Free tool · rates from April 2026
Family pay calculator
Statutory maternity, adoption and paternity pay at the 2026/27 rate of £194.32 a week. Company schemes, where they exist, sit on top.
Rates checked 18 August 2026
How it is worked out
Maternity and adoption pay run for 39 paid weeks: the first six at 90 per cent of average weekly earnings with no cap, then 33 weeks at the lower of £194.32 or that same 90 per cent figure. Paternity pay is two weeks at the lower of the two. Average weekly earnings are taken from the eight weeks before the qualifying week, which is why a well timed bonus quietly raises the whole entitlement.
Leave and pay are two different questions
The right to take maternity, adoption and paternity leave is a day one right. The right to be paid for it is not. Statutory pay needs 26 weeks' service by the qualifying week and average earnings of at least £129 a week. So a new starter can be entitled to a year of maternity leave and no statutory maternity pay at all, which is a conversation worth having early rather than at the point the payslip arrives.
Someone who fails the earnings test may qualify for Maternity Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions instead. Pointing them at it costs you nothing and is remembered.
What you can reclaim
Most small employers can reclaim 103 per cent of statutory family pay through Small Employers' Relief, which applies where total National Insurance liability in the previous tax year was £45,000 or less. Larger employers reclaim 92 per cent. This is the part firms forget, and it is real money sitting in the payroll system.
Keeping in touch and coming back
Up to ten keeping in touch days can be worked during maternity or adoption leave without ending the leave or the pay, by agreement on both sides. They are not a right for either party to insist on. Someone returning after 26 weeks or less has the right to their same job. After that, the right is to the same job unless it is not reasonably practicable, in which case a suitable alternative on no worse terms.
Common questions
How much is statutory maternity pay in 2026/27?
Ninety per cent of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, then the lower of £194.32 a week or 90 per cent of average weekly earnings for the remaining 33 weeks.
Who qualifies for statutory maternity pay?
Someone with 26 weeks' continuous service by the qualifying week who earns at least £129 a week on average. The right to the leave itself is a day one right.
Can a small employer reclaim statutory family pay?
Yes. Employers whose National Insurance liability was £45,000 or less in the previous tax year can reclaim 103 per cent under Small Employers' Relief. Others reclaim 92 per cent.
What are keeping in touch days?
Up to ten days that can be worked during maternity or adoption leave without ending the leave or the pay. They need agreement on both sides and neither party can insist.
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