Maternity pay by employer scheme
Your employer's maternity scheme decides far more of your pay than the statutory rate does. Pick your scheme to see what each of your 52 weeks of leave pays.
NHS Maternity Pay Calculator
Section 15 of the Agenda for Change handbook: 8 weeks of full pay, 18 weeks of half pay plus SMP, 13 weeks of SMP only.
Teacher Maternity Pay Calculator
The Burgundy Book for England and Wales, the SNCT scheme in Scotland and the Northern Ireland scheme, week by week.
Civil Service Maternity Pay Calculator
Department presets from published terms: 26 weeks of full pay in most departments, 28 at DfE, 39 at DCMS.
Police Maternity Pay Calculator
Officers in England and Wales under Annex L, Police Scotland officers, and police staff in England and Wales.
Council Maternity Pay Calculator
The NJC Green Book scheme for council staff: 6 weeks at nine-tenths of pay, then 12 weeks of half pay plus SMP.
Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator
Any other employer's scheme. Enter its blocks of weeks from your policy and see what each week pays.
How the main schemes pay across 52 weeks
Every scheme below sits on top of Statutory Maternity Pay: 90% of your average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% of your earnings, whichever is lower, for 33 weeks.
| Scheme | Weeks of full pay | Then | SMP only | Unpaid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory Maternity Pay onlyAny employee who qualifies for SMP | 0 | None | 39 | 13 |
| NHSAgenda for Change staff, all four nations | 8 | 18 at half pay plus SMP | 13 | 13 |
| Teachers, England and WalesBurgundy Book | 4 | 2 at 90% of pay, 12 at half pay plus SMP | 21 | 13 |
| Teachers, ScotlandSNCT | 13 | None | 26 | 13 |
| Teachers, Northern IrelandTNC 2021/1 | 4 | 2 at 90% of pay, 12 at half pay plus SMP | 21 | 13 |
| Civil Service, most departmentsFor example DWP, HMRC, MOJ, MOD | 26 | None | 13 | 13 |
| Civil Service, DfEDepartment for Education | 28 | None | 11 | 13 |
| Civil Service, DCMSDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport | 39 | None | 0 | 13 |
| Scottish GovernmentScottish Government staff | 27 | None | 12 | 13 |
| Police officers, England and WalesPolice Regulations 2003, Annex L | 26 | None | 13 | 13 |
| Police staff, England and WalesPolice Staff Council handbook | 26 | None | 13 | 13 |
| Local governmentNJC Green Book, England, Wales and Northern Ireland | 0 | 6 at 90% of pay, 12 at half pay plus SMP | 21 | 13 |
Full pay in these schemes includes SMP: the employer pays the difference between SMP and your normal pay. Half pay plus SMP is capped at your normal pay. Each scheme also has a service condition, and most ask you to return to work or repay part of the pay. The calculators show both.
Do you get 6 months of full pay?
Only in some schemes. Most Civil Service departments pay 26 weeks of full pay, which is about 6 months, and DCMS pays 39 weeks. The NHS pays 8 weeks of full pay and then 18 weeks of half pay plus SMP. Teachers in England and Wales get 4 weeks of full pay, then lower rates. Statutory Maternity Pay on its own never pays full pay after the first 6 weeks.
Public sector schemes
The NHS, teachers, the Civil Service, the police and councils each have a written national scheme, so the weeks are known in advance and the calculators can preset them. Use the NHS Maternity Pay Calculator, the Teacher Maternity Pay Calculator or the Civil Service Maternity Pay Calculator, the Police Maternity Pay Calculator or the Council Maternity Pay Calculator. Each one shows the scheme's source and the date it was checked.
Your employer's own scheme
Private employers set their own terms, often called enhanced or occupational maternity pay. Copy the blocks of weeks from your policy into the Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator to see what each week pays, including whether a block includes SMP or is paid on top of it. If you only get the statutory rate, the Maternity Pay Calculator works out your SMP.
Reclaiming SMP as an employer
Employers recover 92% of the SMP they pay, or 109% if their Class 1 National Insurance for the previous tax year was £45,000 or less. The SMP Recovery Calculator works out the reclaim and your net cost for 2026 to 2027, and maternity pay for employers covers when you must pay SMP.
Schemes not covered yet
There is no preset here yet for the armed forces, universities, fire and rescue services, the Police Service of Northern Ireland or Scottish councils. If you have your scheme's weeks, the Enhanced Maternity Pay Calculator handles them. The scheme calculators show pay before Income Tax and National Insurance and do not use dates. See the methodology for how the figures are checked.