How does maternity pay work in the UK? A plain guide

Photo by Sarah Agnew on Unsplash

Finding out you’re pregnant brings a lot of joy — and, if you’re being honest, a fair bit of financial dread. How much time can you actually afford to take off? Will you get full pay? What happens if you’re self-employed, or you’ve only just started a new job? The system in the UK is called Statutory Maternity Pay, and while the name sounds official and reassuring, the reality is that most people end up with significantly less money than their normal salary for most of their leave.

This isn’t about scaring you — it’s about giving you the actual numbers so you can plan properly, months before the baby arrives rather than during a 3am panic. Maternity pay in the UK has clear rules on eligibility, timing, and how much you get. Once you understand the structure, you can work out your own numbers and have a proper conversation with your employer, and with your partner, about how you’ll manage the months ahead.

The two types of maternity pay — and why it matters which one you get

There are two main routes to getting paid while on maternity leave in the UK, and which one applies to you depends entirely on your employment situation.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is the legal minimum your employer must pay if you qualify. Most employed people get this.

Maternity Allowance is paid by the government (not your employer) if you don’t qualify for SMP — commonly because you’re self-employed, you haven’t been with your employer long enough, or you don’t earn enough to qualify.

The amounts are broadly similar, but who pays you and how you apply is different, so it’s worth knowing which category you fall into early.

Statutory Maternity Pay: how much you actually get

This is the bit most people get wrong. SMP is not one flat rate for the whole leave — it drops significantly after the first six weeks, and this catches a lot of new parents off guard.

That means SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks total, out of a possible 52 weeks of maternity leave. The last 13 weeks are unpaid unless your employer has a more generous contractual maternity scheme — some do, particularly larger employers, and it’s worth checking your contract or staff handbook before assuming you’ll only get the statutory minimum.

The “average weekly earnings” figure is based on what you earned in an 8-week reference period, roughly around the point you told your employer you were pregnant — not your current salary if you’ve since had a pay rise.

Do you actually qualify for SMP?

To get SMP, you generally need to meet three conditions:

• You’ve worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks by the “qualifying week” (broadly, 15 weeks before your due date)
• You earn at least the Lower Earnings Limit on average (a threshold set by HMRC each tax year)
• You give your employer the correct notice and proof of pregnancy (usually a MATB1 certificate from your midwife or doctor, given around 20 weeks)

If you’ve recently changed jobs, been on a zero-hours contract, or your income fluctuates, this is where it gets genuinely worth checking properly rather than assuming. A common misconception is that you need to have been in the same job for a full year — you don’t. It’s 26 weeks, not 12 months, and many people who assume they won’t qualify actually do.

If you don’t qualify for SMP: Maternity Allowance

If you don’t meet the SMP conditions — self-employed, recently changed jobs, or don’t earn enough — you may still be entitled to Maternity Allowance, paid directly by the Department for Work and Pensions rather than your employer.

Maternity Allowance is typically paid at a similar weekly rate to the lower SMP rate, for up to 39 weeks, though the exact amount depends on your earnings and how much Class 2 National Insurance you’ve paid if you’re self-employed. Unlike SMP, you claim this yourself — your employer doesn’t administer it — via a claim form, and you can apply as early as 26 weeks into your pregnancy.

When maternity leave and pay actually starts

You don’t have to stop work the moment you find out you’re pregnant, and most people work until fairly close to their due date. Maternity leave can start:

• Any day from 11 weeks before your expected due date, or
• Automatically, if you give birth early or you’re off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the four weeks before your due date

You choose your start date and tell your employer — but once you’ve picked it, you can usually change it later provided you give enough notice (typically 28 days).

The misconception that trips people up: “maternity pay” isn’t “your salary”

This is worth repeating because it’s the single most common source of financial shock: SMP is not your normal take-home pay continuing while you’re off. After the first six weeks (paid at 90% of earnings), it drops to a flat statutory rate that, for most people earning an average UK salary, is considerably less than their usual monthly income.

If you’re budgeting based on “I’ll be on maternity pay so I’ll get most of my normal wage,” you need to redo that budget using the actual weekly figures above. Many people find the real gap is in months 4 through 9 of leave, once the six-week higher rate ends — that’s the period to plan savings around, not the first few weeks when the shock of a new baby is already overwhelming enough.

What to actually check with your employer

Statutory pay is the legal floor, not necessarily what you’ll get. Many employers — especially larger companies or the public sector — offer enhanced maternity pay, sometimes full salary for a period, sometimes a percentage above statutory for longer. This is entirely at the employer’s discretion; there’s no legal requirement to offer more than SMP.

Before you finalise any plans, ask HR or check your contract for:

• Whether there’s a company maternity scheme above the statutory minimum
• Whether enhanced pay requires you to return to work for a minimum period afterwards (some schemes claw back enhanced pay if you don’t return, though this is legally restricted)
• Whether you’re eligible for Shared Parental Leave, which lets you and a partner split some of the leave and pay between you

What this means for your household budget

Once you know your actual weekly figures, the practical next step is mapping them against your regular outgoings — mortgage or rent, bills, childcare deposits, and anything new the baby brings. A lot of people build up a small buffer in the months before leave starts specifically to cover the gap between weeks 7 and 39, when pay drops to the statutory rate. Even a modest cushion set aside monthly during pregnancy makes a real difference to how stressful those months feel.

If your household has two incomes, it’s also worth working out whether Shared Parental Leave — splitting leave and pay between both parents — makes financial sense, particularly if one partner earns significantly more or has access to enhanced employer pay.

The bottom line

• Check your payslips from around 15 weeks before your due date (the “qualifying week”) to confirm your average earnings — this determines your SMP amount.
• Ask HR directly whether your employer offers enhanced maternity pay above the statutory minimum, and get it in writing.
• If you’re self-employed or don’t qualify for SMP, apply for Maternity Allowance from 26 weeks pregnant rather than waiting.
• Budget separately for the first 6 weeks (90% pay) and the following 33 weeks (flat statutory rate) — they’re very different amounts.
• Use the gov.uk maternity pay and leave calculator to get your exact figures rather than relying on rough estimates, since rates are reviewed each tax year.

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