NHS Maternity Pay Calculator
Enter your due date and pay to see your NHS maternity pay week by week, what you would take home after tax, and the dates that matter, for free. It covers the full NHS scheme, statutory pay if you have under 12 months' service, and Maternity Allowance.
Prefer to read first? See NHS Maternity and Paternity Pay Explained. Last updated October 2026.
Your dates, pay and service
Leave can usually start from 27 Dec 2026 (11 weeks before your due week).
Normal pay, entered as
Works out at £615.38 a week. Real pay is based on your average weekly earnings over the statutory reference period (Handbook para 15.23 uses the Statutory Maternity Pay average weekly earnings rules, with some adjustments for pay awards and pay points). Regular unsocial hours payments count towards contractual maternity pay (para 2.14), so include your average. If you work part-time or your pay changed recently, use your average rather than one payslip.
You need 12 months with one or more NHS employers at the start of the 11th week before your due week, which for this due date is 27 December 2026. In practice your continuous service would need to have begun by 27 December 2025. A break of three months or less is disregarded.
Statutory weekly rate (already filled in)
£194.32 for 2026/27, from gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/pay. SMP is 90% of average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then the lower of this rate or 90% of earnings for 33 weeks. The rate is reviewed every April, so change it here if you are planning leave in a later tax year.
Your answers are saved in this browser only (nothing is sent to us), so they are still here if you pay and come back.
Back to your resultBased on £615.38 a week, 24 months of NHS service and leave from 28 Feb 2027. Change your details
NHS occupational maternity pay (Section 15)
Gross over 39 paid weeks
£16,485
Estimated take-home
£13,358
That is about 73% of the take-home you would get on normal pay over the same 39 weeks (£18,326). The final 13 weeks are unpaid; leave and your job stay protected throughout. Take-home is an estimate: see how it is worked out below.
See what lands in your account each month
The take-home above is the total. Pro shows it month by month, so you can plan your household budget.
Your lowest month, worked out for you
Your lowest full month of pay is November 2027, when you would take home about Locked until you unlock this tool. Your pay reaches its lowest rate on 29 Aug 2027.
£14.99 one-off
One-off payment for 12 months of access. Not a subscription, so nothing renews and nothing is taken later. The phases, totals, key dates, take-home estimate and share link stay free.
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What Maternity Pay Calculator Pro adds
- Month-by-month gross and take-home mapped to your real calendar, with a chart
- Your lowest-income month and the cost of returning at any week, using take-home as well as gross
- Side-by-side comparison of common return weeks (27, 30, 34, 39 and 52)
- AI Maternity Leave Planner: plain-English guidance on your own step-downs and what to ask HR
- A printable PDF report to share with a partner or keep for budgeting
Use the same email to sign in afterwards and your access is linked automatically. Your answers are kept on this device so you come straight back to your results. Or get every tool for £54.99 a quarter or £119 a year: see all plans. Our editorial policy explains how we source our figures.
You meet the 12-month service rule on these answers. The NHS scheme adds £6,750 over 39 weeks compared with statutory pay alone (£9,736). Handbook para 15.15 also asks you to tell your employer, in writing, that you intend to return for at least 3 months after your leave ends.
Your pay, phase by phase
Dates assume leave starts on 28 February 2027.
1. Full pay · weeks 1 to 8
28 Feb 2027 to 24 Apr 2027
Your normal pay. Statutory maternity pay is counted inside it, not added on top.
- Gross a week
- £615.39
- Gross a month
- £2,667
- Est. take-home a week
- £469.03
- Phase total
- £4,923
2. Half pay plus SMP · weeks 9 to 26
25 Apr 2027 to 28 Aug 2027
Half your normal pay plus statutory pay, capped so the total never goes above full pay.
- Gross a week
- £502.01
- Gross a month
- £2,175
- Est. take-home a week
- £395.80
- Phase total
- £9,036
3. Statutory pay only · weeks 27 to 39
29 Aug 2027 to 27 Nov 2027
Only statutory maternity pay, with no NHS element on top.
- Gross a week
- £194.32
- Gross a month
- £842
- Est. take-home a week
- £190.90
- Phase total
- £2,526
4. Unpaid leave · weeks 40 to 52
28 Nov 2027 to 26 Feb 2028
No pay, but you stay on maternity leave with your job protected.
No pay
Structure from NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 15 para 15.21 (read at amendment 63, April 2026). By prior agreement your trust may pay it in a different way, for example a fixed amount spread across the leave (para 15.22). Always confirm your own figures with your payroll or HR team.
Your key dates and return-to-work timeline
Worked out from a due date of 14 March 2027.
Tell your employer in writing by 5 December 2026
The end of the 15th week before your due week (para 15.15), or as soon as reasonably practicable afterwards. Include your start date and your MATB1 from your midwife or GP.
Service check: 27 December 2026
Twelve months' continuous NHS service is needed at the start of the 11th week before your due week for the NHS enhanced element.
Leave begins 28 February 2027
To change the start date, tell your employer at least 28 days beforehand where you can (para 15.19). The first two weeks after the birth are compulsory leave.
Pay changes to half pay plus smp on 25 April 2027
From week 9: about £502.01 a week gross.
Pay changes to statutory pay only on 29 August 2027
From week 27: about £194.32 a week gross.
Pay ends after week 39, on 27 November 2027
Weeks 40 to 52 are unpaid leave.
Expected return if you take the full 52 weeks: 27 February 2028
You do not need to give further notice for this date. To return earlier you must give at least 28 days' notice (para 15.78). You can ask to return on different hours and your employer must facilitate it where possible (para 15.80).
Return-to-work deadline: 28 May 2028
Para 15.83: if you have told your employer you will return and do not do so within 15 months of the beginning of your leave, you can be liable to refund your maternity pay less any statutory pay you received, though the employer can waive this if it would cause undue hardship or distress. Read the paragraph and your trust's policy before deciding.
Could the pay be spread evenly?
Section 15 para 15.22 says that by prior agreement with your employer, occupational maternity pay may be paid a different way, for example a fixed amount spread equally over the leave period. The total does not change; only the timing does. Your trust decides whether to agree, and if you later move to shared parental leave it may need to recalculate payments.
- Over 12 months
- £1,374 gross a month
- Over 9 months
- £1,832 gross a month
Spreading is only an option under the occupational scheme and only if your trust agrees, so ask HR before planning around it. These figures are gross, before tax, National Insurance and pension.
Keeping in touch days and shared parental leave
- Up to 10 keeping in touch (KIT) days without ending your maternity leave, and up to 20 SPLiT days during shared parental leave (Handbook paras 15.70 and 15.71; GOV.UK gives the same limits). Both sides must agree, and you cannot work in the two compulsory weeks after birth.
- A KIT day is paid at your basic daily rate for the hours worked, less any maternity pay for that day (para 15.75). A day worked in the full-pay period earns a day of paid leave in lieu once you are back, and a day worked in the half-pay period earns half a day.
- Shared parental leave: you can end maternity leave early to move to shared parental leave (para 15.2). It needs 12 months' continuous NHS service, at least eight weeks' notice and your partner to pass the statutory employment and earnings test. See our shared parental leave guide.
Based on the GOV.UK maternity pay rates for 2026/27
How the take-home estimate is worked out
- Income tax is replayed week by week through the tax year (6 April to 5 April), with normal pay before your leave starts and maternity pay during it, the way PAYE accumulates your tax. Tax can be refunded when your pay drops, so some weeks may show more take-home than you expect.
- National Insurance is worked out on each week's pay on its own, so low statutory weeks often attract none.
- NHS Pension member contributions are taken at your normal tier rate on the pay received. Section 15 para 15.96 says pension rights and contributions follow the NHS Pension Scheme Regulations, so confirm with your pensions team how contributions and benefits work for each phase of your leave.
- 2026/27 tax and National Insurance rates are used throughout. Student loans, tax codes other than the standard allowance, other deductions and any pay outside the NHS are not included.
- Pay awards and pay-step changes during your leave are not modelled; Section 15 paras 15.23 and 15.92 say how your trust must treat them.
Next step
Plan childcare for when you go back
Compare tax-free childcare, funded hours and a workplace nursery against your own shift pattern, using the same shift-worker rules.
Open the Childcare Cost CalculatorShort answer
NHS maternity pay under Section 15 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook runs 8 weeks at full pay, then 18 weeks at half pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay (never more than full pay in total), then 13 weeks of statutory pay only, then 13 unpaid weeks, which makes 39 paid weeks within 52 weeks of leave. You need 12 months' continuous NHS service at the start of the 11th week before your due week and must intend to return for at least three months. For £32,000 a year that is about £16,485 gross, or roughly £13,358 after tax, National Insurance and pension.
How NHS maternity pay works, step by step
Section 15 (paragraph 15.21) builds your pay in four stages inside the standard 52-week leave entitlement. We read it at amendment 63 of the Handbook (April 2026). The key point is that statutory pay is counted inside the NHS figure in the first stage, not added on top.
| Weeks | What you receive | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 8 | Full pay, less any Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance receivable | Para 15.21(i) |
| 9 to 26 | Half of full pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, as long as the total does not exceed full pay | Para 15.21(ii) |
| 27 to 39 | Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance only | Para 15.21(iii) |
| 40 to 52 | No pay, with leave and job protection continuing | Paras 15.21(iv) and 15.24 |
By prior agreement your trust may pay occupational maternity pay in a different way, for example a fixed amount spread equally across the leave (para 15.22), so ask payroll how yours will be paid. If you later move to shared parental leave, the employer may need to recalculate payments.
NHS maternity pay example: £32,000 a year, week by week
Here is what the engine behind the calculator produces for someone on £32,000 a year (£615.38 a week) with three years' continuous NHS service, using the £194.32 statutory flat rate and a leave start of 1 February 2027. Take-home assumes England tax rates and the standard NHS Pension contribution.
| Weeks | Pay type | Gross a week | Est. take-home a week | Phase total (gross) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 8 | Full pay | £615.39 | £469.89 | £4,923 |
| 9 to 26 | Half pay plus SMP | £502.01 | £395.42 | £9,036 |
| 27 to 39 | Statutory pay only | £194.32 | £190.90 | £2,526 |
| 40 to 52 | Unpaid leave | £0.00 | None | £0 |
| 39-week total | £13,358 take-home | £16,485 | ||
The NHS scheme adds about £6,750 over statutory pay alone for this salary (£16,485 against £9,736). The big step-downs are at week 9 and week 27, which is why the calculator shows the date each one lands.
NHS maternity pay after tax: what lands in your account
Maternity pay is taxable earnings. It goes through payroll with Income Tax, National Insurance and, normally, NHS Pension contributions, so the figure on your contract is not what you receive. Two things make the after-tax picture different from your normal payslip:
- • Income Tax is cumulative. PAYE adds up your pay across the tax year from 6 April. If your pay drops during leave your tax to date can be too high, and payroll can refund the difference, so some weeks look better than you would expect. The calculator replays the tax year week by week using normal pay before leave and maternity pay during it.
- • National Insurance is worked out on each pay period separately, so low statutory weeks (the flat rate is £194.32 a week) often attract none.
- • Pension contributions are an assumption. Section 15 para 15.96 says pension rights and contributions follow the NHS Pension Scheme Regulations, so the calculator lets you switch contributions off and tells you to confirm the treatment with your pensions team.
On £32,000 a year the engine estimates about £13,358 take-home over the 39 paid weeks, against £18,326 you would take home on normal pay over the same number of weeks. To see your normal take-home first, use the NHS Pay Calculator.
NHS maternity pay at different salaries (2026/27)
Totals over the 39 paid weeks for someone with three years' NHS service, and for the statutory route with under 12 months' service. Take-home uses England rates and standard NHS Pension contributions.
| Annual salary | NHS scheme, gross | NHS scheme, est. take-home | Statutory only, gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| £20,000 | £12,526 | £10,951 | £8,489 |
| £25,000 | £14,197 | £12,067 | £9,009 |
| £30,000 | £15,832 | £12,931 | £9,528 |
| £35,000 | £17,466 | £14,000 | £10,047 |
| £40,000 | £19,101 | £14,839 | £10,566 |
| £50,000 | £22,370 | £16,936 | £11,605 |
Lower earners gain less from the NHS scheme in weeks 9 to 26 because the total is capped at full pay: below about £20,209 a year, half pay plus the statutory rate already reaches your normal pay.
Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance rates for 2026/27
If you do not meet the NHS 12-month rule, or you tell your employer you do not intend to return to the NHS, you are paid the statutory equivalent. These are the GOV.UK figures for 2026/27:
| Scheme | Rate | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory Maternity Pay, first 6 weeks | 90% of average weekly earnings | 6 weeks |
| Statutory Maternity Pay, remainder | £194.32 or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower | 33 weeks |
| Maternity Allowance | £194.32 or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower | Up to 39 weeks |
For £32,000 a year with under 12 months' NHS service, the statutory route comes to about £9,736 gross over 39 weeks, roughly £8,461 after tax, National Insurance and pension. Maternity Allowance for the same pay is about £7,578 gross. SMP needs 26 weeks with your employer into the qualifying week and average earnings of at least £129 a week.
Do you qualify? The 12-month rule and what happens if you do not
Paragraph 15.15 asks for 12 months' continuous service with one or more NHS employers at the beginning of the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth. The calculator works that date out for you from your due date.
- ✓ Service with different NHS employers counts, so moving trust does not reset the clock
- ✓ Breaks in service of three months or less are disregarded, and time on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave counts as continuous service (para 15.107)
- ✓ Employers can choose to count other NHS or non-NHS service (paras 15.108 and 15.110), so ask HR if you have earlier service that was not recorded
- ✓ Fixed-term and training contracts that would end after the 11th week before your due week are extended so you can receive the full 52 weeks if you qualify (para 15.84)
- ✓ Without 12 months' service you may still get Statutory Maternity Pay, or Maternity Allowance if you do not qualify for SMP (paras 15.103 and 15.104)
Do you have to pay NHS maternity pay back?
Two paragraphs matter. First, to qualify for the occupational element you tell your employer in writing that you intend to return to work with the same or another NHS employer for a minimum of three months after your leave (para 15.15). Second, para 15.83 says that if you fail to return within 15 months of the beginning of your maternity leave you are liable to refund your maternity pay less any statutory maternity pay you received, although your employer can waive this where it would cause undue hardship or distress. If you decide you do not intend to return, para 15.100 pays you the statutory equivalent instead, so you can see the difference by unticking the return box in the calculator. Always read the exact paragraph and your trust's policy before relying on this summary.
Key dates for your maternity leave
The calculator works these out from your due date. As an example, for a due date of 15 March 2027 and leave starting 1 February 2027:
| What | Date | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tell your employer in writing by | 5 December 2026 | End of the 15th week before your due week (para 15.15) |
| 12 months' NHS service needed by | 27 December 2026 | Start of the 11th week before your due week |
| Earliest usual leave start | 27 December 2026 | 11 weeks before your due week (para 15.25) |
| Expected return after 52 weeks | 31 January 2028 | Earlier return needs 28 days' notice (para 15.78) |
| Return-to-work deadline for repayment purposes | 1 May 2028 | 15 months from the start of leave (para 15.83) |
Keeping in touch days, shared parental leave and going back
You can work up to 10 keeping in touch days during maternity leave without ending it, and up to 20 SPLiT days during shared parental leave. They are optional for both sides, cannot be worked in the two compulsory weeks after birth, and are paid at your basic daily rate less any maternity pay for that day (paras 15.70 to 15.76). You can ask to return on different hours and your employer has a duty to facilitate it wherever possible (para 15.80). For more detail read our guides on returning to work after maternity leave, paternity and shared parental leave and your maternity leave entitlement, and plan the cost side with the Childcare Cost Calculator.
⚠Sources, method and accuracy
Pay structure, eligibility, KIT days and repayment rules are from NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, Section 15 (amendment 63, April 2026). Statutory rates and eligibility are from GOV.UK maternity pay, eligibility and Maternity Allowance, checked October 2026. Tax and National Insurance use the same 2026/27 engine as our NHS Pay Calculator. Your normal pay stands in for average weekly earnings, take-home is an estimate and your trust's payroll has the final say. Read how we source figures in our editorial policy. FrontlinePay is independent and not affiliated with the NHS or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Why trust this calculator
- ✓ The week counts, service rule, return commitment, repayment rule and KIT days are read directly from Section 15 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, with paragraph numbers shown
- ✓ The 2026/27 statutory rates are from GOV.UK and are pre-filled, with the flat rate editable if the rate changes
- ✓ It tells you plainly when you fall short of the 12-month rule and shows the statutory route instead of an empty result
- ✓ Take-home uses the same tax and National Insurance engine as our pay calculators, and the assumptions are listed
- ✓ Your answers are calculated in your browser, and saved only on your own device if you pay and come back
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