST DATA FOR DEVELOPERS2017/2018
Contents
Abbreviations and definitions
Introduction
Start and end dates of Shared Parental Leave (SPL)
Test ref: SPL1
Test ref: SPL2
Test ref: SPL3
Test ref: SPL4
Test ref: SPL5
Test ref: SPL6
Test ref: SPL7
Test ref: SPL8
Test ref: SPL9
Test ref: SPL10
Test ref: SPL11
Test ref: SPL12
Test ref: SPL13
Test ref: SPL14
Test ref: SPL15
Start and end dates of Shared Parental Pay (ShPP)
Test ref: ShPP1
Test ref: ShPP2
Test ref: ShPP3
Test ref: ShPP4
Test ref: ShPP5
Test ref: ShPP6
Test ref: ShPP7
Test ref: ShPP8
Changes that can affect entitlement to SPL and ShPP
Notice to end maternity leave is revoked
Test ref: REV1
Test ref: REV2
Test ref: REV3
Revocation of curtailment notice at 6 weeks following birth
Test ref: REV4
Test ref: REV5
Test ref: REV6
Test ref: REV7
Notice to end maternity leave at a future date is revoked because the mother’s partner dies
Test ref: REV8
Test ref: REV9
The mother or partner is no longer caring for the child.
Test ref: NOCARE1
Test ref: NOCARE2
Test ref: NOCARE3
Following initial notification it is discovered that there is no entitlement to SPL/ShPP
Test ref: NO-ENT1
Test ref: NO-ENT2
Shared Parental Leave In Touch (SPLIT) days
Test ref: SPLIT1
Test ref: SPLIT2
Test ref: SPLIT3
Abbreviations and definitions
A / Adopter the person who is taking adoption leave and/or pay. Generally, this will be someone who is adopting a child from a GB adoption agency. However, Intended Parents (see below) and Prospective Adopters (see below) may also entitled to adoption leave and pay.APP / Adoption Pay Period
Binding notice / M or A can give notice to end the maternity/adoption leave at a future date. This notice becomes binding when either M or P (or A in adoption cases) has submitted a notice of entitlement to take SPL. A full explanation is contained in the Software Developers Guide to Shared Parental Leave and Pay.
C / Child (or children if twins or multiple birth) in relation to whom an entitlement to SPL or ShPP arises.
Curtailment date / The date on which M or Aends her maternity or adoption leave/pay i.e. the last day of maternity or adoption leave/pay. For example if M’s notice says her mat leave/pay will end on 30 June, it ends that day and entitlement to SPL/ShPP arises from 1 July.
DOB / Date of Birth
DOP / Date of Placement
EWC / Expected Week of Confinement
M / Mother or expectant mother of C
MA / Maternity Allowance
MAP / Maternity Allowance Period
MPP / Maternity Pay Period
NINO / National Insurance Number
Other parent / In the case of M or A, this means P. In the case of P this means M or A.
P / The father of C, or the person who at the date of C’s birth or the date C is placed for adoption is married to, or the civil partner or the partner of M.
Partner means a person (whether different sex or same sex) who lives with M or A (as the case may be) as well as C in an enduring family relationship but is not M’s or A’s child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew.
C’s father or M or A’s spouse or civil partner does not have to live with M or A and C. A partner who is not C’s father or married to M or A must be living with M or A and C at the same address.
SAP / Statutory Adoption Pay
SPL / Shared Parental Leave
ShPP / Shared Parental Leave and Pay
SMP / Statutory Maternity Pay
SSP / Statutory Sick Pay
SMP / Statutory Maternity Pay
SPLIT days / Shared Parental Leave In Touch days
Introduction
This document is produced by HMRC’s Software Developers Support Team (SDST).
The test references shown in this document are also listed alongside the appropriate requirements in the Developers Guide to Shared Parental Leave and Pay which is available in ‘Payroll technical specifications: statutory payments’ on Gov.uk.
Developers are free to design their own solution around the requirements and validation checks described in this document and in the Developers Guide to Shared Parental Pay and Leave. The employer’s payroll software will only need a full employee record for their employee which may be the mother or partner. It is not necessary to have a full record set up for the other parent who, in most cases, will work elsewhereor may be self-employed. However, to enable automated calculations and validation checks in the software it will be necessary to have a record of the number of weeks of leave being taken by both partners and other information relating to the mother’s maternity leave. This information will be provided by the employee.
With this in mind the test data includes theset up information that will be required to run the tests on the employee record for either the mother or partner. If your software requires any other set up information not listed please use any suitable valid data as necessary.
Many of the tests use a scenario where the mother takes her minimum 2 week compulsory maternity leave and then moves into SPL/ShPP arrangements. This is a valid scenario but it is used repeatedly only for ease of running the tests.
The tests are written for SPL/ShPP (birth) but the same tests can be used for SPL/ShPP (adoption) by using the same dates/requirements and substituting the terminology as follows:-
Matching Week (MW) for EWC
Adoption Pay Period (APP) for MPP
Adoption leave for maternity leave
Date of Placement (DOP) for DOB
Main adopter (A) for M
If a test only applies to one of either SPL/ShPP (birth) or SPL/ShPP (adoption) this is noted in the test.
Where SMP and MPP are shown they can also be read as Maternity Allowance (MA) and Maternity Allowance Period (MAP). The tests apply equally to both.
If you have any queries with the information in this document please send an email to theSoftware Developers Support Team
Start and end dates of Shared Parental Leave (SPL)
The tests below can be adapted for SPL (adoption) by using the same dates but substituting the terms used as follows:-
Matching Week (MW) for EWC
Adoption Pay Period (APP) for MPP
SAP for SMP
Adoption leave for maternity leave
Date of Placement (DOP) for DOB
Main adopter (A) for M
Test ref: SPL1
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Start date must be C’s 1st birthday or 1st anniversary of date of placement for adoption – 7 days
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 - 30/06/18 (51 weeks)
SMP (39 weeks) 09/07/17 – 07/04/18
51 weeks of maternity leave is 09/07/17 – 30/06/18 leaving 1 week of entitlement of SPL.
i) Binding notice given to end maternity leave on 30/06/18. Enter SPL start date 03/07/18
ii) Binding notice given to end maternity leave on 30/06/18. Enter SPL start date 02/07/18. / i) Start date is not allowed.
ii) Start date is allowed.
Comment
The start date in ii) above would allow one week of SPL.
Individual days of SPL could exist at the end of a period if the employee returns to work early in the middle of an SPL week, but the agreed pattern of leave must be in complete weeks. Therefore the latest start date would be 7 days before the 1st birthday or 1st anniversary of placement.
Test ref: SPL2
(BIRTH ONLY)The start date of M’s first week of SPL must be child’s DOB + 2 weeks
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Binding notice given to end maternity leave and MPP on 22/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SMP 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SPL start date is 09/07/17 (for the couple) – P is starting his first period of SPL on 09/07/17
i) Attempt to enter M’s first period of SPL as 22/07/17 – 28/07/17
ii) Enter M’s first period of SPL as 23/07/17 – 29/07/17 / i) Start date not allowed
ii) Start date is allowed
Comment
It is compulsory that M must take at least 2 weeks of maternity leave following the birth (4 weeks if she works in a factory)
P can start SPL from the DOB onwards if M has given binding notice to end her maternity leave.
Test ref: SPL3
(ADOPTION ONLY)In adoption cases the start date of A’s first week of SPL must be date of placement
Set Up / Expected Result
MW 09/07/17
DOP 09/07/17
Binding notice given to end adoption leave and APP on 08/07/17
Adoption leave 25/06/17 – 08/07/17
SAP 25/06/17 – 08/07/17
i) Attempt to enter first period of SPL for A as 08/07/17 – 21/07/17
ii) Enter first period of SPL for A 09/07/17 – 22/07/17 / i) Start date not allowed
ii) Start date is allowed
Comment
The main adopter (A) must take at least 2 weeks adoption leave. A can start their adoption leave/SAP up to 2 weeks in advance of the date of placement so the earliest date A can start SPL is the date of placement.
P can start SPL from the date of placement if A has given binding notice to end the adoption leave at a future date.
Test ref: SPL4
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)If binding notice is held SPL start date for P must be C’s DOB or date of placement
Set Up / Expected Result
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Binding notice given to end maternity leave and MPP on22/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SMP 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
i) Attempt to enter start date for P as 08/07/17
ii) Enter start date for P as 09/07/17 / i) SPL start date is not allowed
ii) SPL start date is allowed.
Comment
The main adopter (A) can start adoption leave up to 2 weeks before the date of placement but P cannot start SPL before the date of placement.
Test ref: SPL5
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)If binding notice not held SPL start date for M or A must be > M or A’s return to duty date
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
No binding notice was given by M in advance to end maternity leave at a future date.
However she returns to duty on 23/07/17 thereby ending her maternity leave on22/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SMP 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
i) Enter SPL start date 23/07/17
ii) Enter SPL start date 24/07/17 / i) SPL start date is not allowed
ii) SPL start date is allowed.
Comment
If M has not given any binding notice to end her maternity leave then the she must return to duty to end her maternity leave.
M (and P) are still required to give 8 weeks’ notice before starting SPL so this scenario is very unlikely but theoretically it is the earliest possible start date FOR M if the notice period was not applied by the employer. So in these circumstances the earliest possible start date for M is the day after she returns to duty.
See next test for the earliest possible start date for P.
Test ref: SPL6
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)If binding notice not held SPL start date for P must be M or A’s return to duty date
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
No binding notice was given by M in advance to end maternity leave at a future date.
However she returns to duty on 23/07/17 thereby ending her maternity leave on 22/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SMP 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
i) Enter SPL start date 22/07/17 for P
ii) Enter SPL start date 23/07/17 for P / i) SPL start date is not allowed
ii) SPL start date is allowed.
Comment
If M has not given any binding notice to end her maternity leave then the she must return to duty to end her maternity leave.
M (and P) are still required to give 8 weeks’ notice before starting SPL so this scenario is very unlikely but theoretically it is the earliest possible start date FOR P if the notice period was not applied by the employer. So in these circumstances the earliest possible start date FOR P is the day on which M returns to duty. M’s earliest start date would be a day later because she has to return to duty to end the maternity leave if no advance binding notice was given.
Test ref: SPL7
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Overall SPL start date for the couple must be to child’s DOB or date of placement
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Binding notice given by M to end maternity leave on 22/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SMP 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
i) Attempt to enter SPL start date 08/07/17
ii) Enter SPL start date 09/07/17
P is absent on SPL from 09/07/17 (M still has the same overall SPL start date even though she must take at least 2 weeks compulsory maternity leave) / i) SPL start date is not allowed.
ii) SPL start date is allowed.
Comment
SPL is a shared entitlement so there will be an overall SPL start date that applies to the couple as well as the start and end dates of individual periods of SPL in the leave pattern chosen by M and P
This test would apply to both the overall SPL start date and the start date of individual weeks in the pattern because all SPL start dates must be child’s DOB.
But note that M must take at least 2 weeks compulsory maternity leave so the start date of M’s individual periods of leave within the pattern on M’s record must be covered by test SPL2
In this test (ref SPL7) M is on maternity leave when SPL starts (but the overall SPL start date for the couple of 09/07/17 is still recorded on M’s record), even though P is the one taking the SPL at this time.
Note for adoption cases: The main adopter (A) can start adoption leave up to two weeks in advance of the date of placement but SPL cannot start, for either A or P, until on or after the date of placement.
Test ref: SPL8
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)SPL end date must be < C’s 1st birthday or 1st anniversary of date of placement
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
51 weeks of maternity leave is09/07/17 – 30/06/18leaving 1 week of entitlement of SPL.
SMP 09/07/17 – 07/04/18 (39 weeks)
i) Binding notice given to end maternity leave and MPP on 30/06/18
Enter SPL period 03/07/18 – 09/07/18
ii) Binding notice given to end maternity leave and MPP on30/06/18
Enter SPL period 02/07/18 – 08/07/18 / i) SPL period is not allowed.
ii) SPL period is allowed.
Comment
Test ref: SPL9
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Total SPL entitlement in weeks for both partners must be 50 if M’s date of death NOT held
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Mat leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SMP 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
SPL start date 23/07/17
50 weeks of SPLare available from and including 23/07/17up to and including 07/07/18
i) Enter SPL end date 08/07/18
ii) Enter SPL end date 07/07/18 / i) End date is not allowed.
ii) End date is allowed.
Comment
M is required to take 2 weeks of maternity leave (4 weeks if she works in a factory) which leaves 50 weeks available for SPL.
Test ref: SPL10
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Total SPL entitlement in weeks for both partners must be 52 (if M’s date of death IS held AND M’s date of death is curtailment date)
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
M dies in childbirth on 09/07/17
Maternity leave was due to start on 09/07/17
P started SPL on 09/07/17 so 52 weeks of SPL from and including 09/07/17 is up to and including 07/07/18
i) Enter SPL end date 08/07/18
ii) Enter SPL end date 07/07/18 / i) End date is not allowed.
ii) End date is allowed.
Comment
Where M dies on or before the curtailment date the amount of shared parental leave available for P will be 52 weeks and the amount of shared parental pay will be 39 weeks, less the number of weeks of maternity leave (or statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance) taken by the mother prior to her death. The 8 weeks’ notice is waived.
Test ref: SPL11
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Total SPL entitlement in weeks for both partners must be 50 (if M’s date of death IS held AND M’s date of death is > curtailment date)
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Binding notice given by M to end maternity leave on 22/07/17
M dies 23/07/17
Maternity leave 09/07/17 – 22/07/17
P had already started SPL from 09/07/17so 50 weeks of SPL from and including 09/07/17 is up to and including 23/06/18
i) Enter SPL end date 24/06/18
ii) Enter SPL end date 23/06/18 / i) End date is not allowed.
ii) End date is allowed.
Comment
If M dies after the curtailment date an eligible P is entitled to take up to 50 weeks of SPL The weeks taken by M before her death would be deducted from those available to P.
Test ref: SPL12
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Warning: Date of notice of entitlement is (SPL start date* – 8 weeks)
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Mat leave start date 09/07/17
SMP start date 09/07/17
Proposed SPL start date 27/08/17
i) Enter entitlement notice date (i.e. the date entitlement notice is given to employer) as 03/07/17
ii) Enter notice date (i.e. the date entitlement notice is given to employer) as 02/07/17 / i) Warning – date of notice is less than 8 weeks before proposed start date
ii) Notice date accepted
Comment
* This is the start date this employee is first absent on SPL. The other parent may have already started their periods of SPL.
The legislation gives the employer the right to insist upon 8 weeks of notice but we recommend that the validation check is a warning message so that processing is not prevented in a case where the employer chose to accept a notice period of less than 8 weeks.
Test ref: SPL13
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Warning: Date of notice to book leave is (SPL start date* – 8 weeks)
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Mat leave start date 09/07/17
SMP start date 09/07/17
Proposed SPL start date 27/08/17
i) Enter booking notice date (i.e. the date booking notice is given to employer) as 03/07/17
ii) Enter booking notice date (i.e. the date booking notice is given to employer) as 02/07/17 / i) Warning – date of notice is less than 8 weeks before proposed start date
ii) Notice date accepted
Comment
* This is the start date this employee is first absent on SPL. The other parent may have already started their periods of SPL.
The legislation gives the employer the right to insist upon 8 weeks of notice but we recommend that the validation check is a warning message so that processing is not prevented in a case where the employer chose to accept a notice period of less than 8 weeks.
Test ref: SPL14
(BIRTH AND ADOPTION)Part weeks of maternity leave are always rounded up to the next whole week when calculating SPL entitlement
Set Up / Expected Result
EWC 09/07/17
Child’s DOB 09/07/17
Mat leave start date 09/07/17
SMP start date 09/07/17
M returns to duty on 04/09/17 and maternity leave has lasted for 8 weeks and 1 day
This is rounded up to 9 weeks for calculating SPL entitlement. 52 – 9 = 43 weeks of SPL remain
i) Enter a period of SPL from 05/09/17 – 03/07/18
ii) Enter a period of SPL for P from 05/09/17 – 02/07/17 / i) End date not allowed (43 weeks and 1day)
ii) End date allowed (43 weeks)
Comment
Test ref: SPL15