Police Maternity Pay Calculator
Police officers in England and Wales get 26 weeks of full pay, with Statutory Maternity Pay counted inside it, then 13 weeks of SMP only and 13 unpaid weeks. This calculator shows each of your 52 weeks for officers, Police Scotland and police staff.
The SMP weeks follow the same rules as the Maternity Pay Calculator.
Your police role and pay
You can elect to take half pay in weeks 22 to 31 instead of full pay in weeks 22 to 26. The calculator shows the standard 26 weeks of full pay.
Part-time: enter your actual pay. The calculator takes full pay a week as annual pay 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.
63 weeks' continuous service in your force or any other police force at the beginning of the week your baby is due. 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth you must still be pregnant, or have given birth early to a baby who is alive. No gives SMP only.
Scheme terms
- Return condition
- Not stated in the scheme text checked.
- Source
- Police Regulations 2003, Annex L (Maternity Pay), In force 4 January 2021
Your results
Total maternity pay
Over 52 weeks, before tax
Statutory Maternity Pay
Paid by your employer
Police pay
More than SMP alone
Unpaid weeks
Of 52 weeks of leave
Your 52 weeks
| Weeks | Paid as | SMP | Police pay | You receive | Band total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | Full pay including SMP | £692.31 | £76.92 | £769.23about £3,333 a month | £4,615.38 |
| 7 to 26 | Full pay including SMP | £194.32 | £574.91 | £769.23about £3,333 a month | £15,384.60 |
| 27 to 39 | SMP only | £194.32 | £0.00 | £194.32about £842 a month | £2,526.16 |
| 40 to 52 | Unpaid | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total before tax | £10,566.42 | £11,959.72 | £22,526.14 | ||
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 police officers get?
Police officers in England and Wales get 26 weeks of full pay, reduced each week by the SMP they receive, so the total stays at full pay. Weeks 27 to 39 pay SMP only and weeks 40 to 52 pay nothing.
Weeks 1 to 26
Full pay
- You receive
- Full pay
- SMP inside it
- Yes
- Weeks
- 26
The force pays the difference between your SMP and your full pay.
Weeks 27 to 39
SMP only
- Rate
- £194.32 or 90%
- Whichever is
- Lower
- Weeks
- 13
90% of your average weekly earnings, if that is less than the standard rate.
Weeks 40 to 52
The unpaid tail
- Rate
- Nothing
- Weeks
- 13
Statutory pay has ended and the scheme pays no more.
The rule comes from Annex L of the Police Regulations 2003, in force since 4 January 2021: an officer “is entitled to be paid as respects the first 26 weeks of any period or periods of maternity leave”, with that pay reduced by the statutory maternity pay received for the same week. Those 26 weeks are occupational maternity pay: the force tops your SMP up to full pay.
How long do you need to serve to get police maternity pay?
You need 63 weeks of continuous service in your force or any other police force at the beginning of the week your baby is due. Annex L adds one more condition: 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth you must still be pregnant, or have given birth early to a baby who is alive on that date.
Should you take half pay in weeks 22 to 31?
It depends on whether you would rather have pay for longer or more pay sooner. Annex L lets you elect to receive half pay in weeks 22 to 31 instead of full pay in weeks 22 to 26. Before any SMP is set against it, 10 weeks at half pay is worth the same as 5 weeks at full pay, so the election mainly moves money later and keeps some occupational pay running to week 31. The calculator shows the standard 26 weeks of full pay. Ask your force's payroll for the exact weekly figures under the election.
A police officer on £40,000 a year
An officer in England and Wales on £40,000a year with 63 weeks' service receives £22,526.14 over 52 weeks before tax. Full pay is £40,000 divided by 52, or £769.23 a week.
£40,000 a year, Annex L
| Weeks | SMP a week | Police pay a week | You receive a week | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | £692.31 | £76.92 | £769.23 | £4,615.38 |
| 7 to 26 | £194.32 | £574.91 | £769.23 | £15,384.60 |
| 27 to 39 | £194.32 | £0.00 | £194.32 | £2,526.16 |
| 40 to 52 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total | £10,566.42 | £11,959.72 | £22,526.14 |
Weeks 1 to 6 carry SMP at 90% of earnings, £692.31, so the force adds less in those weeks than in weeks 7 to 26.
Without 63 weeks' service the same officer would get SMP only, £10,566.42, which is £11,959.72 less.
How much maternity pay do Police Scotland officers get?
Police Scotland officers whose baby is due on or after 1 April 2026 can take 26 weeks of full pay, the same headline as England and Wales, or one of two alternatives under the PNB Scotland handbook.
| Option | What it pays |
|---|---|
| 26 weeks full pay | Full pay for the first 26 weeks. This is what the calculator shows. |
| 21 full, 10 half | Full pay for 21 weeks, then 10 weeks of half pay plus the equivalent of half the rate of SMP. |
| 6 full, then spread | Full pay for 6 weeks, then the value of the next 20 weeks of full pay spread across the following 33 weeks. |
To qualify you need 63 weeks' continuous service in Police Scotland or any other police force at the beginning of the week your baby is due. At £40,000 a year the 26-week option pays the same as the England and Wales example above, £22,526.14 before tax. The other two options pay less early on and more later; the calculator does not work them out.
How much maternity pay do police staff get?
Police staff in England and Wales get 26 weeks of full pay with SMP set against it, once they have 1 year's service at the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth.
The Police Staff Council handbook sets the scheme. You can elect to extend the final 5 weeks of full pay to 10 weeks at half pay. The pay is made on the understanding that you return to work for your employer for at least one month. If you do not, you refund the occupational pay paid after week 6; SMP is never refundable. The rules on when you pay back maternity pay differ by scheme.
£26,000 a year, police staff
| Weeks | SMP a week | Police pay a week | You receive a week | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 | £450.00 | £50.00 | £500.00 | £3,000.00 |
| 7 to 26 | £194.32 | £305.68 | £500.00 | £10,000.00 |
| 27 to 39 | £194.32 | £0.00 | £194.32 | £2,526.16 |
| 40 to 52 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total | £9,112.56 | £6,413.60 | £15,526.16 |
Refundable if you do not return for one month: £6,113.60, the occupational pay for weeks 7 to 26.
Police maternity pay questions
Is Met Police maternity pay different?
Not for officers. Met officers serve in an England and Wales force, so Annex L applies to them as it does in Kent, Hertfordshire or any other force. Police staff are different: the Metropolitan Police is outside the Police Staff Council's advice remit, so Met staff should check the Met's own maternity terms.
How long do police get off on maternity leave?
The pay schedule covers 52 weeks: 26 weeks of full pay, 13 weeks of SMP only and 13unpaid weeks. Annex L sets the pay, not the length of your leave, so check your force's policy for leave dates.
What if you have under 63 weeks' police service?
You do not get the 26 weeks of full pay. You can still get Statutory Maternity Pay if you meet its own conditions: 26 weeks' continuous employment up to the qualifying week, the 15th week before your due week, and average weekly earnings of at least the lower earnings limit. Switch the service toggle off to see SMP only.
Do PSNI officers get the same?
The calculator does not cover the Police Service of Northern Ireland yet, because its maternity terms have not been checked against a primary source.
What the calculator does not cover
- The Annex L election for half pay in weeks 22 to 31.
- The two alternative Police Scotland options.
- The police staff option to stretch the final 5 weeks into 10 at half pay.
- PSNI officers, Scottish police staff and Met police staff.
- Dates, Income Tax and National Insurance. Every figure is gross, before tax.
- Maternity Allowance, if your earnings are below the lower earnings limit. See Maternity Allowance on GOV.UK.
For a scheme with other weeks, enter them in the Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator.
Sources
Every police rule on this page comes from the scheme's own text, and every SMP figure from HMRC's rates and thresholds for 2026 to 2027. Checked 8 October 2026.
- Police Regulations 2003, Annex L (Maternity Pay), In force 4 January 2021
- PNB Scotland handbook, 3.7 Maternity Leave and Pay, Terms for an expected week of childbirth on or after 1 April 2026
- Police Staff Council England and Wales handbook, Section 5, February 2026 update
- 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.