Maternity Pay Qualifying Week Calculator
Enter your due date to find your qualifying week, the 26 weeks you need to have worked, the 8-week window that sets your average weekly earnings, and every date from the earliest start of leave to the last week of SMP.
The Maternity Pay Calculator works out how much you get. The rules behind each date are in The Maternity Pay Qualifying Week and SMP Entitlement.
Your due date
From your MATB1 certificate or your midwife.
Optional checks
Checks the 26-week employment test.
Left blank, the earliest start is used.
Qualifying week
to 19 Dec 2026
Earliest start
11 weeks before the due week
SMP ends (week 39)
From a 10 Jan 2027 start
Leave ends
After 52 weeks
Your qualifying week is Sun, 13 December 2026 to Sat, 19 December 2026. Your average weekly earnings must be at least £129, the lower earnings limit for the tax year that week ends in.
Your dates
| Date | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Your due date | Thu, 1 April 2027 | The date on your MATB1 or from your midwife. |
| Week your baby is due | Sun, 28 March 2027 to Sat, 3 April 2027 | The Sunday to Saturday week containing your due date. |
| Qualifying week | Sun, 13 December 2026 to Sat, 19 December 2026 | The 15th week before the week your baby is due. |
| 26-week employment test | Sun, 21 June 2026 to Sat, 19 December 2026 | You need to have worked for your employer continuously through these 26 weeks, into the qualifying week. |
| MATB1 can be issued from | Thu, 12 November 2026 | No more than 20 weeks before your due date. |
| Earliest leave and SMP start | Sun, 10 January 2027 | Usually 11 weeks before the week your baby is due. |
| Automatic start window | Sun, 28 February 2027 to Sat, 27 March 2027 | A pregnancy-related absence in these 4 weeks starts your leave and pay automatically. |
| Your leave and SMP start | Sun, 10 January 2027 | SMP weeks run from this day of the week, whatever weekday it is. |
| Tell your employer by | Sun, 13 December 2026 | At least 28 days before your SMP starts. |
| Proof of pregnancy, 21 days after the start | Sun, 31 January 2027 | Give your MATB1 or a doctor's or midwife's letter within 21 days of the start. |
| Last week of SMP (week 39) | Sat, 9 October 2027 | SMP is paid for 39 weeks. |
| Unpaid weeks | Sun, 10 October 2027 to Sat, 8 January 2028 | Weeks 40 to 52 of leave pay no SMP. |
| Leave ends | Sat, 8 January 2028 | Statutory maternity leave runs 52 weeks. |
Some of your SMP weeks fall after 5 April 2027. The 2027 to 2028 rate had not been published when this page was checked, so the Maternity Pay Calculator uses the 2026 to 2027 rate of £194.32 for every week.
What the qualifying week calculator works out
Every SMP date hangs off one fact: the week your baby is due. The calculator counts from that week to each date the rules set.
Your qualifying week
The 15th week before the week your baby is due, Sunday to Saturday.
The 26-week test
The 26 weeks of employment that must run into the qualifying week, checked against your start date.
Your earnings window
The 8-week relevant period, worked out from your paydays.
The earnings limit
The lower earnings limit in force when your qualifying week ends.
When leave can start
The earliest start, the automatic start window and the start after an early birth.
Notice and end dates
The 28-day notice date, week 39 of SMP and week 52 of leave.
How to work out your qualifying week
Your qualifying week is the 15th week before the week your baby is due. Weeks run Sunday to Saturday, so find the Sunday on or before your due date and count back 15 weeks.
For a due date of Thu, 1 April 2027, the week of childbirth is Sun, 28 March 2027 to Sat, 3 April 2027. Counting back 15 weeks gives a qualifying week of Sun, 13 December 2026 to Sat, 19 December 2026.
Two due dates in the same Sunday to Saturday week share a qualifying week, whatever day the baby is due:
| Due date | Week of childbirth | Qualifying week |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, 1 April 2027 | Sun, 28 March 2027 to Sat, 3 April 2027 | Sun, 13 December 2026 to Sat, 19 December 2026 |
| Sun, 2 May 2027 | Sun, 2 May 2027 to Sat, 8 May 2027 | Sun, 17 January 2027 to Sat, 23 January 2027 |
| Sat, 8 May 2027 | Sun, 2 May 2027 to Sat, 8 May 2027 | Sun, 17 January 2027 to Sat, 23 January 2027 |
The qualifying week decides three things: whether you have worked long enough, which 8 weeks of pay set your average weekly earnings, and which lower earnings limit you are tested against.
The 26-week employment test
To get SMP you must have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks continuing into the qualifying week.
For the Thu, 1 April 2027 due date, the 26 weeks run from Sun, 21 June 2026 to Sat, 19 December 2026. Starting with your employer on or before Sun, 21 June 2026 and still working there into the qualifying week meets the length of service part. If you started during that first week, your employer's payroll confirms whether the part week counts; the calculator flags it rather than guessing.
If you work as and when you are needed
HMRC's guidance for supply teachers, seasonal workers and other employees who work as and when needed says you may not have worked in every week. You can still get SMP for weeks you did not work if you were on paid leave or your employer had no work to offer you. If you turned work down, your employer must check the reason.
If you do not pass
Your employer does not pay SMP, but you may be able to get Maternity Allowance from DWP instead. Its tests use a different window: the Maternity Allowance Test Period Calculator works out yours. How to claim, and what your employer must give you, is in How to Apply for Statutory Maternity Pay.
The relevant period: the 8 weeks that set your SMP
Your average weekly earnings come from the pay you received in the 8 weeks ending with your last normal payday on or before the Saturday of your qualifying week.
The period starts the day after the last normal payday at least 8 weeks earlier, so it follows your paydays rather than the calendar. For the Thu, 1 April 2027 due date, the anchor Saturday is Sat, 19 December 2026:
| Paid | Relevant period | Paydays in it | Average weekly earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly, on Fridays | Sat, 24 October 2026 to Fri, 18 December 2026 | 8 | Total pay divided by 8 |
| Monthly, on the 15th | Fri, 16 October 2026 to Tue, 15 December 2026 | 2 | Total divided by 2, times 12, divided by 52 |
| Every 2 or 4 weeks | 8 weeks of paydays | 4 or 2 | Total divided by the whole weeks in the period |
| No regular pattern | Set by the same paydays | Any | Total divided by the days in the period, times 7 |
Use the gross earnings actually paid in the period that count for Class 1 National Insurance, and do not round the average to whole pence. A payday moved for a bank holiday counts on the day it was paid. If your baby is born before or during the qualifying week, the period ends with the last payday on or before the Saturday of the week before the birth instead.
The lower earnings limit
Your average weekly earnings must be at least the lower earnings limit in force on the Saturday at the end of your qualifying week: £129 a week when that Saturday falls in the 2026 to 2027 tax year, and £125 when it fell in 2025 to 2026. The Maternity Pay Calculator turns your average into weekly SMP.
When your maternity leave and SMP start and end
Leave and SMP usually start no earlier than 11 weeks before the week your baby is due, then SMP runs for 39 weeks and leave for 52.
For the Thu, 1 April 2027 due date, starting on the earliest date gives these dates:
| Date | When |
|---|---|
| Earliest start | Sun, 10 January 2027 |
| Tell your employer by | Sun, 13 December 2026 |
| 21 days after the start, for your proof of pregnancy | Sun, 31 January 2027 |
| Last day of SMP (week 39) | Sat, 9 October 2027 |
| Unpaid weeks | Sun, 10 October 2027 to Sat, 8 January 2028 |
| Leave ends | Sat, 8 January 2028 |
Notice and proof of pregnancy
Give your employer at least 28 days' notice of when you want SMP to start, in writing if they ask for it. Within 21 days of the start date, or as soon as possible if your baby is born early, give them your MATB1 certificate or a letter from your doctor or midwife. A MATB1 is issued no more than 20 weeks before your due date.
When leave starts without you choosing
It starts automatically if you are off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week your baby is due: pay and leave begin the day after the first complete day of absence. If your baby is born early, leave and SMP start the day after the birth.
During your leave
SMP weeks run from the first day of your pay period, whatever day of the week that is. You must take 2 weeks off after the birth, or 4 if you work in a factory. You can work up to 10 keeping in touch days without ending your leave or losing SMP for those weeks; how they are paid is in Keeping in Touch Days Pay.
Questions about the qualifying week
What is the qualifying week for maternity pay?
It is the 15th week before the week your baby is due, counted in Sunday to Saturday weeks. Your employment and your earnings are both tested against it.
Do I qualify for SMP?
You qualify if you have worked for your employer continuously for 26 weeks into the qualifying week and your average weekly earnings are at least £129, and you give the notice and proof on time. The full rules are in Statutory Maternity Pay: How Much You Get and for How Long.
What is the earliest I can start maternity leave?
Usually 11 weeks before the week your baby is due. For a due date of Thu, 1 April 2027 that is Sun, 10 January 2027.
Does a due date on a Sunday change anything?
No. The Sunday starts the week of childbirth, so a baby due on Sunday Sun, 2 May 2027 and one due the following Saturday share the qualifying week Sun, 17 January 2027 to Sat, 23 January 2027.
What the calculator does not do
- Amounts: it gives dates, not pay. The Maternity Pay Calculator works out SMP.
- Part weeks: if you started during the first of the 26 weeks, it does not decide whether that week counts.
- Paydays: it projects your paydays from one you enter, so a moved or missed payday changes the real period.
- Employee status: it assumes you are an employee.
How this calculator was checked
Every date rule comes from GOV.UK, HMRC and nidirect guidance, read on 8 October 2026. The date arithmetic is covered by tests worked out separately, including due dates on a Sunday, on a Saturday and on 29 February. Checked 8 October 2026.
- Work out your employee's payments for Statutory Maternity Pay (HMRC: qualifying week, relevant period, average weekly earnings)
- Maternity pay and leave: Eligibility (GOV.UK: the 26-week employment test)
- Maternity pay and leave: How to claim (GOV.UK: 28 days' notice, MATB1 and the 21-day proof rule)
- Maternity pay and leave: Leave (GOV.UK: earliest start, 52 weeks, early birth, compulsory leave)
- Maternity pay and leave: Pay (GOV.UK: automatic start after pregnancy-related absence)
- Statutory Maternity Pay: employee circumstances that affect payment (HMRC: automatic start, keeping in touch days)
- Statutory Maternity Pay: how different employment types affect what you pay (HMRC: employees who work as and when needed)
- SMP: an introduction (nidirect: which lower earnings limit applies)
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC: the £129 lower earnings limit)
See Methodology and sources for every rate the site uses.