Statutory Maternity Pay Calculator United Kingdom

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is the minimum most employed mothers in the UK receive on maternity leave. It runs for up to 39 weeks in two parts: six weeks based on your own earnings, then a longer period at a flat standard rate. This calculator applies the 2026/27 rules to your average weekly earnings and shows the total, split between the two parts.

How Statutory Maternity Pay is structured

For the first 6 weeks you receive 90% of your average weekly earnings with no upper limit, so a higher earner gets an earnings-related amount at the start. From week 7, for up to 33 more weeks, you receive the lower of the standard weekly rate, £194.32 for 2026/27, or 90% of your average weekly earnings. Most people move down to the standard rate after six weeks, while lower earners whose 90% figure is below the standard rate stay on it for all 39 weeks.

Working out your average weekly earnings

The calculation depends on your average weekly earnings (AWE): your gross pay before tax, averaged over an 8-week reference period ending with the qualifying week, the 15th week before your baby is due. Any pay subject to National Insurance in that period counts, including overtime, commission and bonuses. If you get a pay rise between the start of the reference period and the end of your maternity leave, your AWE must be recalculated to include it, which can increase your SMP. The tool asks for one AWE figure so you can model different earnings quickly.

A worked example

Suppose your average weekly earnings are £600 and you take the full 39 weeks. The first six weeks pay 90% of £600, £540 a week, totalling £3,240. The standard rate of £194.32 is lower than £540, so the remaining 33 weeks pay £194.32 each, £6,412.56. Total SMP is £9,652.56 before tax and National Insurance.

Someone with average weekly earnings of £200 would receive £180 a week, 90% of £200, for all 39 weeks, because 90% of their earnings is below the standard rate throughout: £7,020 in total.

How to use the calculator

Enter your gross average weekly earnings to see your total SMP and how it splits between the first six weeks and the weeks that follow. If you will not take the full 39 weeks, open the advanced options and enter the number of weeks you will take; the calculator recalculates both parts and the total. The first six weeks are always paid first, so if you take fewer than six weeks you receive only the earnings-related rate.

Assumptions and limitations

This is a planning estimate showing gross figures before Income Tax and National Insurance, which are deducted through PAYE. It uses the 2026/27 standard weekly SMP rate, stored as a parameter sourced from gov.uk and reviewed each tax year, and returns £0 if your average weekly earnings are below the lower earnings limit (£129 a week for 2026/27), because SMP is then not payable. It assumes you have worked for your employer continuously for the required period. It does not model Maternity Allowance, occupational schemes that pay more than the statutory minimum, or a pay rise during leave. Check current gov.uk guidance or speak to your HR department before relying on these figures.

About This Statutory Maternity Pay Calculator

Use this Statutory maternity pay 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.