How much is SMP?

  • First 6 weeks: 90% of your average weekly earnings before tax, with no upper limit.
  • Next 33 weeks: £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that’s lower.

That’s 39 weeks of pay in total. If you take the full 52 weeks of maternity leave, the last 13 weeks are unpaid unless your employer offers more. SMP is paid in the same way as your wages, for example monthly or weekly, with tax and National Insurance taken off.

Example: if you earn an average of £500 a week, you’d get £450 a week for the first 6 weeks (90%), then £194.32 a week for the next 33 weeks, before tax and National Insurance.

How your average earnings are worked out

Your employer looks at what you were paid over an 8-week period, ending with your last payday on or before the end of the ‘qualifying week’ (the 15th week before the week your baby is due). If you’re paid monthly, that’s usually your last two payslips. If you get a pay rise that applies any time from the start of that 8-week period to the end of your maternity leave, your employer has to recalculate your SMP.

Our maternity leave calculator shows your qualifying week and the dates of your pay calculation period.

Who qualifies for SMP?

You need to:

  • be employed and paid through PAYE. This includes many agency and casual workers, and you can get SMP even if you can’t get maternity leave. If you’re self-employed, look at Maternity Allowance instead
  • have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks, continuing into the 15th week before the week your baby is due
  • earn an average of at least £129 a week before tax
  • give the right notice and proof of your due date

You can still get SMP if your baby is born early, or if your baby is stillborn after the start of the 24th week of pregnancy or dies after birth.

When SMP starts

SMP usually starts when your maternity leave starts. The earliest that can be is 11 weeks before the week your baby is due. It starts automatically if you’re off work with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week your baby is due, or the day after the birth if your baby arrives early.

If you don’t qualify

Your employer must give you form SMP1 explaining why. You may be able to get Maternity Allowance from the government instead, and you’ll send the SMP1 with your claim.

Your employer may pay more

Many employers offer enhanced maternity pay on top of SMP, for example full pay for a number of weeks. Check your contract, staff handbook or intranet, or ask HR. Some schemes ask you to pay back the extra if you don’t return to work for a set time, so read the small print.

Useful links

This is general information based on GOV.UK. Rates shown apply from April 2026. Your employer can confirm exactly what you’ll get.