The best companies for enhanced maternity and paternity leave (2026)
Discover 24 global employers offering enhanced maternity and paternity leave in 2026, independently verified by Flexa. Find a workplace that genuinely supports parents.
21st Oct 2026
In the UK, statutory maternity pay covers 39 weeks — but only 6 of those weeks is at full pay. Statutory paternity leave is just two weeks. For many working parents, that's simply not enough.
That's perhaps why enhanced parental leave has become one of the most searched-for benefits among UK job seekers.
The good news is that a growing number of employers are offering enhanced maternity and paternity leave that goes significantly beyond statutory maternity and paternity pay. Some of the best companies for maternity pay and paternity leave even offer six months or more at full pay for both parents.
Every company on this list has been independently verified by Flexa as one of the best places to work for maternity or paternity leave. That means their parental leave policies have been audited, not just self-reported. We highlight exactly what each employer offers so you can compare at a glance and find the best companies for enhanced maternity and paternity leave in the UK in 2026.
This blog features:
- 24 companies offering enhanced maternity and paternity leave in 2026
- Why enhanced paternity and maternity leave is important
- How to find the best companies offering maternity and paternity leave benefits
What is enhanced maternity and paternity leave?
Statutory maternity and paternity leave is the legal minimum UK employers must offer. When you see an employer discuss enhanced parental leave, that means their benefits go beyond that baseline.
If you're looking for someone with enhanced parental leave, here's what to look for:
- Enhanced maternity pay: you should expect to get full or partial pay for longer than the statutory six weeks at full pay. The best employers for maternity pay typically offer between 16 to 26 weeks or more at full pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: more than the statutory two weeks. The best companies for paternity leave often offer four weeks or more at full pay.
- Shared parental leave: some employers enhance shared parental leave so both parents can split time off more equally.
- Adoption leave: leading employers match their maternity leave offer for adoptive parents.
- Return-to-work support: phased returns, keep-in-touch days, and flexible hours after leave.
- Day one eligibility: the most progressive employers offer enhanced leave from the first day of employment, with no minimum service requirement.
When comparing employers' enhanced parental leave benefits, make sure you look beyond the headline number of weeks. Check whether the pay is full or partial, whether there is a minimum service requirement, and whether the policy covers all types of parents equally.
Which are the best companies for enhanced maternity and paternity leave in 2026?
ASOS: ASOS brings fashion lovers around the world the best and most relevant fashion through their unique own brands, including ASOS DESIGN, ARRANGE, COLLUSION, Topshop, and Topman.
ASOS is one of the best employers for enhanced parental leave because they offer:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 26 weeks at enhanced pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: 8 weeks at enhanced pay
- Mental Health First Aiders and manager training to support a smooth return to work
BT Group: With over 175 years of heritage, BT is the flagship business brand of BT Group. They are a B2B powerhouse serving 1.2 million business customers internationally. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 18 weeks at full pay, followed by 8 weeks at half pay, then 6 months statutory
- Matched, enhanced paternity leave: 18 weeks full pay, 8 weeks half pay, 6 months statutory
- Flexible working and hybrid arrangements available across the business
- Family-friendly policies backed by a formal commitment to inclusion
EY: At EY, their purpose is to build a better working world. Through the insights and services they provide, EY helps create long-term value for people and society while building trust and confidence in the capital markets.
EY offers a range of enhanced family benefits, including:
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Adoption leave
- Surrogacy leave
Virgin Media O2: Virgin Media O2 is an award-winning fibre broadband provider and telecommunications company. They manage 47 million UK connections across broadband, mobile, TV, and home phone, with around 18,000 colleagues working hard to provide the best connectivity to our valued customers. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 26 weeks at full pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: 14 weeks at full pay
Vodafone: Vodafone is a leading international Telco serving 300 million customers. Their strong belief is that connectivity is a force for good. If we use it for the things that really matter, it can improve people's lives and the world around us. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity and paternity leave: 16 weeks at full pay
- Phased return to work over 6 months following parental leave
- Global policy applying across Vodafone markets.
Adaptavist Group: The Adaptavist Group is experts at delivering innovative software, tailored solutions, and quality services across some of the world’s most trusted technology ecosystems, including Atlassian, AWS, Slack, monday.com, Aha!, GitLab, and many more. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 26 weeks at full pay from day one of employment
- Enhanced paternity leave: 12 weeks at full pay from day one of employment
- No minimum service requirement, making this accessible for all employees
Airbus: Airbus designs, manufactures and delivers industry-leading commercial aircraft, helicopters, military transports, satellites, launchers and more. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity and shared parental leave policies can give you up to 23 weeks' leave fully paid.
Atom Bank: Atom is the UK's first app-based bank. They've been making banking as effortless as possible ever since they launched. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced paternity leave: 4 weeks including 2 weeks statutory topped up to full pay
- Flexible and remote-first working culture supporting work-life balance
Brit Insurance: Brit is a leading global specialty insurer and reinsurer focused on underwriting complex risks. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 26 weeks at full pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: 4 weeks at full pay
- Flexible working options available across the business
Camunda: Camunda enables organisations to orchestrate processes across people, systems, and devices to overcome complexity and increase efficiency. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Paid parental leave for 20 weeks during the first year of parenthood for all parents
- Where local law offers more generous leave, employees are entitled to the higher entitlement
- Global policy applied consistently across all markets where Camunda operates
Hurree: Hurree is the smarter, simpler way to analyze data. Their platform transforms complex data into clear, actionable insights, empowering businesses to become their own data analyst. They offer both enhanced maternity and enhanced paternity leave.
Mars UK: Mars produces some of the world’s best-loved brands. Mars’ team of 140,000+ associates are taking action every day toward the world we want tomorrow. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity and paternity leave: 26 weeks at 90% pay
- Flexible working and hybrid arrangements across the business
Mondelēz International: Mondelēz International is a multinational confectionery, food and beverage company that has been making treats in the UK for nearly 200 years. They offer:
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Shared parental
- Adoption leave
- They also offer tax-free childcare to support parents.
MONY Group: MONY Group is the UK’s leading price comparison website, providing free, online tools to help people manage, save and grow their money by enabling them to compare and switch Insurance, Money and Home products.
MONY Group offers a range of benefits, including:
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Adoption leave
- Neonatal leave
- Pregnancy loss leave
Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 26 weeks at full pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: 2 weeks at full pay
- Flexible and hybrid working available across the consultancy
Peak PEO: A people-led EOR provider, consistently delivering friendly, expert, personalised service and support to clients and their employees.
Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 6 months at full pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: 4 months at full pay
- One of the most generous paternity leave policies on this list, reflecting a genuine commitment to shared parenting
SAPI: SAPI builds, tailors and funds custom financing products. They offer an all-encompassing API for all business credit products. Their mission is to provide liquidity for the global payment ecosystem. They offer enhanced maternity and enhanced paternity leave.
TUI Group: TUI Group is a leading global travel and leisure company, with 1,200 travel agencies, around 130 planes, over 400 hotels, 16 cruise liners, various digital platforms for leisure activities, and a team of over 60,000 talented colleagues worldwide. Their passion is making holiday dreams come true for our 21 million customers.
TUI Group offers:
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Adoption leave
- Neonatal leave
- Pregnancy loss leave
Veramed: Veramed is a Clinical Research Organisation. This means they support our biotech and pharmaceutical clients with their clinical studies across the drug development lifecycle.
In the UK, Veramed offers:
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Adoption leave
tombola: tombola is Britain's biggest online bingo site where players can enjoy unique and award-winning games.
tombola offers:
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Shared parental leave
- Adoption leave
- Pregnancy loss leave
Northern : Northern connects tens of thousands of people in the North of England to work, leisure, education and more every day. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 9 months at full pay, one of the longest offers on this list
- Enhanced paternity leave: 2 weeks at full pay
- Commitment to flexible working where operationally possible
MBDA: As a leading company in the defence industry, they deliver essential military capabilities for each branch of the Armed Forces - with specific expertise in missiles and missile systems. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: up to 26 weeks
- Enhanced paternity leave available after 26 weeks of service
- Flexible working options available across the business
Anglian Water Services: Anglian Water Services are building a more resilient future. By 2030, they will have prepared two new reservoirs for construction, and their extended strategic pipeline will ensure the region stays resilient to drought. Every step they take is focused on improving the lives of the people they serve. Enhanced parental leave includes:
- Enhanced maternity leave: 26 weeks at full pay
- Enhanced paternity leave: 4 weeks at full pay
- Flexible working available across operational and office-based roles
FAQs about enhanced maternity and paternity leave
1. What does enhanced maternity and paternity leave mean?
Enhanced maternity and paternity leave refers to companies offering more generous paid leave and flexible return-to-work options than the legal minimum. It’s a sign that an employer values family life and supports working parents.
2. Why is enhanced parental leave important?
Enhanced parental leave helps employees bond with their new child without financial stress. It also promotes gender equality by allowing both parents to take time off and return to work feeling supported and valued.
3. How can I find companies that offer great maternity and paternity benefits?
You can use platforms like Flexa to search for verified family-friendly employers. Flexa highlights companies that prioritise parental support, flexible working, and inclusive policies.
4. Do enhanced parental leave policies apply to all parents?
Many progressive companies now extend enhanced leave policies to all types of parents, including adoptive, same-sex, and surrogate parents. Always check the company’s parental leave policy to understand what’s covered.
5. How do strong parental leave policies benefit employers?
Companies that offer enhanced parental leave see higher employee satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. It also strengthens their employer brand by showing genuine care for their people’s wellbeing and family life.
What is enhanced maternity leave in the UK?
Enhanced maternity leave means an employer offers more generous pay or a longer period of paid leave than the statutory minimum. In the UK, statutory maternity pay covers 39 weeks but only provides full pay for the first six weeks. Enhanced maternity leave typically extends full pay for a longer period, often 16 to 26 weeks or more, giving parents more financial security during a critical time.
What should I look for beyond the number of weeks?
The number of weeks is a starting point, but also check whether the pay is full or partial, whether there is a minimum service requirement before you qualify, and whether the policy is the same for both parents. Day one eligibility, a phased return to work, and keep-in-touch days are also signs of a genuinely family-friendly employer.