Letter to Confirm an Employee's Maternity Leave by Acas
Updated 17 October 2025
This template is a formal letter from an employer to an employee, confirming the details of their maternity leave. It outlines the agreed-upon start and return dates, explains procedures for changing these dates, and clarifies policies regarding early leave triggers, antenatal appointments, holiday entitlement, and keeping in touch (KIT) days.
Letter to Confirm an Employee’s Maternity Leave (Template)
[Today's date]
Dear [name of your employee],
Thank you for telling us about your pregnancy in your [letter / email] dated [date].
Maternity leave start and return dates
You told us you want to start your maternity leave on [date].
You're entitled to 52 weeks' statutory maternity leave.
[Optional] Your contract also gives you enhanced maternity leave of [number of weeks].
If you take your full entitlement, your return to work date will be [date].
If you want to take less than your full maternity leave entitlement, please let us know. By law, you must take at least 2 weeks' off after your baby is born. [Note: if your employee works in a factory, they must take at least 4 weeks' off]
Changing your maternity leave start and return dates
If you want to change the date you start your maternity leave, you must give us at least 28 days' notice.
If you want to change the date you return from maternity leave, you must give us at least 8 weeks' notice.
If your maternity leave is triggered early
If your baby arrives early your maternity leave will automatically start the date after your baby is born. If this happens, please let us know as soon as possible.
If you're off work with pregnancy-related illness at any time in the 4 weeks before your baby is due, your maternity leave will automatically start after the first day of absence.
If your maternity leave is triggered early, we will tell you your new return to work date within 28 days.
Antenatal appointments
You have the right to a reasonable amount of paid time off for pregnancy-related appointments.
After your first appointment, you must provide an appointment card or other evidence of your appointments if we ask for it.
Holiday entitlement
You will still build up your usual holiday entitlement while you're on maternity leave.
You cannot use holiday entitlement while you're on maternity leave. But you can arrange to use your holiday before or after maternity leave.
You should speak to [name or job role of relevant person in your organisation] as early as possible about how to use your holiday entitlement, including any you build up while on maternity leave.
Keeping in touch days
You can work for up to 10 days during your maternity leave to help you stay in touch with [name of organisation]. These are called 'keeping touch (KIT) days'.
You should speak to [name or job role of relevant person in your organisation] to arrange any keeping in touch days.
If you have any questions about anything in this letter, please get in touch.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
About this template
What is this template?
Letter to Confirm an Employee's Maternity Leave by Acas is a free, ready-to-use Employment Contracts template you can open, customize, and download on GitLaw. It gives you a professionally structured starting point, so you never have to draft from a blank page. The wording is plain and modern, organized into clear sections that are easy to read, edit, and adapt to your own situation before you share or sign it.
When should you use it?
Reach for this Employment Contracts template whenever you need a reliable agreement quickly and want to be sure the essentials are covered. It suits individuals, freelancers, startups, and established businesses alike. Instead of paying for a document drafted from scratch, you can start here, tailor the details to your arrangement, and have a polished draft ready in minutes. Always review the final wording against the laws that apply where you live or do business.
What's typically included?
A well-drafted Employment Contracts usually sets out the parties involved, the scope of the agreement, and each side's rights and responsibilities. Expect sections covering key terms and definitions, how long the agreement lasts, how it can be ended, and what happens if something goes wrong. This template brings those building blocks together in a sensible order, so you can focus on the specifics rather than worrying about what to include. Open it to read the full document, then sign up to edit, negotiate, and e-sign it directly in GitLaw.