Maternity pay - how much you can get
This advice applies to England. See advice for See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Scotland, See advice for Wales
How much maternity pay you get, and how long it lasts, depends on what type of maternity pay you’re entitled to:
for statutory maternity pay, read the rest of this page for details
for contractual maternity pay, look in your contract or ask your employer - it will never be less than statutory maternity pay
for Maternity Allowance, use the calculator on GOV.UK to find out what you’ll get
How much statutory maternity pay you’ll get
Your statutory maternity pay lasts up to 39 weeks, made up of:
6 weeks getting 90% of your average weekly pay (before tax)
33 weeks getting either £184.03 a week or 90% of your average weekly pay (before tax) - whichever is less
You may have to pay some tax and national insurance on this.
Your average pay includes any sick pay, holiday pay, back pay, bonuses, and statutory maternity pay from a previous pregnancy.
You'll get the same amount even if you're pregnant with more than one baby.
Jo earns £215 each week before tax. She starts maternity leave.
90% of £215 is £193.50. Jo will get £193.50 of statutory maternity pay each week for the first 6 weeks of her maternity leave.
As £193.50 is more than £184.03, Jo will then get £184.03 of statutory maternity pay each week for the next 33 weeks of her maternity leave.
Grace earns £123 each week before tax. They start maternity leave.
90% of £123 is £110.70. Grace will get £110.70 of statutory maternity pay each week for the first 6 weeks of their maternity leave.
As £110.70 is less than £184.03, Grace will keep getting £110.70 of statutory maternity pay each week for the next 33 weeks of their maternity leave.
What you'll get if the rate of maternity pay changes
The £184.03 rate of statutory maternity pay usually increases in April each year. If it increases while you're getting statutory maternity pay, you'll get the new, higher amount from the date of the change.
When your maternity pay starts and finishes
Your maternity pay starts on the same day as your maternity leave. You can’t get it while you’re still at work or more than 11 weeks before your due date. If you don't get maternity leave your maternity pay starts the day after you have your baby.
Your maternity pay could start sooner if you get sick in the 4 weeks before your baby's due.
Statutory maternity pay can last 39 weeks, but it will end sooner if you go back to work before then.
Don't lose out on your maternity pay if your wages vary
Part of your statutory maternity pay is based on your average pay. So it’s good to keep your pay as high as possible while your employer works out your average. This is most likely to matter if your pay varies, for example if you work for an agency or do shifts.
Your employer bases your average pay on roughly 8 weeks leading up to the 15th week before your due date. In this time you could think about:
cancelling unpaid time off
accepting any shifts or hours you’re offered, or even trying to do extra
taking paid holiday for any days when you’re ill, if the sick pay would be less than you’d earn normally
To check the exact dates when your average pay is worked out, or to get other help with maternity pay, talk to an adviser.
If your employer tries to cut your hours to reduce your maternity pay, this is discrimination. Talk to an adviser for help.
If you want to work while you're getting maternity pay
Going back to work or starting a new job will normally end your maternity pay. But there are some ways to earn a bit extra if you’re worried about making ends meet.
Talk to an adviser if you want to do some extra work but you’re not sure how it will affect your maternity pay.
If you want to work for your existing employer
You can be paid for up to 10 ‘keeping in touch days’ while taking time off to have a baby. Some employers call these ‘KIT days’. These are days when you work for your employer while you’re getting maternity pay or Maternity Allowance. How much you’re paid for these days depends on your contract.
Unfortunately if you work more than 10 keeping in touch days your maternity pay will be cut. You’ll lose the whole week’s maternity pay for any week when you work an extra keeping in touch day.
You can arrange keeping in touch days for any time outside the first 2 weeks after your baby is born (4 weeks if you work in a factory). You’ll need to agree the days with your employer - they can’t make you do them, but you can’t demand them either.
If you want to work for another employer
Check your contract with your existing employer before you work for someone else. Some employers will ask you to get their permission first.
Apart from that it's fine to work for someone else if you’ve started your maternity leave but haven’t had your baby yet. You’ll keep getting your statutory maternity pay from your first employer.
Once you’ve had your baby it gets more complicated. Usually working for a second employer will end your maternity pay. But it will continue if:
you already did some paid work for your second employer in the 15th week before your due date, and
you aren’t entitled to statutory maternity pay from your second employer - so you’ll need to have earned less than £123 a week from them or worked for them for less than 26 weeks
If you want to do self-employed work
You can do self-employed work and it won’t affect your statutory maternity pay. But it could affect any contractual maternity pay you get - check your contract with your existing employer to see what difference it makes.
It’s a good idea to check your contract even if you don’t get contractual maternity pay. Some employers might ask you to get their permission before doing self-employed work.
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