From April 2026, Unpaid parental leave changes April 2026 becomes a day one right, meaning small business employers may need to manage parental leave requests much earlier in the employment relationship. Introduced under the Employment Rights Act 2025 , this change removes the current one year qualifying period and allows eligible employees to access unpaid parental leave from their first day of employment. While the reform is not a dramatic overhaul, it does affect how emplo