Maternity Allowance and Universal Credit
You can get Maternity Allowance and Universal Credit at the same time, but your Universal Credit is reduced by the full amount of your Maternity Allowance. Statutory Maternity Pay is treated differently: it counts as earnings, so 55p in each £1 comes off, after any work allowance.
£1 for £1
Maternity Allowance off Universal Credit
55p in £1
SMP off Universal Credit
£842.05
Full Maternity Allowance a month
£303.94
Child amount a month after the birth
By Idiris Chadburn, UK payroll professional
How does Maternity Allowance affect Universal Credit?
Your Universal Credit payment is reduced by an amount equal to your Maternity Allowance. At the full rate of £194.32 a week, that is £842.05 off each monthly payment.
Universal Credit is worked out monthly, so a weekly benefit is converted to a monthly figure: the weekly amount multiplied by 52 and divided by 12. Maternity Allowance is one of the benefits taken off in full, like Carer's Allowance and the State Pension. There is no work allowance and no taper for it.
So if your Universal Credit would be less than £842.05 a month, full-rate Maternity Allowance reduces it to nothing for those months. GOV.UK says your total benefit payments will usually go up or stay the same when you claim Maternity Allowance, and you also get Class 1 National Insurance credits with it, which help you qualify for the State Pension and some other benefits.
The Maternity Allowance Test Period Calculator checks whether you qualify, and the guide to Maternity Allowance covers the rates and how to claim.
Statutory Maternity Pay and Universal Credit compared
SMP is treated as employed earnings for Universal Credit. Your payment goes down by 55p for each £1, and only on the amount above your work allowance if you have one.
The table compares £194.32 a week of Maternity Allowance with the same weekly amount of SMP, which is the standard rate after the first 6 weeks.
| £194.32 a week of | Your situation | Universal Credit reduced by, a month |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity Allowance | Any | £842.05 |
| SMP | No work allowance | £463.13 |
| SMP | £427 work allowance (help with housing) | £228.28 |
| SMP | £710 work allowance (no help with housing) | £72.63 |
SMP rows: 55% of £842.05 less the work allowance. For example, £842.05 less £710 is £132.05, and 55% of that is £72.63.
Who gets a work allowance
You can earn up to £427 a month before your payment reduces if you get help with housing costs through Universal Credit, or £710 if you do not. It applies if you or your partner are responsible for a child, or have a disability or health condition that affects your ability to work. If this is your first baby and neither applies, there is no work allowance until the baby is born.
The first 6 weeks of SMP
SMP is 90% of your earnings for the first 6 weeks, so it is usually higher then, and Universal Credit falls further in those months. The Maternity Pay Calculator shows your SMP week by week.
You do not choose between them. You get SMP if you meet its tests with your employer; Maternity Allowance is for people who do not.
What Universal Credit adds once the baby is born
- £303.94 a month for each child who lives with you, whether you get Maternity Allowance or not.
- A work allowance, because you are now responsible for a child. It applies to earnings such as SMP, not to Maternity Allowance.
- Childcare costs: Universal Credit can pay back up to 85% of registered childcare costs, and may pay some if you get both Maternity Allowance and Universal Credit.
Getting Universal Credit can also qualify you for the one-off Sure Start Maternity Grant. You may be affected by the benefit cap, which limits the total benefit a household can get.
Tell Universal Credit when Maternity Allowance starts
Report a change on your Universal Credit account when you start getting Maternity Allowance. If you do not report it straight away, give wrong information or are overpaid by mistake, you may have to pay the money back. SMP is paid through payroll, and most employers report your pay to Universal Credit for you.
Maternity Allowance and Universal Credit questions
Can I get Maternity Allowance and Universal Credit at the same time?
Yes. Your Universal Credit is reduced by the amount of your Maternity Allowance, so you may get less Universal Credit or none, but you can claim both.
Is Maternity Allowance counted as income for Universal Credit?
Yes. It is taken off your Universal Credit pound for pound. At the full rate that is £842.05 a month.
Does Statutory Maternity Pay affect Universal Credit?
Yes, as earnings. Universal Credit goes down by 55p for each £1 of SMP above any work allowance, so less is taken off than with Maternity Allowance.
Should I still claim Maternity Allowance if I get Universal Credit?
GOV.UK says your total benefit payments will usually go up or stay the same, and Maternity Allowance gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits. A benefits calculator shows the effect for your household.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page comes from these sources. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Maternity Allowance: what you'll get (GOV.UK, updated 7 October 2026): the effect on Universal Credit, childcare and National Insurance credits.
- Universal Credit: how your wages affect your payments (GOV.UK, updated 14 October 2026): the 55p taper and the work allowances.
- Universal Credit: what you'll get (GOV.UK): the child amount, childcare and benefits taken off in full.
- The Universal Credit Regulations 2013, regulation 55(4) (legislation.gov.uk): SMP treated as employed earnings.
Monthly figures use the weekly amount multiplied by 52 and divided by 12. Universal Credit counts the SMP actually paid in each assessment period, so a month with 5 weekly payments differs from one with 4.