For a job governed by Northern Ireland rules, a pregnant employee is entitled to reasonable time off work for antenatal care at their normal rate of pay. The right to attend as a partner is different: it covers up to two appointments, is unpaid, and has a six-and-a-half-hour limit for each appointment. These rights are separate from maternity and paternity leave or benefit claims.
Pregnant employees get reasonable paid time
Evidence can be requested from appointment two
Partners have a separate unpaid right
Pregnant employee’s right to paid time off
All pregnant employees are entitled to reasonable time off work for antenatal care, paid at their normal rate. Nidirect says refusing reasonable time off or normal pay is unlawful. The page identifies medical examinations and, where recommended by a doctor, relaxation or parent-craft classes as possible antenatal care. Where reasonably possible, appointments or classes can be arranged outside working hours.
Tell your employer that you are pregnant before relying on the paid appointment right: nidirect says paid time off is not available until the employer has been told. You must normally give notice of pregnancy by at least the 15th week before the beginning of the week the baby is due; if that was not possible because you did not know, tell the employer as soon as possible. The separate Northern Ireland Maternity Leave and Pay guide explains leave and payment notices.
Appointment evidence and notifying work
Follow the employer’s reasonable process and give the appointment timing as early as practical. An employer can ask for evidence from the second appointment onwards. If asked, nidirect says to show a medical certificate confirming the pregnancy and an appointment card or other written evidence of the appointment. Keep a copy of the request and any pay record.
The official guidance describes the entitlement as reasonable time off. It does not set a fixed number of appointments for the pregnant employee. If the care schedule changes or an appointment is urgent, notify the employer as soon as practical and explain the expected time away.
Partner’s separate right: two unpaid appointments
A pregnant woman’s partner or the baby’s father-to-be can take unpaid time off to attend two antenatal appointments. Each absence is capped at six and a half hours. There is no qualifying service period. A partner includes a spouse or civil partner and a person of either sex in a long-term relationship with the pregnant woman. The right can also cover an intended parent in a surrogacy arrangement who expects to meet the conditions for, and plans to apply for, a Parental Order.
This is a limited appointment-attendance right, not Paternity Leave. For the separate leave request, eligibility and pay process, see the Northern Ireland Paternity Leave and Pay guide. Great Britain has a separate appointment guide; use the Great Britain antenatal appointments guide only for a job in England, Scotland or Wales.
A practical request sequence
- 1Tell your employer that you are pregnant, normally by the 15th week before the due week; if that was not possible, notify them as soon as possible.
- 2Give the appointment date and expected time away through the employer’s usual process.
- 3If requested from the second appointment onwards, provide the pregnancy medical certificate and appointment evidence.
- 4If attending as a partner, identify the separate two-appointment unpaid right and its six-and-a-half-hour limit.
- 5Keep copies of requests and payslips. If time off or normal pay is refused, ask the employer to explain the decision and seek current NI employment-rights advice.
If time off or pay is refused
Ask the employer to explain its decision and how it calculated any deduction. Keep the appointment request, any evidence supplied and payslips. Nidirect says it is unlawful to refuse reasonable paid antenatal time to a pregnant employee. If the issue is not resolved, follow the employer’s grievance process and obtain current advice about Northern Ireland workplace dispute options and deadlines.