Maternity pay calculator
Statutory Maternity Pay runs for up to 39 weeks in two phases: 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then the lower of £194.32 a week and that same 90% for the remaining 33. The last 13 weeks of a full year's leave are unpaid.
Calculator
Maternity pay calculator
Statutory Maternity Pay over 39 weeks
£9,527.94 gross
£519.23/week for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32/week for 33 weeks.
The schedule
| Period | Weekly | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–6 (90% of average earnings) | £519.23 | £3,115.38 |
| Weeks 7-39 (lower of £194.32 and 90%) | £194.32 | £6,412.56 |
| Weeks 40-52 (if leave is extended) | £0.00 | £0.00 |
SMP is paid through payroll with tax and NI deducted like normal pay. On £30,000, the drop from full pay to the flat rate is £1,657.95 a month before tax, the number to budget around. Many employers pay more than the statutory minimum; check your contract.
Who qualifies for SMP
You need to have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before your due date, and to earn at least the lower earnings limit on average. If you don't qualify, recent job change, self-employment, low hours. Maternity Allowance from the DWP is the fallback, paid at similar flat rates but without the 90% phase. The 90% itself is computed on your actual earnings in an 8-week reference window before the qualifying week, not your contractual salary: a bonus landing in that window permanently raises your SMP, and salary sacrifice permanently lowers it. On a £30,000 salary the schedule works out at £519.23 a week for six weeks, then £194.32 for thirty-three, £9,527.94 gross across the 39 paid weeks.
Details that change the money
- The 90% phase uses your actual earnings in the 8-week reference window before the qualifying week, a bonus landing in that window permanently raises your SMP.
- SMP is taxed as normal pay, but since it is far below your salary, little or no tax is actually due at the flat rate, check with the take-home calculator.
- Salary sacrifice cuts SMP, because it reduces the average earnings the 90% is computed on. Worth pausing sacrifice before the reference window if a maternity leave is planned.
- Many employers top up to full pay for some months, the statutory schedule here is the floor, not the ceiling.
Rate tables checked 28 August 2026 by Hadi against gov.uk maternity pay guidance. This calculator assumes even pay across the year; the official calculation uses your actual 8-week reference earnings.
How to use the maternity pay calculator
- 1
Enter your normal salary before the leave starts.
- 2
Add any employer enhancement your policy offers above the statutory minimum.
- 3
Read the week-by-week schedule: 90% of pay for six weeks, then the flat statutory rate.
- 4
Check the take-home column, because tax and National Insurance still apply to maternity pay.
When should you use the maternity pay calculator?
Use it while planning leave, because the month the pay drops usually matters more than the total.
You are planning maternity leave
Knowing the month the pay drops matters more than the total.
Your employer offers enhanced pay
Enhancements usually cover the first months only, and the schedule shows where it stops.
You want to know what lands each month
Statutory pay is taxed through payroll like any other pay.
You are deciding when to return
The pay schedule runs 39 weeks, and the last 13 weeks of leave are unpaid.
Where to go next
- Sick pay calculatorTo the other statutory payment worked the same way.Open
- Child Benefit calculatorTo check the charge once the baby arrives.Open
- Tax rebate calculatorTo a partial year of pay often produces a refund.Open
All 51 calculators share one tested engine, so a figure from the maternity pay calculator agrees with every other page here. See the full calculator index or the pay and tax guides.