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UK maternity pay calculator (SMP 2026-27)

How much is Statutory Maternity Pay in 2026-27?

SMP is 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90%, whichever is lower, for 33 weeks. You need 26 weeks with your employer by the qualifying week and average earnings of at least £129 a week. On £600 a week that is £540 for 6 weeks, then £194.32: £9,652.56 in total.

The big change comes in week 7. For most people SMP falls from 90% of their pay to the £194.32 flat rate, and stays there until week 39. Weeks 40 to 52 of maternity leave are unpaid.

Enter your average weekly earnings, the due date and the day your leave starts to see each rate with its dates and the total.

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Built by Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Rates and rules from GOV.UK and the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, linked at the bottom of the page. Worked out in your browser.

The calculator

Work out your maternity pay

Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.

Roughly your yearly pay divided by 52. Your employer uses the 8 weeks up to the qualifying week.
2026-27 rates

How SMP is worked out

For the first 6 weeks SMP is 90% of your average weekly earnings before tax, with no upper limit. For the next 33 weeks it is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your earnings if that is lower. The SMP rate applies from 5 April 2026. Tax and National Insurance are taken off, and it is paid like your wages, weekly or monthly. Your SMP pay weeks start on the day your leave starts, so a Wednesday start gives Wednesday-to-Tuesday pay weeks.

To qualify you need to have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks into the qualifying week, the 15th week (Sunday to Saturday) before the week the baby is due, and to earn on average at least £129 a week (the 2026-27 Lower Earnings Limit). If you don't qualify, your employer gives you form SMP1 and you may get Maternity Allowance instead.

Real numbers

A worked example

Due Monday 1 March 2027: the expected week of childbirth starts Sunday 28 February, so the qualifying week is 15 to 21 November 2026. Leave starts Monday 15 February 2027 and average earnings are £600 a week.

  • Weeks 1-6 (from 15 February): 90% of £600 = £540 a week, £3,240.
  • Weeks 7-39 (from 29 March): £194.32 a week, £6,412.56.
  • Total SMP: £9,652.56. Weeks 40-52 (from 15 November 2027) are unpaid.

On £180 a week, 90% is £162, which is below the flat rate, so SMP is £162 for all 39 weeks: £6,318.

The other route

Maternity Allowance if you don't get SMP

If you worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due week (employed or self-employed) and earned at least £30 a week in 13 of those weeks, you may get Maternity Allowance: £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is less, for up to 39 weeks. There is no 6-week period at 90%. Self-employed rates run from £27 to £194.32 depending on your Class 2 National Insurance record. Maternity Allowance is paid by DWP, not your employer.

Before you hand in your notice

Dates and mistakes to avoid

  • The earliest you can usually start maternity leave is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. If you are off with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before that week, leave and pay start automatically.
  • You must take at least 2 weeks' leave after the birth (4 if you work in a factory).
  • Some calculators still show the old £187.18 rate. From April 2026 it is £194.32.
  • Ending SMP early lets you share the rest as Shared Parental Pay: 39 weeks minus the SMP weeks you take.
  • Many employers pay more than SMP. Check your contract or handbook.
Before you rely on this

What this will not tell you

This works out SMP (or Maternity Allowance at the flat or 90% rate) from the average weekly earnings you enter, before tax. It does not work out your exact average weekly earnings from payslips, a self-employed Maternity Allowance rate, Shared Parental Pay, Paternity Pay, employer schemes, KIT days or the April 2027 rate change; the paid kit plans all of these week by week for both parents. Estimates for planning only, not legal or financial advice. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Questions

Questions people actually ask

How much is maternity pay in 2026?

Statutory Maternity Pay is 90% of your average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% (whichever is lower) for 33 weeks. The rate applies from 5 April 2026.

When does maternity pay drop?

From week 7. Weeks 1 to 6 are paid at 90% of your earnings; from week 7 most people get the £194.32 flat rate until week 39.

How long is maternity pay in the UK?

Up to 39 weeks. Maternity leave is up to 52 weeks, so the last 13 weeks are unpaid unless your employer pays more.

What is the qualifying week for SMP?

The 15th week (Sunday to Saturday) before the week your baby is due. You need 26 weeks with your employer by then and average earnings of at least £129 a week.

Can I get maternity pay if I earn less than £129 a week?

Not SMP. You may get Maternity Allowance if you earned at least £30 a week in 13 of the 66 weeks before the due week.

Is maternity pay taxed?

Yes. Tax and National Insurance are deducted from SMP, the same as from wages.

Can my partner use some of my maternity pay?

Yes, through Shared Parental Pay. If you end SMP early, the remaining weeks (up to 37) can be shared, paid at £194.32 or 90% of earnings, whichever is lower.

Where every rule comes from

Sources

Checked against these official pages on 2 November 2026. Rates change each April; if a source below has changed, the source wins over this page.

  1. GOV.UK, Maternity pay and leave: pay: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/pay
  2. GOV.UK, Maternity pay and leave: eligibility: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/eligibility
  3. GOV.UK, Maternity pay and leave: leave: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/leave
  4. GOV.UK, Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2026-to-2027
  5. GOV.UK, Maternity Allowance: what you'll get: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/what-youll-get
  6. GOV.UK, Maternity Allowance: eligibility: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/eligibility
  7. legislation.gov.uk, Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, section 164: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/4/section/164
Citation

Cite this tool

Free to use and free to quote. If a figure here is useful in something you are writing, a link back is all that is asked.

Muhammad Shahzeb Anwar, MSc Industrial and Organizational Psychology. UK Maternity Pay Calculator 2026-27. Shahzeb Speaks. https://www.shahzebspeaks.com/maternity-leave-pay-calculator-uk/

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