The MATB1 Form
The MATB1 is your maternity certificate. A doctor or registered midwife gives it to you free, no more than 20 weeks before the week your baby is due, and you use it to prove your pregnancy for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance.
Free
From your doctor or midwife
20 weeks
Earliest, before your due week
21 days
To give it to your employer after SMP starts
SMP and MA
The pay it proves you are due
What is the MATB1 form?
The MATB1 is the maternity certificate that proves you are pregnant and confirms the week your baby is due. Your employer and Jobcentre Plus use that date to work out your maternity pay.
The certificate does three things. It verifies your pregnancy, it confirms your expected week of childbirth, and, if it is filled in after the birth, it confirms your baby's actual date of birth. It lets you claim:
- Statutory Maternity Pay from your employer
- Maternity Allowance from Jobcentre Plus
- Sure Start Maternity Grant from Jobcentre Plus
A doctor or registered midwife who provides your care issues it, and they must do so free of charge. Each MATB1 carries a unique certificate number. To be valid, a midwife adds their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) personal identification number and its expiry date, and a doctor uses their name and address stamp.
When do you get your MATB1?
You get your MATB1 no more than 20 weeks before your expected week of childbirth, once your doctor or midwife is satisfied you are pregnant.
Your midwife or doctor fills in Part A when they issue the certificate before the birth, with their best estimate of the week your baby is due. The qualifying conditions and payment periods for both SMP and Maternity Allowance are worked out from that date, so it matters. The Maternity Pay Qualifying Week Calculator turns your due date into those key dates.
If you have not had your MATB1 by the time the baby arrives, a doctor or registered midwife who attended the birth fills in Part B instead, with your baby's date of birth and the date your baby was expected. Your SMP or Maternity Allowance still depends on the expected week of childbirth, even when you claim after the birth.
How to use your MATB1 to get SMP
Give your employer your MATB1, or a letter from your doctor or midwife, within 21 days of the date your Statutory Maternity Pay starts. There is no separate claim form for SMP.
Tell your employer
Give at least 28 days' notice of the day you want your SMP to start, in writing if they ask for it.Hand over your proof
Within 21 days of your SMP start date, give your employer your MATB1 or a letter from your doctor or midwife. If your baby is born early, give it as soon as possible.Get your employer's confirmation
Your employer must confirm within 28 days how much SMP you will get and when it will start and stop.
You will not get SMP without proof that your baby is due. You do not need the MATB1 for maternity leave itself, only for the pay. Your employer can agree to accept your proof later than 21 days, but does not have to pay SMP if it has still not received proof of the due date 13 weeks after your SMP start date. Employers keep a record of your proof of pregnancy, and a photocopy is fine for that.
The notice you give and what happens if your employer says you do not qualify are in How to apply for SMP. To see what your SMP will be, use the Maternity Pay Calculator.
How to use your MATB1 to claim Maternity Allowance
Send your MATB1, or a letter from your doctor or midwife on headed paper, with your Maternity Allowance claim as proof of your baby's due date.
You need proof of the due date even if your baby has already been born. After the birth you also need proof of the birth. That can be a letter from your doctor or midwife on headed paper (the same letter can cover the due date), your baby's original birth certificate, or your MATB1 if a doctor or midwife has filled in the section about the actual date of birth.
A Maternity Allowance claim cannot be accepted earlier than the 14th week before your expected week of childbirth. The Maternity Allowance guide covers who qualifies, and the Maternity Allowance Test Period Calculator works out the 66 weeks your work is checked over.
Lost MATB1, mistakes and working abroad
If you lose your MATB1, or it was not filled in properly, ask the doctor or midwife who issued it for a replacement marked DUPLICATE.
A replacement is issued from the same examination, only to replace a lost original or one that is incomplete, and it is clearly marked “DUPLICATE”.
MATB1s are not available outside the UK.If you work abroad for a UK-based employer, get a letter from the doctor or midwife caring for you in the country you are in. It must be on official stamped and headed paper, signed and dated, and include your name, address, phone number and email, the doctor's or midwife's details, the date they examined you and the date your baby is expected.
MATB1 questions
Who gives you the MATB1 form?
A doctor or registered midwife who provides your clinical care gives you the MATB1. If they did not issue it before the birth, a doctor or registered midwife who attended you at the birth can.
Do you have to pay for a MATB1?
No. Doctors and registered midwives must issue the MATB1 free of charge to the pregnant patients they care for.
Can I use a letter instead of a MATB1?
Yes. For SMP, a letter from your doctor or midwife works as proof of pregnancy. For Maternity Allowance, the letter must be on headed paper.
Do I need a MATB1 for maternity leave?
No. You need proof of pregnancy to get Statutory Maternity Pay, but not to take maternity leave.
What if I give my MATB1 to my employer late?
Give it within 21 days of your SMP start date if you can. Your employer can agree to accept it later, but does not have to pay SMP if it has no proof of the due date 13 weeks after your SMP start date.
Sources
Every rule on this page comes from these GOV.UK pages. Checked 8 October 2026.
- Maternity certificate (form MAT B1): guidance on completion (DWP): who issues it, the 20-week rule, Parts A and B, duplicates and working abroad.
- Benefits available during pregnancy: background information (DWP): no SMP claim form, and the earliest Maternity Allowance claim.
- Maternity pay and leave: how to claim (GOV.UK): notice, the 21-day deadline and the employer's 28-day confirmation.
- Maternity Allowance: how to claim (GOV.UK): proof of the due date and of the birth.
- Statutory Maternity Pay and Leave: employer guide, proof of pregnancy (GOV.UK): late proof, the 13-week limit and record keeping.