What you need to know
Taking time off — away from your job — is vital to being at your best. We support this by offering ample time off for all kinds of situations.
Paid Time Off
PayPal values your wellness and wants you to take care of yourself and others in a way that best addresses your needs. Our Paid Time Off (PTO) policy provides the flexibility to use your time for whatever recharges you.
You’re entitled to 25 days of PTO in your first year of employment, increasing to 27 days after two years of service, and increasing an additional one day per year of service up to a maximum 30 days.
- 25 days paid leave each year
- After two years of service: 27 days
- After three years of service: 28 days
- After four years of service: 29 days
- After five years of service: 30 days
Your annual PTO entitlement is loaded on 1 January of each year.
Each new year, you may carry over a maximum of five days PTO, which should be used by the end of March. Your manager will review your PTO balance with you regularly.
Paid leaves of absence
Take care of what’s most important to you: your family. PayPal offers a variety of paid leaves of absence that allow you to take care of your loved ones. Please check the relevant Leave of Absence policy on the Bridge to ensure you allow enough time for your notice.
Company and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)
SMP is a state benefit that PayPal pays to eligible employees on behalf of the government. SMP provides six weeks at 90% average earnings, plus 33 weeks at the flat rate of SMP, which is currently £151.97 per week.
To be eligible for SMP, you must:
- Have been employed continuously for at least 26 weeks, ending with the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth
- Have an average weekly earnings at least equal to the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions
The SMP rate from April 2021 is £151.97 per week; the standard rate for SMP is reviewed every April. Please refer to HM Revenue and Customs and GOV.UK for further details on SMP.
In addition, PayPal will provide enhanced company maternity pay as follows:
- For the first 10 weeks: 100% (including SMP) of your basic salary
- For the following eight weeks: 70% (including SMP) of your basic salary
- For the remaining 21 weeks: flat rate SMP
Paternity leave
Fathers receive two weeks of paid paternity leave, to be taken within 12 months of the birth or placement of a child.
You can find additional information and guidelines for applying for this leave through Workday on the Bridge (only accessible within the PayPal firewall).
Parental leave
You may be entitled to Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) if you have or adopt a baby. SPL and ShPP are taken between the baby’s birth and first birthday (or within one year of adoption).
About SPL:
- SPL can be taken either by a child's mother, father, or mother's spouse or partner or civil partner.
- If you’re eligible, you may start SPL if you or your partner end maternity or adoption leave early. However, maternity leave cannot end until after the two-week compulsory maternity leave period.
- The period of available SPL will be calculated by deducting the amount of maternity leave taken from 52. The number of weeks of SMP or maternity allowance the mother has received will be deducted from 39 to work out how much (if any) ShPP is available.
About ShPP:
- Eligible employees and their spouse or partner may be entitled to take up to 37 weeks ShPP while taking SPL. The amount of weeks available will depend on the amount by which the mother or adopter reduces their maternity or adoption pay period or maternity allowance period.
- ShPP may be payable during some or all of SPL, depending on the length and timing of the leave.
- An employee's partner must meet minimum work-and-earnings criteria. If they do not, the employee will not be able to access the Shared Parental Leave (SPL) system.
During the period of SPL, your contract of employment continues in force, so you’re entitled to receive all of your contractual benefits, except for salary. In particular, any benefits in kind (such as use of a company car, laptop, mobile phone, and gym membership) will continue, and contractual PTO (annual leave) entitlement will continue to accrue.
More information about SPL and ShPP, including a list of contractual benefits, can be found on HR Hub (only accessible within the PayPal firewall). You may calculate your expected leave and pay using the government’s online calculator.
Bereavement leave
PayPal provides the following number of consecutive business days of Paid Time Off with regular base pay to full-time and part-time regular employees:
- Up to 20 days when a spouse, domestic partner (DP), civil partner (CP), child, stepchild, DP child, or CP child passes away
- Up to three days when a parent, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian, parent-in-law, sibling, or stepsibling passes away
- One day when an aunt, uncle, brother- or sister-in-law, daughter- or son-in-law, cousin, niece, or nephew passes away
Your manager may approve up to two additional days of Paid Time Off if out-of-town travel is required to plan or attend the deceased's services. Go to HR Hub (only accessible within the PayPal firewall) for more information.
Exam leave time off
There is no limit to time off granted to sit for examinations, but supporting documentation is required. Go to HR Hub (only accessible within the PayPal firewall) for more information.
Jury service time off
There is no limit to time off granted for jury service, but you must submit the invitation letter to attend the Court as a Juror with your Workday request. Go to HR Hub (only accessible within the PayPal firewall) to initiate your request for time off.
Personal leave time off
There is no limit to time off granted for personal leave, but it’s at the discretion of your manager. You must submit supporting documentation to HR Hub (only accessible within the PayPal firewall).