Maternity Allowance Calculator United Kingdom

What the maternity allowance calculator does

The calculator estimates what Maternity Allowance will pay you: the weekly amount, how many weeks you can claim and the total over the period. It takes your average weekly earnings, applies the earnings test and uses the lower of the standard weekly rate and 90 per cent of what you normally earn.

It also shows the gap. Maternity Allowance is a flat, modest payment rather than a replacement for earnings, so the calculator reports the weekly drop in income and the total earnings given up across the claim. For planning household spending around a birth, that second number often matters more than the benefit itself.

Who Maternity Allowance is for

Statutory Maternity Pay comes from an employer and needs a period of continuous service with that employer and earnings above a set weekly level. Many people miss one or both tests, and Maternity Allowance is the state’s support for them.

The typical claimant is self-employed: sole traders and freelancers have no employer to pay SMP. The benefit also reaches people who changed jobs during pregnancy, agency and casual workers, people on short contracts and those who recently stopped work. A separate route for people who help unpaid in a spouse’s or civil partner’s business pays a lower rate for a shorter period and is not modelled here.

The test is about work history. You need to have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the week your baby is due, and to have earned above a low weekly threshold in at least 13 of those weeks. The weeks need not be consecutive and can be a mix of employment and self-employment.

How the weekly amount is worked out

The Department for Work and Pensions looks at your earnings in the test period and pays the lower of the standard weekly rate, £194.32 for 2026/27, and 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings.

Most claimants get the standard rate, because 90 per cent of earnings is only lower for people on low or part-time pay. With average weekly earnings of £300, for example, 90 per cent is £270, so the standard rate applies and 39 weeks pay £7,578.48. The calculator shows both numbers so you can see which one applies.

For the self-employed, the standard rate depends on your National Insurance position in the test period: broadly, profits above the small profits threshold or voluntary Class 2 contributions. Without that, a much lower rate applies. If you have gaps, paying voluntary contributions before you claim can move you up to the standard rate, so check well before you apply.

Timing and duration

The full entitlement is 39 weeks. The earliest you can start is the eleventh week before the week your baby is due, and the latest is the day after the birth. Starting early shortens the paid period after the birth, because the total is fixed, so the choice is about when you need the income.

You can work up to 10 keeping in touch days without losing benefit, but working beyond that normally costs a week of Maternity Allowance for each week you work. The field for weeks already paid lets you model a claim that has been interrupted or one you start part way through.

How it interacts with other support

Maternity Allowance is free of Income Tax and National Insurance and does not go on a Self Assessment return as taxable income.

Universal Credit, though, treats it as unearned income and reduces the award pound for pound, so someone receiving both sees no net gain from the allowance. This catches many people out, and it is why two households with identical earnings can end up in very different positions depending on whether they claim Universal Credit.

Claiming Maternity Allowance also gives you National Insurance credits for each week it is paid. They count towards the State Pension and can matter a lot for the self-employed, whose records are more likely to have gaps.

Planning around the shortfall

For most claimants the benefit replaces only part of normal income. The calculator’s earnings forgone figure shows the size of the gap, and it is usually larger than expected once multiplied across the full period.

Common responses are building savings during pregnancy, starting the claim later so more of the paid period falls after the birth, spreading self-employed invoicing so income arrives during the leave, and checking other support such as help with childcare costs or Council Tax Reduction. Shared parental leave works differently alongside Maternity Allowance than alongside SMP, so confirm what your partner can claim before assuming the two can be combined.

Reading your result

The weekly amount and the total are the main figures. Compare the 90 per cent line with the standard rate to see which sets your payment: if the earnings figure is higher, you are on the standard rate and higher earnings would not increase the benefit. The share of earnings replaced shows how big a drop the leave represents, and the monthly equivalent is the figure for a household budget.

All results are an estimate based on what you enter and current published rates. Entitlement depends on your National Insurance record, your work history in the test period and the details of your claim, so the Department for Work and Pensions decision may differ. This is not personal financial or benefits advice; check your position on gov.uk or with an adviser.

About This Maternity Allowance Calculator

Use this Maternity Allowance calculator to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official GOV.UK guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.