Statutory Maternity Pay vs Maternity Allowance: which you'll get, and how much (2026/27)

All the figures here are for the 2026/27 tax year, which started in April 2026. The rates go up every April, so we’ll update this guide each year.

The quick comparison

Do I qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay?

You’ll get SMP if all of these are true:

• You’ve worked for the same employer without a break for at least 26 weeks, up to and including the “qualifying week”. That’s the 15th week before the week your baby is due, which is roughly when you’re 25 weeks pregnant. You need to be working for them in that week too.
• Your average earnings are at least £129 a week before tax. This is the National Insurance lower earnings limit for 2026/27. It’s usually worked out from your pay in the 8 weeks or so before the end of the qualifying week.
• You give your employer at least 28 days’ notice of when you want your SMP to start, and proof of your due date, usually your MATB1 certificate. Your midwife or GP can give you a MATB1 from 20 weeks pregnant.

It doesn’t matter whether you work full time or part time, or whether you’re on a permanent or fixed-term contract.

If you don’t qualify, your employer must give you an SMP1 form explaining why. Keep it, because you’ll need it to claim Maternity Allowance.

How much SMP will I get?

• For the first 6 weeks: 90% of your average weekly earnings, with no upper limit.
• For the next 33 weeks: £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that’s lower.

SMP is paid the same way as your wages, usually weekly or monthly, with tax and National Insurance taken off.

Example: you earn £2,000 a month. Your average weekly earnings are about £461.54. For the first 6 weeks you’d get 90% of that, £415.38 a week. For the next 33 weeks you’d get £194.32 a week, because that’s lower than 90% of your pay. That adds up to about £8,905 over 39 weeks before tax and National Insurance.

Example: you work part time and earn £200 a week. 90% of your pay is £180, which is less than £194.32, so you’d get £180 a week for all 39 weeks, about £7,020 in total.

Many employers pay more than this, often called enhanced or company maternity pay. Check your contract or staff handbook, or ask HR. Your employer can’t pay you less than SMP if you qualify.

Do I qualify for Maternity Allowance?

Maternity Allowance is for people who’ve been working recently but don’t qualify for SMP. You can usually get it if, in the 66 weeks before the week your baby is due:

• you were employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks. The weeks don’t have to be together, and they can be with different employers or a mix of jobs and self-employment.
• you earned at least £30 a week in any 13 of those weeks, if you were employed. You can pick the 13 weeks that work best for you.

That’s why Maternity Allowance often helps if you’ve changed jobs during your pregnancy, have more than one job, work through an agency, recently stopped working, or earn less than £129 a week.

How much Maternity Allowance will I get?

• If you’ve been employed: £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that’s lower, for up to 39 weeks.
• If you’re self-employed: £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks if you’ve paid, or are treated as having paid, Class 2 National Insurance. If your profits are too low for that, you can choose to pay voluntary Class 2 contributions to get the full rate. Otherwise you get £27 a week for 39 weeks.
• If you work unpaid in your husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s business: £27 a week for up to 14 weeks. They need to be registered as self-employed, and you can’t have been employed or self-employed yourself during those weeks.

Maternity Allowance isn’t taxed, and it’s paid straight into your bank account every 2 or 4 weeks.

What if I’m self-employed?

You can’t get SMP, but Maternity Allowance is designed for you. You need to have been registered as self-employed with HMRC for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your due week.

The amount depends on your National Insurance record. Since April 2024, most self-employed people with profits above the small profits threshold are treated as having paid Class 2 contributions automatically, so they get the full £194.32 a week. If your profits are below the threshold, you can pay voluntary Class 2 contributions to boost your Maternity Allowance to the full rate. This is often well worth it, but check the cost against what you’d gain with HMRC first.

How and when to claim

For Statutory Maternity Pay:

1. Tell your employer you’re pregnant by the 15th week before your due week, around 25 weeks. Say when your baby is due and when you’d like your maternity leave to start.
2. Give them your MATB1 once your midwife or GP has given it to you, from 20 weeks.
3. Give at least 28 days’ notice of when you want your SMP to start. Your employer then deals with the rest through payroll.

For Maternity Allowance:

1. Wait until you’re 26 weeks pregnant. That’s the earliest you can apply.
2. Fill in the MA1 claim form from GOV.UK. You can fill it in online and print it, or ask for a paper copy.
3. Send it with your evidence: your MATB1 (or another letter confirming your due date), original payslips, and your SMP1 if your employer gave you one. If you’re self-employed, you’ll need to show you’re registered with HMRC.
4. Claim in good time. You should get a decision within about 20 working days. To get the full amount, claim within 3 months of when you want your payments to start.

Both SMP and Maternity Allowance can start any time from 11 weeks before your baby is due. If your baby arrives early, they start the day after the birth.

Maternity leave isn’t the same as maternity pay

As an employee you can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave, however long you’ve worked for your employer. The pay only covers the first 39 weeks, and the last 13 weeks are usually unpaid unless your employer offers more.

You can also do up to 10 keeping in touch days while you’re on leave without losing your SMP or Maternity Allowance. You and your employer have to agree to them. If you’re getting Maternity Allowance, tell the DWP about any days you work.

Other help to check

• Universal Credit. If you’re on a low income, you may be able to claim Universal Credit as well. Maternity Allowance is taken off your Universal Credit pound for pound, so get advice before switching from older benefits.
• Shared Parental Leave and Pay. You and your partner may be able to share some of the leave and pay, so you can both spend time at home in the first year.
• Child Benefit. Claim once your baby is born. It isn’t affected by your maternity pay.

Benefit rules can be complicated, and they differ in places across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For advice on your situation, the charities Working Families and Maternity Action both run free UK advice services. The government’s Maternity Allowance helpline is on 0800 169 0283.