Practical guide
Antenatal Appointment Time Off in Great Britain: Pay and Travel
For an employee in the Great Britain employment-law setting described by Acas, reasonable time off for antenatal appointments is paid from the first day of employment. Check employment status first, include travel as well as the appointment, give notice where possible, and keep the pregnant person’s entitlement separate from an accompanying partner’s rules.
Start with place, status and the actual appointment
A question about paid time off needs an employment answer, not a pregnancy-stage guess. This article uses Acas guidance for Great Britain, updated 2 March 2026, and GOV.UK’s pregnant-employees information. Northern Ireland and other countries need their own applicable guidance. A job title, zero-hours label or length of pregnancy does not by itself settle employment status. [1, 2]
Acas describes antenatal appointments as pregnancy-related appointments made on the advice of a doctor, nurse or midwife. They can include medical appointments and recommended antenatal or parentcraft classes, as well as pregnancy-related health, relaxation or mental-wellbeing sessions. Do not assume every independently chosen class qualifies; keep the recommendation and ask about the specific arrangement.
Distinguish the employment categories
Scroll sideways inside the table to read every column.
| Situation | What the published guidance says | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | Reasonable time off with full pay from the first day of the job | Employment status; pregnancy-related appointment |
| Agency worker | Paid time off after the 12-week qualifying period | Whether the qualifying period and agency conditions are met |
| Casual or zero-hours worker | Offering paid time off is good practice; the page says no legal requirement for those categories | Actual employment status and contract; a label alone is insufficient |
| Accompanying partner | Separate eligibility; usually unpaid, two appointments, maximum 6.5 hours each | Your own eligibility and any better workplace policy |
Acas says an employer cannot unreasonably refuse an employee time off during working hours for these appointments or expect the time to be made up later. That is not a promise that every requested absence is automatically reasonable. If the category is unclear, consult Acas or an appropriate adviser rather than treating this comparison as a legal determination.
Ask for appointment and travel time together
Acas says reasonable time includes the appointment or class and travel to and from it. The law does not set one universal allowance for the pregnant employee. Clinic location, actual travel and appointment arrangements therefore matter more than copying a fixed number of hours from a partner’s entitlement.
Give as much notice as possible. Explain the appointment time, travel requirement and the proposed absence window. An employer might agree to a different work-day arrangement, such as working from home where returning would take too long. Agree and record it; do not treat that example as a guaranteed arrangement. Acas says evidence may be requested after the first appointment, but not for the first one.
Original request wording
Employee: I am pregnant and have an antenatal appointment advised by [doctor/nurse/midwife] on [date]. It starts at [time]. Including travel, I expect to be away from [start] to [end]. Please confirm how to record the paid time off and any evidence required for this appointment.
Employee: If the clinic changes the time or runs later, which workplace contact should I update?
This is editable wording, not an official form, employer acceptance or an individual legal opinion.
If you have not told the employer about the pregnancy, Acas explains that the time may be treated like another medical appointment and paid treatment can differ under the contract. GOV.UK also says an employee cannot use the antenatal-time-off entitlement before telling the employer. Consider the disclosure and advice you need; this page does not prescribe when to disclose beyond explaining that consequence.
A fictional absence window, with the assumptions visible
Suppose a confirmed appointment is at 14:00, the planned appointment block ends at 14:45, travel is 35 minutes each way and an original planning allowance of 10 minutes is used for arrival. The constructed absence window is 13:15–15:20: 35 + 10 + 45 + 35 = 125 minutes. The 10-minute allowance is an example assumption, not an Acas rule. The 45-minute block is invented, not a prediction of a maternity appointment.
Record the estimate and ask how to report a change. If the clinic delays the appointment, record the actual change for the workplace discussion. Do not leave needed care early because an example spreadsheet ends at 15:20. Your maternity team handles the clinical instructions; the employer or adviser handles the time-off question.
An accompanying partner should check their separate entitlement and any more generous contractual policy. The published 6.5-hour partner maximum must not be copied onto the pregnant employee’s own reasonable-time request.
Keep a factual record when the request is refused
Save the request, the appointment information and the reply in a private record. Ask what part is disputed: employment status, the appointment’s basis, the time estimate, evidence or payment. Acas recommends raising problems informally first; an agency worker can also speak to the agency. If unresolved, its guidance explains a grievance route and warns that employment-tribunal claims have strict time limits. Contact Acas or an appropriate adviser for your circumstances rather than relying on this article for a deadline.
A paid-time-off question is separate from a workplace risk assessment or a mental-health support request. Use the work-stress guide for recording what feels difficult and whom to ask for support. Keep medical details proportionate to the actual process; a general team calendar normally needs the agreed absence, not your complete maternity record.
Check 1: An employee’s manager applies the partner’s 6.5-hour rule to her antenatal appointment. What needs clarification?
The pregnant employee and accompanying partner have different entitlements.
The employee’s published rule is reasonable time including travel, not the partner maximum.
Check 2: A message says “I have a scan at 14:00” but leaves travel out. Is the absence estimate complete?
No. Record travel and the proposed window, with estimates identified.
The Acas reasonable-time explanation includes travel; an appointment start is not an absence duration.
Check 3: Your first antenatal appointment needs time off. Can the employer require appointment proof under the Acas rule described here?
Acas says appointment evidence can only be requested after the first appointment.
Keep the first-appointment distinction separate from providing notice of the appointment and checking employment status.
Check 4: A worker is called zero-hours. Does that label alone establish that there is no employee entitlement?
No. Check the actual employment status and contract rather than treating the label as a legal decision.
The article separates Acas’s listed categories from individual status uncertainty; advice may be needed for the actual arrangement.
Keep a private working record
Download the original blank record and example answer notes (TXT). Edit it privately on your own device. This website does not receive a completed copy. The record is a preparation aid, not an official form.
If the letter and portal conflict, confirm the appointment with the maternity service before treating a guessed time as the basis of the workplace request.
Sources and further reading
- Acas: Antenatal appointments — Pregnancy at workGreat Britain employment categories, appointment scope, travel, notice, evidence, partner distinction and resolution routes; last updated 2 March 2026.
- GOV.UK: Pregnant employees’ rightsPaid antenatal time, pregnancy disclosure and separate partner entitlement; this article does not cover maternity-pay calculations or redundancy advice.