UK Maternity Pay Calculator

Statutory Maternity Pay is one of those figures every expectant parent googles and every payroll team recalculates each April. For the 2026/27 tax year (from 6 April 2026), SMP works like this: the first 6 weeks pay 90% of your average weekly earnings with no cap, and the following 33 weeks pay the standard rate of £194.32 a week — or 90% of your earnings if that's lower, which it is for anyone averaging under about £216 a week. That's up to 39 paid weeks in total; you can take 52 weeks of leave, but the final 13 are unpaid. To qualify you need 26 weeks of continuous service by the 15th week before your due date and average earnings of at least £129 a week. Enter your average weekly earnings and how many weeks you plan to take, and this calculator maps out both phases, the weekly amounts, and your total — with the rate field editable so the tool stays accurate when it's next uprated.

The two-phase structure means your income drops twice: once when leave starts (to 90% of earnings) and again, usually harder, at week 7 when the flat rate kicks in. For someone on £600 a week, that second step is a fall from £540 to £194.32 — a 64% cut that catches many households unprepared. Knowing the exact weekly numbers months ahead lets you budget the gap, time leave around your employer's enhanced package if one exists, and decide realistically how many of the 39 paid weeks (and 13 unpaid ones) you can afford. It also matters for couples weighing Shared Parental Leave, where the same standard rate applies from the start.

AWE — average weekly earnings — is your gross pay averaged over roughly the 8 weeks (or 2 monthly payslips) before the qualifying week, including overtime, commission, and bonuses paid in that window. Phase one pays 90% of AWE uncapped for 6 weeks. Phase two pays the lower of the standard rate (£194.32 for 2026/27) or 90% of AWE for up to 33 more weeks. SMP is paid through payroll and is taxable, with tax and National Insurance deducted as normal.

1. Work out your average weekly earnings. Add your gross pay from the 8 weeks (weekly paid) or 2 months (monthly paid) before the qualifying week — the 15th week before your due date — and divide to a weekly figure. Include overtime and bonuses landing in that window.
2. Check you qualify. 26 weeks' continuous employment with the same employer by the qualifying week, and AWE of at least £129 (2026/27). If not, Maternity Allowance from the DWP is the fallback — same £194.32 standard rate.
3. Enter AWE and the weeks you'll take. Up to 39 paid weeks. Taking fewer? The calculator prorates both phases correctly.
4. Read the two phases separately. Your first-6-weeks weekly amount, your week-7-onward amount, and totals for each phase — the numbers to build a household budget around.
5. Add your employer's enhancement. Many employers top up SMP (full pay for 12 weeks is a common pattern). SMP is the legal floor; check your contract for anything above it.

• Assuming 90% of pay lasts the whole leave. It lasts exactly 6 weeks; the flat £194.32 covers the next 33, which is the figure to budget around.
• Averaging the wrong weeks. AWE comes from the specific window before the qualifying week — a bonus or unpaid leave landing in those weeks moves your SMP for the entire claim.
• Forgetting SMP is taxable. Tax and NI come off through payroll, so the amount that lands in your account is below the headline rate if you have other income in the year.
• Confusing SMP with Maternity Allowance. Different scheme, same standard rate: MA covers the self-employed and those who miss SMP's service or earnings tests, claimed from the DWP rather than through payroll.
• Missing the notice rules. You must tell your employer by the 15th week before the due date and provide the MATB1 certificate — late notice can delay when payments start.

• A well-timed bonus or salary review that lands in the AWE window raises the 90% phase — worth knowing when discussing timing with your employer.
• Check your contract for enhanced maternity pay before assuming statutory rates; enhancement is common and changes the budget completely.
• Keep up pension contributions where possible — employer contributions typically continue on your pre-leave salary during paid leave.
• You accrue holiday throughout maternity leave, including bank holidays; many parents add accrued leave to the end at full pay.
• If money is the constraint, remember weeks 40–52 are unpaid — the marginal cost of coming back at week 39 versus 52 is lower than it feels.

SMP for 2026/27 is generous for six weeks and modest for thirty-three: 90% of earnings, then £194.32 a week. The households that navigate it comfortably are the ones that knew both numbers before the leave started. Run your own AWE through the calculator, layer on any employer enhancement, and build the budget around week 7 — that's where the real adjustment lives.

• UK Sick Pay Calculator — statutory sick pay under the new 2026 rules
• UK Holiday Pay Calculator — holiday keeps accruing during maternity leave
• Pension Tax Relief Calculator — keep pension savings efficient during leave
• Savings Goal Calculator — build the maternity budget gap fund

• GOV.UK — Maternity pay and leave (gov.uk) — Official eligibility rules and how to claim
• GOV.UK — Maternity Allowance (gov.uk) — The alternative for self-employed and non-qualifiers