Time Off for Adoption Appointments in the UK: Paid and Unpaid Rights

Before an adoption placement, employees can have a separate statutory right to attend agency-arranged appointments. In Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the main adopter can take paid time off for up to five appointments; the second adopter can take unpaid time off for up to two. Each appointment is capped at 6.5 working hours under both jurisdictions’ legislation. Adoption Leave and Statutory Adoption/Paternity Pay have separate eligibility, notice and payment rules.

Identify which adopter you are

The person taking Adoption Leave is the main adopter. The other partner may have a separate appointment right linked to Paternity Leave.

Separate the appointment right from leave and pay

These are appointment absences before placement. Statutory Adoption Pay and Statutory Paternity Pay have their own eligibility, notice and claim rules.

Notify work early and keep the appointment dates

The official appointment summaries do not publish one universal notice deadline. Tell the employer as soon as dates are arranged and ask what confirmation is needed.

Which appointment right applies?

The main adopter is the employee who elects to use the paid appointment right for a child expected to be placed with them through an adoption agency. In a joint placement, only one employee can make that election. The right covers up to five appointments before placement, each for no more than 6.5 hours during working time. The appointment must be arranged by, or at the request of, the adoption agency. Great Britain’s Employment Rights Act 1996 sections 57ZJ–57ZK and Northern Ireland’s Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 Articles 85ZJ–85ZK provide the paid right and employer-remuneration rule.

The second adopter in a joint placement may elect for the separate unpaid right for up to two appointments, also before placement and capped at 6.5 working hours each. The second adopter cannot also elect for the main-adopter paid right for the same placement. The relevant provisions are section 57ZL in Great Britain and Article 85ZL in Northern Ireland. These are appointment rights in their own right; do not treat them as a Statutory Paternity Pay claim.

Eligibility and the adoption stage

The statutory provisions cover an employee notified by an adoption agency that a child is to be, or is expected to be, placed with them. The appointment must be connected with that adoption and arranged by or at the request of the agency. The entitlement ends on the date the child is placed. The appointment sections do not set a minimum length of service; Adoption Leave, Statutory Adoption Pay and Statutory Paternity Pay each have their own rules. The second-adopter appointment right is not itself conditional on qualifying for Statutory Paternity Pay.

If the employer asks, the main adopter must provide a document showing the appointment’s date and time and that the agency arranged or requested it. For the second-adopter right, the employer may also request a signed declaration confirming the election. Both jurisdictions’ legislation allows requested documents or declarations to be given electronically.

Pay, notice and evidence

The main adopter’s time is paid by the employer. Under section 57ZK / Article 85ZK, the statutory hourly rate is one week’s pay divided by the employee’s normal weekly working hours. Where hours vary, the divisor uses the average normal hours over the 12 weeks ending with the last complete week before the appointment (or a fair representative figure if there is not enough history). More generous contractual pay can apply. The second adopter’s statutory appointment time is unpaid, although an employer may choose to pay it.

The appointment provisions do not set a general advance-notice deadline. Tell the employer promptly once the agency arranges the date, identify whether you are using the main- or second-adopter right, and keep the response. Acas says the 6.5-hour Great Britain allowance includes travel. Northern Ireland’s statute caps time off during working hours at 6.5 hours, while the nidirect summary does not explain how travel is treated; check the employer’s local process if travel would take the absence over that limit.

These appointment absences are separate from the seven-day match notice for Adoption Leave and from SAP/SPP notices or claims. Appointment time does not itself create a separate Department for Work and Pensions or Social Security Agency payment. See the Great Britain Adoption Leave guide, Northern Ireland Adoption Leave guide, and the relevant Great Britain or Northern Ireland Paternity Leave guide for those separate processes.

Arrange time off for an adoption appointment

1
Check whether the job is in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, then confirm whether the agency has notified you of an individual or joint placement.
2
Agree which employee is the main adopter; the other employee in a joint placement may use the separate second-adopter right.
3
Check the allowance: up to five paid appointments for the main adopter or two unpaid appointments for the second adopter, with a 6.5-working-hour cap per appointment in both jurisdictions.
4
Tell the employer promptly when the agency arranges the appointment. If requested, provide the date/time and agency-arrangement document; a second adopter may also be asked for a signed election declaration.
5
Keep appointment requests separate from Adoption Leave, SAP and Paternity Leave/SPP notices and claims.

If the appointment is refused or pay is deducted

Ask the employer to explain its decision in writing and identify the rule or workplace policy it applied. Keep the matching information, appointment date, your request and any response. For a Great Britain employment-right dispute, Acas can explain the next step before an Employment Tribunal claim. In Northern Ireland, use the employer grievance process and current nidirect/Labour Relations Agency guidance. Check any dispute deadline promptly; this page does not decide whether an individual appointment meets the legal test.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many appointments can the main adopter attend?

GOV.UK says an eligible main adopter who gets Adoption Leave can take paid time off for five adoption appointments after matching. Northern Ireland’s nidirect page also describes up to five paid pre-adoption appointments.

Are the main adopter’s appointments paid?

Yes. The GOV.UK and nidirect summaries describe the main adopter’s appointment time as paid. It is paid time off from the employer, not a separate welfare payment.

How many appointments can the second adopter attend?

The second adopter can take time off for two adoption appointments. Acas describes these as unpaid in Great Britain; nidirect describes them as unpaid in Northern Ireland too.

How long can each appointment last?

Great Britain section 57ZJ and Northern Ireland Article 85ZJ cap each main-adopter appointment at 6.5 working hours. The corresponding second-adopter provisions also set a 6.5-hour cap. Acas says the Great Britain limit includes travel; the NI summary does not explain travel treatment.

When can the five main-adopter appointments be used?

GOV.UK says they are available after the adopter has been matched with a child. The NI nidirect page calls them pre-adoption appointments; ask the agency or employer if the matching stage is unclear.

Do I need a minimum period of service?

The appointment provisions do not state a minimum length of service. They do require employee status, an agency-notified placement, an eligible agency-arranged appointment and the correct main/second-adopter election. Adoption Leave and statutory pay have separate eligibility rules.

How much notice must I give my employer?

The cited GOV.UK, Acas and nidirect appointment summaries do not publish one general statutory booking deadline. Tell the employer as soon as you know the appointment date and ask about its practical process.

Can my employer ask for proof?

Yes. Under the statutes, an employer may ask for a document showing the appointment date/time and that the adoption agency arranged or requested it. For the second-adopter right, it may also request a signed declaration confirming the election. The documents can be provided electronically.

Are these appointments part of the 52 weeks of Adoption Leave?

No. They are time off to attend appointments before the placement, separate from the Adoption Leave period. The 52-week leave right has its own start-date, notice and return-to-work rules.

How is the main adopter’s appointment time paid?

The employer pays the statutory hourly remuneration under section 57ZK in Great Britain or Article 85ZK in Northern Ireland: one week’s pay divided by normal weekly hours, with a 12-week averaging method for variable hours. SAP and SPP are separate claims.

Does appointment time qualify me for Statutory Adoption Pay or Paternity Pay?

No. SAP and SPP have separate service, earnings, notice and evidence tests. Appointment attendance does not itself establish eligibility for either payment.

Can the second adopter take Paternity Leave as well?

A second adopter may qualify for Paternity Leave, but that is separate from the two appointment absences. The leave amount, start window and employer notice rules depend on whether the job is in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

What if the employer says the appointments are unpaid?

For the main adopter, GOV.UK and nidirect describe the statutory appointments as paid. The second adopter’s appointments are described as unpaid. Ask the employer to identify which role and country rule it applied, then follow Acas guidance in Great Britain or the NI grievance/Labour Relations Agency route.

Do these rules cover surrogacy appointments?

These rules cover appointments arranged by an adoption agency for an adoption placement. A person seeking a Parental Order after surrogacy may have a separate antenatal-appointment right; check the nidirect surrogacy guidance and do not count those as adoption appointments.

Official sources

Review notes and assumptions

Updated 2026-10-29

Assumptions

This page explains appointment time off, not a personal decision about adoption-leave or statutory-pay eligibility.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland have separate employment-law sources. Each jurisdiction caps every qualifying appointment at 6.5 working hours. Acas says the Great Britain allowance includes travel; the nidirect summary does not explain travel treatment in Northern Ireland.
A statutory appointment right is not a separate Department for Work and Pensions or Social Security Agency welfare payment.