Council Maternity Pay Calculator
Council staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with 1 year's service get 6 weeks at nine-tenths of pay, then 12 weeks of half pay plus SMP, then SMP to week 39. This calculator shows each of your 52 weeks under the national Green Book scheme.
The SMP weeks follow the same rules as the Maternity Pay Calculator.
Your council job and pay
The Green Book scheme covers councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Your actual salary for your normal hours. The calculator takes a week's pay as salary divided by 52.
Change this if your gross pay in the 8 weeks up to the qualifying week, the 15th week before your due week, was different.
Scheme source
NJC Green Book, Part 2, paragraph 11 (Maternity Scheme), 1 May 2024 edition, copy hosted by Surrey County UNISON.
Your results
Total maternity pay
Over 52 weeks, before tax
Statutory Maternity Pay
Paid by your employer
Council pay
More than SMP alone
Unpaid weeks
Of 52 weeks of leave
Your 52 weeks
| Weeks | Paid as | SMP | Council pay | You receive | Band total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | Nine-tenths of pay including SMP | £519.23 | £0.00 | £519.23about £2,250 a month | £3,115.38 |
| 7 to 18 | Half pay plus SMP, capped at full pay | £194.32 | £288.46 | £482.78about £2,092 a month | £5,793.36 |
| 19 to 39 | SMP only | £194.32 | £0.00 | £194.32about £842 a month | £4,080.72 |
| 40 to 52 | Unpaid | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total before tax | £9,527.94 | £3,461.52 | £12,989.46 | ||
The occupational pay after the first 6 weeks. SMP is not refundable.
Monthly figures are the weekly amount times 52, divided by 12. Each weekly amount is rounded to the nearest penny, so a payslip can differ by a penny or two.
How much maternity pay do council staff get?
With 1 year's continuous local government service, council staff get 18 weeks of enhanced pay: 6 weeks at nine-tenths of a week's pay, then 12 weeks of half pay plus SMP, capped at full pay. SMP alone pays weeks 19 to 39, and weeks 40 to 52 pay nothing.
Weeks 1 to 6
Nine-tenths of pay
- You receive
- 90% of a week's pay
- SMP inside it
- Yes
SMP is also 90% of your earnings here, so the council often adds nothing.
Weeks 7 to 18
Half pay plus SMP
- You receive
- Half pay + SMP
- Cap
- Full pay
Only if you declare in writing that you intend to return.
Weeks 19 to 39
SMP only
- Rate
- £194.32 or 90%
- Whichever is
- Lower
Weeks 40 to 52
The unpaid tail
- Rate
- Nothing
- Weeks
- 13
These 18 weeks are the council's occupational maternity pay, set by paragraph 11 of Part 2 of the Green Book, the national agreement on pay and conditions for local government services.
Is council half pay added to SMP or offset against it?
Both, depending on the week. In weeks 1 to 6 the nine-tenths pay is offset against SMP, so SMP counts towards it. In weeks 7 to 18 half pay is added to SMP, “without deduction except by the extent to which the combined pay and SMP ... exceeds full pay”. So half pay plus SMP can never take you above full pay.
Who qualifies for council maternity pay?
You need 1 year's continuous local government service at the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth. For the 12 half-pay weeks you must also declare in writing that you intend to return to work. Without the service you get Statutory Maternity Pay only, if you qualify for it.
What counts as a week's pay?
The amount your council pays you under your current contract for your normal hours in a week. If you have no normal working hours, it is your average pay over the 12 weeks before the last complete week. The calculator takes a week's pay as your salary divided by 52.
Council maternity pay on £30,000 a year
On £30,000a year, with 1 year's service and a plan to return, the Green Book pays £12,989.46 over 52 weeks before tax. A week's pay is £576.92.
£30,000 a year, Green Book
| Weeks | SMP a week | Council pay a week | You receive a week | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | £519.23 | £0.00 | £519.23 | £3,115.38 |
| 7 to 18 | £194.32 | £288.46 | £482.78 | £5,793.36 |
| 19 to 39 | £194.32 | £0.00 | £194.32 | £4,080.72 |
| 40 to 52 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total | £9,527.94 | £3,461.52 | £12,989.46 |
Weeks 1 to 6 pay £519.23, which SMP covers on its own. Weeks 7 to 18 pay half pay plus SMP, £482.78, below full pay so the cap does not apply.
When the full-pay cap applies
The cap reduces weeks 7 to 18 when half pay plus £194.32of SMP is more than full pay, which happens when a week's pay is below £388.64, about £20,209 a year. On £18,000 a year, weeks 7 to 18 pay full pay of £346.15 instead of £367.40, and the total is £10,103.76.
If you do not go back after maternity leave
If you do not intend to return, the Green Book pays SMP only after week 6. On £30,000 a year that gives £9,527.94 instead of £12,989.46.
The half-pay weeks are paid on the understanding that you return to local authority employment for at least 3 months. If you do not, you refund the occupational pay after the first 6 weeks; payments of SMP are not refundable. On £30,000 a year the refundable amount is £3,461.52. The rules on repaying maternity pay if you do not return differ by scheme.
The Green Book also allows the equivalent of the 12 half-pay weeks, 6 weeks' pay, to be paid on another distribution you agree with your council. The calculator shows the standard pattern.
Does your council pay more than the Green Book?
Check your council's own maternity policy. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Green Book sets the national scheme this calculator uses, and a council's policy is where any local enhancement would appear.
Searches for a named council lead to that council's own policy: for example Hampshire County Council, Lancashire County Council, Leeds City Council, Birmingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Durham County Council and Suffolk County Council. If your council pays more weeks or a higher rate than the Green Book, enter its blocks of weeks in the Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator.
What maternity pay do Scottish council staff get?
The Green Book does not cover Scotland. Scottish council staff are under Scottish Joint Council terms, which this site has not checked against a primary source yet, so the calculator has no Scottish preset.
That covers councils such as Glasgow City Council, Fife Council, Highland Council, Falkirk Council, South Lanarkshire Council, West Lothian Council and Aberdeen City Council. Choosing Scotland in the calculator shows Statutory Maternity Pay only. To see your full pay, copy the weeks from your council's policy into the Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator.
Council maternity pay questions
What happens to council maternity pay if your employer changes during leave?
The service test counts continuous local government service, not service with one council. What happens to pay already in progress depends on the terms of the transfer, which the Green Book text checked does not cover. Ask the new employer's HR team in writing.
What happens to your pension on council maternity leave?
In the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, your pension builds up during relevant child-related leave as if you were working normally, using your Assumed Pensionable Pay, while your contributions are based on the pay you actually receive. Since 1 April 2026, unpaid additional maternity leave that started on or after that date counts as well.
What the calculator does not cover
- Scottish council terms and any local enhancement to the Green Book.
- The half-pay weeks paid on another agreed distribution.
- Dates, Income Tax and National Insurance. Every figure is gross, before tax.
- Maternity Allowance, which the Green Book offsets in weeks 1 to 6 if you do not qualify for SMP. See Maternity Allowance on GOV.UK.
Sources
The scheme rules come from the Green Book, and every SMP figure from HMRC's rates and thresholds for 2026 to 2027. The Green Book copy checked is the 1 May 2024 edition, hosted by Surrey County UNISON. Checked 8 October 2026.
- NJC Green Book, Part 2, paragraph 11 (Maternity Scheme), 1 May 2024 edition
- If you are away from work (LGPS member guidance)
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC)
Weekly amounts are rounded to the nearest penny, so a payslip can differ by a penny or two. The Methodology and sources page lists every rate the site uses.