BABYGO® Maternity Pay Calculator
Work out your maternity pay week by week, using 2026/27 rates.
Statutory Maternity Pay is 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week, or 90% if that's lower, for the next 33 weeks. To qualify you need average earnings of at least £129 a week.
Rates from April 2026, checked 14 October 2026
How you workWe'll work out your key dates from this.
From the two payslips paid up to the end of your qualifying week, 15 weeks before the week your baby is due. Only have one? Leave the second blank and we'll use it twice.
The average of the 8 weeks up to your last payday in the qualifying week.
Use gross pay: before tax, after salary sacrifice, including overtime and bonuses paid in that window.
Being on the payroll on any day of the qualifying week counts. Untick to see Maternity Allowance instead.
Profits of £7,105 or more count as paid. If you haven't paid, voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week can bring you up to the full rate.
Leave blank to start on your due date. The earliest is 11 weeks before your expected week of childbirth.
After that you get SMP for the rest of the 39 weeks.
NHS Agenda for Change: 8 weeks at full pay, then 18 weeks at half pay plus SMP (up to your full pay), then 13 weeks of SMP. You need 12 months' NHS service by the 11th week before your expected week of childbirth.
Your results
Your total maternity pay Gross pay for the 39 paid weeks of your 52 weeks' leave. SMP is taxed through payroll. Maternity Allowance isn't taxed.
–
Example figures
What this assumes
- Figures are gross. SMP is taxed through payroll; Maternity Allowance isn't taxed.
- £194.32 is used for every week, including any weeks after April 2027.
- Full pay for enhanced schemes is the average weekly pay you entered.
- If your baby comes before your leave starts, pay starts the day after the birth.
- If your baby is born in or before the qualifying week, your average comes from the 8 weeks ending with the Saturday before the birth week.
- For Maternity Allowance, you've worked at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your due date.
Follow Your Bump
Free weekly emails, timed to your due date.
- Weekly updates on your baby's growth
- A reminder before each appointment
- Hospital bag checklist + 10% off at BABYGO®
By signing up you'll receive marketing emails from BABYGO. We never share your details and you can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy
Your key dates
Useful when you give your employer notice.
Your pay schedule
Each pay week runs for 7 days from the day your leave starts.
| Week | Pay | Running total |
|---|
How maternity pay is worked out
Statutory Maternity Pay covers 39 weeks of your 52 weeks of maternity leave. Here's where each figure comes from.
Your earnings
Average weekly earnings
2 payslips ÷ 2 × 12 ÷ 52Your employer adds up your gross pay in the relevant period, the 8 weeks or so up to your last payday on or before the Saturday of the qualifying week. Paid weekly, it's 8 weeks' pay ÷ 8.
Overtime, bonuses, sick pay and holiday pay count if they're paid in that window. Use your pay after salary sacrifice.
Weeks 1 to 6
90% of your earnings
Average × 90%For the first 6 weeks you get 90% of your average weekly earnings, with no upper limit.
On £30,000 a year that's £519.23 a week, and £9,527.94 over the 39 weeks.
Weeks 7 to 39
The statutory rate
£194.32, or 90% if lowerFor the next 33 weeks you get £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average if that's less.
Earn under about £215.91 a week (around £11,227 a year) and you get 90% for all 39 weeks.
No SMP
Maternity Allowance
£194.32 or £27 a weekIf you're self-employed or don't qualify for SMP, you can claim Maternity Allowance for up to 39 weeks. Employees get £194.32, or 90% of earnings if lower.
You need to have worked at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your baby is due, and earned £30 a week in 13 of them.
Key dates explained
- Expected week of childbirth (EWC)
- The Sunday to Saturday week your due date falls in. Maternity dates count back from this week, not from your exact due date.
- Qualifying week
- The 15th week before your EWC. You need 26 weeks with your employer by then, and your pay up to its Saturday sets your average weekly earnings.
- 11 weeks before your EWC
- The earliest your leave and pay can start. Leave starts automatically if you're off work with a pregnancy related illness in the 4 weeks before your EWC.
- Telling your employer
- At least 15 weeks before your due date. For SMP you need to give 28 days' notice of the start date, with proof of pregnancy such as a MATB1 form, which can be issued from 20 weeks before your due date.
- Keeping in touch (KIT) days
- Up to 10 days of agreed work during leave without losing SMP. Even an hour counts as a full day.
Your expected week of childbirth
Maternity Allowance if you don't get SMP
Maternity Allowance is a benefit you claim yourself, for up to 39 weeks. In 2026/27 it's £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that's lower. It isn't taxed, it's paid every 2 or 4 weeks, and you can claim from 26 weeks pregnant.
If you're self-employed you get the full rate when you've paid Class 2 National Insurance for at least 13 of the 66 weeks before your baby is due. Profits of £7,105 or more count as paid. Otherwise it's £27 a week, and voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week can bring you up to the full rate.
Enhanced and NHS maternity pay
Many employers pay more than SMP, often some weeks at full pay and then part pay. A scheme either includes SMP in its figure or pays it on top. The calculator handles both: a scheme that includes SMP never pays less than SMP for a week, and one paid on top stops at your full pay.
The NHS Agenda for Change scheme pays 8 weeks at full pay, then 18 weeks at half pay plus SMP, as long as the total isn't more than full pay, then 13 weeks of SMP. You need 12 months' NHS service by the 11th week before your EWC. Enhanced pay may have to be paid back if you don't return and your contract says so.
2026/27 maternity pay rates
Rates from April 2026, checked 14 October 2026
| Payment | 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Statutory Maternity Pay, weeks 1 to 6No upper limit | 90% of earnings |
| Statutory Maternity Pay, weeks 7 to 39Or 90% of earnings if lower | £194.32 a week |
| Lower Earnings LimitAverage earnings needed for SMP, about £559 a month | £129 a week |
| Maternity Allowance, full rateOr 90% of earnings if lower, up to 39 weeks | £194.32 a week |
| Maternity Allowance, lower rateUp to 39 weeks | £27 a week |
| Statutory Paternity PayOr 90% of earnings if lower, up to 2 weeks | £194.32 a week |
| Statutory Shared Parental PayOr 90% of earnings if lower, up to 37 weeks | £194.32 a week |
| Statutory Adoption Pay90% for 6 weeks, then this rate or 90% if lower for 33 weeks | £194.32 a week |
| Statutory Neonatal Care PayOr 90% of earnings if lower, up to 12 weeks | £194.32 a week |
The SMP rate applies from 5 April 2026. The Lower Earnings Limit and the other statutory pay rates apply from 6 April 2026. In 2025/26, SMP and the full rate of Maternity Allowance were £187.18 a week and the Lower Earnings Limit was £125. Only the rates changed in 2026; the rules for SMP and Maternity Allowance are the same.
Sources
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, GOV.UK
- Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, GOV.UK
- Maternity pay and leave: pay, GOV.UK
- Maternity pay and leave: eligibility, GOV.UK
- Maternity pay and leave: leave, GOV.UK
- Maternity pay and leave: how to claim, GOV.UK
- Statutory Maternity Pay: calculate payments, HMRC
- SMP: circumstances that affect payment, HMRC
- Statutory Payments Manual SPM120700, HMRC
- Statutory Payments Manual SPM172200, HMRC
- Maternity benefits technical guidance, GOV.UK
- Maternity Allowance: what you'll get, GOV.UK
- Maternity Allowance: eligibility, GOV.UK
- Maternity Allowance: how to claim, GOV.UK
- Self-employed National Insurance rates, GOV.UK
- Statutory maternity pay eligibility, Acas
- While you're on maternity leave, Acas
- Pay rises when employees are off work, Acas
- NHS terms and conditions handbook, NHS Employers
These figures are estimates and aren't financial or legal advice. Check your maternity pay with your employer or HMRC.
Maternity pay FAQs
How much is Statutory Maternity Pay in 2026?
Statutory Maternity Pay in 2026/27 is 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, with no upper limit, then £194.32 a week, or 90% of your earnings if that's lower, for the next 33 weeks. That's 39 weeks of pay in total. The £194.32 rate has applied since 5 April 2026. On a £30,000 salary it comes to £9,527.94 before tax and National Insurance.
Who qualifies for Statutory Maternity Pay?
You qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay if you've worked for your employer without a break for at least 26 weeks into the qualifying week, the 15th week before the week your baby is due, and your average earnings are at least £129 a week in 2026/27. You need to be classed as an employee for tax purposes, and agency workers count. If you don't qualify, your employer should give you form SMP1 within 7 days, and you may be able to get Maternity Allowance instead.
How is maternity pay calculated?
Maternity pay is calculated from your average weekly earnings in the relevant period, which covers about 8 weeks and ends on your last normal payday on or before the Saturday of the qualifying week. If you're paid monthly, your employer adds your two payslips together, divides by 2, multiplies by 12 and divides by 52. If you're paid weekly, it's 8 weeks' pay divided by 8. You then get 90% of that figure for 6 weeks, and £194.32 a week, or 90% if lower, for 33 weeks.
When does maternity pay start?
Maternity pay starts on the day your maternity leave starts, which can be any day from 11 weeks before your expected week of childbirth. It starts automatically if you're off work with a pregnancy related illness in the 4 weeks before the week your baby is due. If your baby arrives early, it starts the day after the birth.
Is maternity pay taxed?
Statutory Maternity Pay is taxed in the same way as your wages. Your employer pays it through payroll, so Income Tax and National Insurance are taken off. Maternity Allowance isn't taxed and has no National Insurance taken off.
Can I get maternity pay if I'm self-employed?
Self-employed women can't get Statutory Maternity Pay, but can claim Maternity Allowance. In 2026/27 it's £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks if you've been registered as self-employed with HMRC for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your baby is due and paid Class 2 National Insurance for at least 13 of those weeks. Profits of £7,105 or more count as Class 2 paid. Otherwise you get £27 a week, and paying voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week, which can be backdated, brings you up to the full rate.
How much is Maternity Allowance in 2026?
Maternity Allowance in 2026/27 is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that's less, for up to 39 weeks. To get it you need to have worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your baby is due and earned £30 a week or more in at least 13 of them. The lower rate is £27 a week. If you help in your self-employed spouse or civil partner's business, you may get £27 a week for up to 14 weeks.
Can I get maternity pay on a zero hours contract?
You can get Statutory Maternity Pay on a zero hours contract if you're on your employer's payroll, have worked for them for 26 weeks in a row into the qualifying week and your average earnings are at least £129 a week. Any week where you did some work counts as a full week. If you don't meet those tests, you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance.
Does maternity pay include bonuses?
Bonuses count towards maternity pay if they're paid in the relevant period, the 8 weeks or so your average earnings are based on. Overtime, sick pay, holiday pay and back pay count too. It's the date you're paid that matters, not when you earned the money.
What happens to maternity pay if I get a pay rise?
A pay rise that applies at any point between the start of the relevant period and the end of your statutory maternity leave has to be included in your Statutory Maternity Pay. Your employer works out your average weekly earnings again as if the rise had applied from the start of the relevant period. This is known as the Alabaster rule.
What are KIT days?
Keeping in touch (KIT) days let you work up to 10 days during maternity leave without losing Statutory Maternity Pay. You and your employer both have to agree, and you're paid at least the minimum wage for them. Any work on a day counts as a whole day, even an hour. Work more than 10 days and you can lose SMP for the weeks you work.
Do I have to pay maternity pay back?
You never have to pay back Statutory Maternity Pay, even if you don't go back to work. Enhanced maternity pay from your employer is different: if your contract says so, you may have to repay it if you don't return. Check your maternity policy before you decide.
Pregnancy
We've put all your pregnancy essentials in one place so you don't need to do the thinking.
