SMP 2026-27: 90% of earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% for 33 weeks, with the total
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026.Statutory Maternity Pay in 2026-27 is 90% of your average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90%, whichever is lower, for 33 weeks. On £600 a week that is 6 weeks at £540 and 33 weeks at £194.32, £9,652.56 over 39 weeks.
2026-27 · Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 16 Oct 2026); they may have changed since.
Type your average weekly earnings before tax, from the 8 weeks up to the qualifying week.
Choose maternity, adoption, paternity or shared parental pay, and the weeks where asked.
Leave the service switch on if you have 26 weeks with your employer by the qualifying week.
Read the weekly amounts and the total: 39 weeks for maternity and adoption, up to 2 for paternity, up to 37 shared.
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is the minimum an employer must pay an employee on maternity leave who qualifies. Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) works the same way. This page follows GOV.UK, HMRC and nidirect for the 2026-27 tax year.
The first 6 weeks. You get 90% of your average weekly earnings before tax, with no upper limit. On £600 a week that is £540 a week.
The next 33 weeks. You get £194.32 or 90% of your earnings, whichever is lower. The flat rate is the lower one for anyone earning more than about £216 a week, so most people get £194.32 for these weeks. Together that makes 39 weeks of pay.
Who qualifies. You need average weekly earnings of at least £129, the lower earnings limit for 2026-27, and 26 weeks of continuous employment with your employer into the qualifying week. For maternity that is the 15th week before the week the baby is due; for adoption it is the week you were matched with a child. You also give notice and proof.
Your average weekly earnings. Your employer averages your gross pay over the 8 weeks or so up to the last payday before the end of the qualifying week, including overtime, bonuses and sick pay paid in that time. Monthly pay is turned into weekly pay by multiplying by 12 and dividing by 52.
Paternity and Shared Parental Pay. Both pay £194.32 or 90%, whichever is lower, from the first week. Paternity Pay lasts up to 2 weeks. Shared Parental Pay covers the weeks of the 39 not taken as maternity or adoption pay, up to 37: after 22 weeks of SMP, 17 remain.
Not included. Maternity Allowance for those who do not qualify, the other parent's tests for Shared Parental Pay, company schemes above the statutory amount, pay rises that change the average, and tax and National Insurance, which come off SMP. Each week is rounded to the penny. An estimate, not legal advice.
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For the first 6 weeks you get 90% of your average weekly earnings before tax, with no cap. For the next 33 weeks you get £194.32 a week or 90% of your earnings, whichever is lower. The £194.32 rate applies from 5 April 2026.
Average weekly earnings of at least £129, and 26 weeks of continuous work for your employer into the qualifying week, which is the 15th week before the week your baby is due. You also give the correct notice and proof of pregnancy, usually a MATB1 form.
Both pay £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, with no uncapped first 6 weeks. Paternity Pay lasts up to 2 weeks. Shared Parental Pay covers the weeks of the 39 not taken as maternity or adoption pay, up to 37 weeks.
Yes, the amounts are identical: 90% for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% for 33 weeks. The difference is the qualifying week. For adoption you need 26 weeks with your employer by the week you were matched with a child.
Yes. SMP is paid through payroll like wages, so income tax and National Insurance are deducted, along with pension contributions in most schemes. The figures on this page are before any deductions. You do not repay SMP if you decide not to return to work.
Gross pay on which Class 1 National Insurance is due, paid in the relevant period of about 8 weeks ending with the last payday on or before the Saturday of the qualifying week. Overtime, bonuses, sick pay and holiday pay count if paid in that period.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
Still stuck? Ask about UK Statutory Maternity Pay Calculator and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
Open it set for: Statutory Adoption Pay Calculator · Statutory Paternity Pay Calculator · Shared Parental Pay Calculator.
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