Statutory Adoption Pay Calculator
Work out Statutory Adoption Pay for 2026 to 2027: 90% of your average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% if that is lower for 33 weeks.
Your pay
Strictly, your average weekly earnings in the 8-week relevant period. At least £129 a week to qualify.
The matching week is the week you were told you had been matched with a child. Overseas adoptions and surrogacy use a different test date.
Total adoption pay
Before tax and NI
Weeks 1 to 6
A week, 90% of earnings
Weeks 7 to 39
A week, flat rate 2026 to 2027
Below normal pay
Over 39 paid weeks
You get £623.08 a week for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week for 33 weeks. The last 13 weeks of leave are unpaid.
Your 52 weeks of adoption leave
| Weeks | Rule | A week | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 6 | 90% of your earnings | £623.08 | £3,738.48 |
| Weeks 7 to 39 | £194.32 flat rate | £194.32 | £6,412.56 |
| Weeks 40 to 52 | Unpaid leave | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Total before tax | £10,151.04 | ||
Your normal pay here is your gross pay converted to a week (£692.31). Weekly amounts are rounded to the nearest penny, so a payslip can differ by a penny or two. Income Tax and National Insurance are deducted from adoption pay in the normal way.
Statutory Adoption Pay is 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks. That is 39 paid weeks inside 52 weeks of adoption leave, so the last 13 weeks are unpaid.
To qualify you need 26 weeks with your employer by the week you were matched with a child, average weekly earnings of at least £129, and proof of the adoption. The calculator applies the earnings test and shows each block of pay.
How much is Statutory Adoption Pay in 2026 to 2027?
Statutory Adoption Pay works exactly like maternity pay: 90% of your earnings for 6 weeks with no cap, then £194.32 or 90% if lower. The rate applies from 6 April 2026, one day after the Statutory Maternity Pay rate changes.
Weeks 1 to 6
No upper limit
- Weekly rate
- 90% of earnings
Based on your average weekly earnings before tax in the 8-week relevant period.
Weeks 7 to 39
Flat rate or 90%
- Flat rate
- £194.32
- Or, if lower
- 90% of earnings
90% is lower when average weekly earnings are below £215.91, about £11,227 a year.
Weeks 40 to 52
Leave without pay
- Statutory pay
- £0.00
The flat-rate part alone is worth at most £6,412.56 before tax.
Statutory Adoption Pay at three salaries
Each example meets the service test. Average weekly earnings are the yearly salary divided by 52.
£36,000 a year
About £692.31 a week
| Weeks | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 6 | 90% of £692.31 = £623.08 | £3,738.48 |
| Weeks 7 to 39 | capped at £194.32 | £6,412.56 |
| Total | £10,151.04 | |
Earnings are above the crossover, so weeks 7 to 39 are paid at the flat rate.
£10,000 a year
About £192.31 a week
| Weeks | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 6 | 90% of £192.31 = £173.08 | £1,038.48 |
| Weeks 7 to 39 | 90% = £173.08 | £5,711.64 |
| Total | £6,750.12 | |
90% of earnings is below the flat rate, so 90% is paid for all 39 weeks.
£6,000 a year
About £115.38 a week
| Weeks | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| All weeks | Below the £129 lower earnings limit | £0.00 |
| Total | £0.00 | |
No Statutory Adoption Pay. Adoption leave is still available.
Who can get Statutory Adoption Pay?
Leave and pay have different tests. For Statutory Adoption Pay you must:
- have been continuously employed by your employer for at least 26 weeks up to any day in the week you were matched with a child
- be on their payroll and earn an average of at least £129 a week before tax in the 8-week relevant period
- give the correct notice
- give proof of the adoption or surrogacy
Adopting from overseas
The tests are the same, except the 26 weeks are counted to the start of the week your adoption pay begins. If you adopt with a partner you also sign form SC6, which confirms you are not taking paternity leave or pay.
Surrogacy
Intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement count the 26 weeks to the 15th week before the baby is due, the same qualifying week used for maternity pay. You must intend to apply for a parental order and expect it to be granted. If you are genetically related to the child you can choose paternity leave and pay instead, but not both.
Who does not qualify
Statutory Adoption Pay and Leave are not available if you arrange a private adoption, become a special guardian or kinship carer, or adopt a stepchild or another family member. If your employer decides you do not qualify, it must give you form SAP1 explaining why.
Statutory Adoption Leave
Adoption leave is 52 weeks: 26 weeks of Ordinary Adoption Leave and 26 weeks of Additional Adoption Leave. Pay starts when the leave starts.
Adoption leave can start:
- up to 14 days before the child starts living with you (UK adoptions)
- when the child arrives in the UK, or within 28 days of that date (overseas adoptions)
- on the day the child is born or the day after (surrogacy)
If you are fostering for adoption, pay and leave start when the child comes to live with you. After you are matched you can also take paid time off for 5 adoption appointments. Your rights to pay rises, holiday and returning to work are protected while you are on leave.
How to claim Statutory Adoption Pay
You claim through your employer.
- Within 7 days of being matched, tell your employer how much leave you want, your start date and the date of placement.
- Give at least 28 days' notice of when you want Statutory Adoption Pay to start, unless the gap between matching and placement is shorter than that.
- Give proof of the adoption: your name and address and the agency's, the match date (for example the matching certificate) and the date of placement.
Your employer must confirm within 28 days how much you will get and when it starts and stops. Overseas adopters tell their employer the date of the official notification, usually within 28 days of getting it, and the child's arrival date within 28 days of arrival. Intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement give notice at least 15 weeks before the expected week of birth.
What your partner can get
Only one person in a couple can take adoption leave and pay. The other adopter may get paternity leave and pay, which the Paternity Pay Calculator works out. You can also end adoption pay early and share the weeks you have not used as Shared Parental Pay, which the Shared Parental Pay Calculator splits between you.
Company adoption pay
Your employer can pay more than the statutory amount through a company adoption scheme, but never less, and the policy must be clear and available to staff. A company scheme tops up the statutory amount in the same way an employer's maternity scheme does; the guide to enhanced maternity pay explains how the top-up and the statutory pay fit together. Check the adoption policy itself rather than assuming it matches the maternity one.
Paying and reclaiming Statutory Adoption Pay
Employers pay Statutory Adoption Pay through payroll, with Income Tax and National Insurance deducted, and can usually reclaim 92% of it, or 109% with Small Employers' Relief. For adoption, the relief test looks at the tax year before the matching week. The reclaim rates are the same as for maternity pay, so the SMP Recovery Calculator shows how the two rates work. You must pay it even if the business stops trading, and keep records, including the proof of adoption, for 3 years from the end of the tax year they relate to.
Statutory Adoption Pay questions
Is Statutory Adoption Pay the same as maternity pay?
The amounts are the same: 90% for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90% for 33 weeks. The tests differ. Maternity pay counts service to the 15th week before the baby is due; adoption pay counts it to the week you were matched. The Maternity Pay Calculator covers birth mothers.
Is Statutory Adoption Pay taxed?
Yes. It is paid in the same way as your wages, weekly or monthly, and Income Tax and National Insurance are deducted.
Can both adopters get Statutory Adoption Pay?
No. Only one person in a couple can take adoption leave and pay. The other can take paternity leave and pay, and you can share unused weeks through Shared Parental Pay.
Can I get Statutory Adoption Pay if I am self-employed?
Statutory Adoption Pay is paid by an employer, so you need to be an employee on their payroll who meets the service and earnings tests.
What if my employer will not pay or gets the amount wrong?
If you disagree with the amount, or your employer cannot pay because it is insolvent, contact HMRC's Statutory Payment Disputes Team.
What this calculator does not cover
- Tax and deductions: figures are before Income Tax and National Insurance.
- Exact earnings: it converts your gross pay to a week. Your employer uses your actual earnings in the 8-week relevant period.
- Dates: it does not work out the matching week, notice deadlines or leave dates.
- Company schemes: it shows the statutory minimum only.
This is an estimate, not financial or employment advice; your payroll team confirms the final figures.
Sources
Every figure and rule on this page comes from GOV.UK. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 (HMRC)
- Adoption pay and leave (GOV.UK, updated 5 October 2026)
- Statutory Adoption Pay and Leave: employer guide (GOV.UK, updated 14 October 2026)
- Recover statutory payments (GOV.UK)
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.