How Much Is Maternity Allowance In 2026: Weekly Rates, Eligibility, Claim Steps, Forms, Pay Dates
If you’re searching for how much is maternity allowance, the amount depends on your work status and recent earnings. It is a state benefit designed for people who are pregnant or have recently had a baby and do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay.
Maternity Allowance is paid for up to 39 weeks. For the current 2026/27 tax year, the standard rate is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower. This is up from £187.18 a week in 2025/26. A separate Lower Rate Maternity Allowance of £27 a week applies in specific cases, mainly for self-employed claimants without enough Class 2 National Insurance contributions.
Key takeaways
- The standard Maternity Allowance rate is £194.32 a week for the whole 2026/27 tax year, applying to all new claims from 6 April 2026 onward.
- Maternity Allowance is paid for up to 39 weeks and pays 90% of your average weekly earnings instead of the full rate if that figure is lower.
- Self-employed claimants without 13 weeks of Class 2 National Insurance contributions get the Lower Rate Maternity Allowance of £27 a week instead.
- You can claim once you reach 26 weeks pregnant, and payments can start as early as 11 weeks before your baby’s expected due date each time it applies.
How Much Is Maternity Allowance and What Affects the Amount?
Maternity Allowance is a weekly payment from the Department for Work and Pensions for people who do not get Statutory Maternity Pay. You may receive the full weekly rate or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is lower.
Payments can run for up to 39 weeks, with a lower £27 rate for certain unpaid work cases.
What decides the exact amount you receive?
These three factors usually determine the amount:
- Your average weekly earnings in the relevant weeks you choose to evidence.
- Whether you are employed, self-employed, recently stopped working, or doing unpaid work for a partner’s business.
- The rate year your claim falls in, because the standard rate can change each April.
A frequent sticking point is the 90% of earnings rule: if your average pay is lower, that figure can set your weekly amount rather than the maximum rate.
Maternity Allowance rates at a glance
For the current 2026/27 tax year and the previous 2025/26 tax year, the main rates are:
| Period | Weekly rate |
|---|---|
| 2025/26 (6 April 2025 – 5 April 2026) | £187.18 standard rate |
| 2026/27 (from 6 April 2026, current) | £194.32 standard rate |
| Lower Rate Maternity Allowance (either tax year) | £27, for a limited period in specific circumstances |
| Situation and payment length | What you could get per week | How long it can last |
| Employed or recently stopped working | Up to the standard weekly rate, or 90% of average weekly earnings if lower | Up to 39 weeks |
| Self-employed | Between £27 and the standard weekly rate, depending on National Insurance contributions | Up to 39 weeks |
| Unpaid work for spouse or civil partner’s business | £27 | Up to 14 weeks |
What is the weekly Maternity Allowance rate in 2026?
For the 2026/27 tax year, the standard weekly rate is £194.32. This applies to all Maternity Allowance periods starting on or after 6 April 2026. Claims that started before that date, in the 2025/26 tax year, were capped at £187.18.
Where your earnings are lower, you may get 90% of your average weekly earnings instead of the maximum.
Where hours vary, choosing the best 13 qualifying weeks within the allowed window can increase the average used to work out your payment.
How does the 90% rule work in real life?
- If 90% of your average weekly earnings is below the weekly cap, you get the lower figure.
- If 90% is above the weekly cap, you get the capped weekly rate for that year.
Maternity Allowance when your earnings are low
When your average weekly earnings are modest, the cap becomes irrelevant and your payment is effectively earnings-based. If your average weekly earnings are £120, then 90% is £108, so your Maternity Allowance would be £108 per week rather than the maximum rate.
Who can claim Maternity Allowance?
You can usually claim if you take time off to have a baby, and you:
- Are employed but cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay from an employer.
- Are self-employed and meet the National Insurance conditions.
- Recently stopped working but meets the work and earnings tests.
- Do unpaid work for a spouse or civil partner’s business and meet the separate rules.
Even a small Maternity Allowance award is usually worth claiming beyond the cash itself. Successful claims come with automatic Class 1 National Insurance credits, which count toward your State Pension record for the weeks you receive payment.
This matters most for self-employed claimants on the Lower Rate, where the weekly amount is small but the NI credit is the same as it would be on the standard rate.
You’ll usually come across the Department for Work and Pensions, Statutory Maternity Pay, National Insurance contributions, the MATB1 certificate, the MA1 claim form, and an SMP1 form from your employer.
If your work situation changes and you’re considering other support in the meantime, questions about income, eligibility and savings often come up alongside maternity payments, including can i claim job seekers allowance if i have savings when someone is between roles.
The eligibility tests you should know
Eligibility is usually judged using:
- A 66-week test period before the week your baby is due.
- Work for at least 26 weeks in that test period.
- Earnings of at least £30 per week for any 13 weeks in the test period (they do not have to be consecutive).
When reviewing decisions, most disputes come down to missing evidence for earnings weeks or confusion over which weeks fall inside the 66-week window.
Maternity Allowance If You Are Self-Employed
Self-employed claims can range from £27 up to the standard weekly rate, depending on your Class 2 National Insurance record. You do not need an employer to claim, but you do need to show you meet the work test and have the right contribution history.
To get the standard rate, you need at least 13 weeks of Class 2 National Insurance contributions paid, or treated as paid, within the 66-week test period.
Since April 2024, Class 2 contributions are treated as paid automatically if your self-employed profits reach the Small Profits Threshold, currently £6,845 a year, so many self-employed claimants qualify for the standard rate without making direct Class 2 payments.
Falling short of that threshold, or not being registered with HMRC for long enough, is the most common reason self-employed claimants end up on the £27 Lower Rate instead.
Typical evidence includes:
- Self Assessment information (such as a tax calculation or return details).
- Invoices, receipts, or business records showing you were working.
- National Insurance contribution history.
Mini example: A freelance hairdresser had steady bookings but uneven income. She used a strong run of paid weeks to evidence earnings, which increased her average and moved her payment closer to the weekly cap.
How is Maternity Allowance different from Statutory Maternity Pay?
Maternity Allowance is usually paid by the state. Statutory Maternity Pay is paid by your employer through payroll (with tax and National Insurance deducted). While some workers benefit from Enhanced Maternity Pay through their workplace policies, many people only look at the weekly numbers and miss the bigger difference: the qualifying rules and who pays you.
| Key differences | Maternity Allowance | Statutory Maternity Pay |
| Who pays | DWP | Employer via payroll |
| Who it is for | People who do not qualify for SMP | Employees who meet SMP rules |
| Typical structure | Single weekly rate up to 39 weeks (or 90% if lower) | 6 weeks at 90% earnings, then capped rate for 33 weeks |
| Tax and NI | Usually treated as a tax-free benefit | Tax and NI deducted |
What to do if your employer says you cannot get SMP?
Ask for an SMP1 form. This document explains why you do not qualify and is often used as supporting evidence when you claim Maternity Allowance.
Mini example: An employee started a new job while pregnant and did not meet the employer tenure rules. HR issued an SMP1, and her Maternity Allowance claim was processed using that plus payslips.
When can you apply and when do payments start?
You can usually apply once you have been pregnant for 26 weeks. Payments can start any time from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due up to the day after the birth.
To avoid delays, it helps to:
- Request your MATB1 from your midwife or GP as soon as you are eligible.
- Gather your payslips (or proof of earnings) early, especially if you have multiple employers.
- If you are not eligible for SMP, get the SMP1 promptly.
How to claim Maternity Allowance?
The claim process is document-led, but straightforward when the evidence is complete. Your goal is to submit a complete MA1 claim with the right supporting evidence so it can be processed without follow-up.
Steps to reduce delays in your claim
- Get your MATB1 certificate from your midwife or GP.
- Ask your employer for SMP1 if they cannot pay Statutory Maternity Pay.
- Choose the weeks you’ll use to evidence earnings, ensuring they meet the rules.
- Collect payslips or self-employed proof for those weeks.
- Complete the MA1 claim form accurately, matching names and dates to your documents.
- Submit the claim with all attachments, keeping copies of everything.
- Report any work days taken during the claim period as required.
How are Maternity Allowance payments made?
Maternity Allowance is typically paid in arrears, often every 2 or 4 weeks, rather than weekly. The payment schedule can be easy to misread, especially when budgeting.
For budgeting, the following usually helps:
- Treat the weekly rate as a budgeting unit, then translate it into a 2-week or 4-week total.
- Plan for a short gap between your chosen start date and the first payment run.
- Keep a small buffer for admin delays if evidence is incomplete.
Can you work while receiving Maternity Allowance?
You can usually do up to 10 keeping in touch days without reducing your Maternity Allowance. If you work more than that, you may lose money.
The details that tend to make a difference are:
- A day can count even if it is short.
- Self-employed work can also count.
- You must report keeping in touch days during your Maternity Allowance Period.
Mini example: A retail supervisor covered a single handover shift and later attended a day of training. She reported both as keeping in touch days and avoided an overpayment issue.
Common Mistakes That Reduce Your Maternity Allowance
Most lower-than-expected payments come down to evidence or timing issues. The usual causes are admin errors rather than eligibility surprises.
Common mistakes:
- Picking weak earnings weeks when stronger weeks exist within the test period.
- Missing documents, especially MATB1 or SMP1.
- Confusing 52 weeks leave with 39 weeks paid and budgeting as if all leave is paid.
- Forgetting to report keeping in touch days.
- Submitting inconsistent dates across forms and evidence.
In practice, the fastest fixes come from re-checking dates: due week, 11-week earliest start point, and the exact earnings weeks used for the average.
If health limitations are also in the picture, it helps to keep wording consistent across paperwork, as eligibility terms can overlap; conditions that automatically qualify you for LCWRA can help you recognise the official phrasing used in work capability decisions.
Understanding key dates and what they mean
Maternity Allowance can be paid for up to 39 weeks. This often sits alongside a broader time off plan, but the payment length itself does not automatically stretch to match a full year away from work.
A simple way to separate the two is:
- Paid period: up to 39 weeks.
- Time off: depends on your employment status and arrangements, but payment and time off are not the same thing.
| Key dates and what they mean | What it means | Why it matters |
| 26 weeks pregnant | Earliest point you can usually apply | Lets you gather MATB1 and evidence early |
| 11 weeks before due week | Earliest payment start window | Controls when money begins |
| Up to 39 weeks | Maximum paid period | Helps you budget for any unpaid time afterwards |
Does sharing leave affect your Maternity Allowance?
If you curtail your maternity leave early to take Statutory Shared Parental Leave or Pay with your partner, your Maternity Allowance can stop before the full 39 weeks.
Decide on any shared leave plans before you fix your Maternity Allowance start date, since ending it early to free up shared leave reduces the total Maternity Allowance you receive.
Does Maternity Allowance affect other benefits?
Maternity Allowance counts in full as income for means-tested benefits, including Universal Credit and Housing Benefit. For Universal Credit specifically, it’s deducted pound for pound from your award.
Because Maternity Allowance is usually paid every two or four weeks but Universal Credit is assessed monthly, it can look like a bigger deduction than the amount you actually received in that assessment period; that mismatch is a timing issue, not an error, but it catches people out when budgeting.
Maternity Allowance also counts toward the Benefit Cap, which limits the total amount some working-age households can receive across certain benefits. If you’re close to the cap already, check the effect before you claim rather than after.
If you also have caring responsibilities at home, it can help to understand the wider support available, including what benefits can you claim if you are a carer, so you can plan changes in income with fewer surprises.
Useful preparation steps:
- Note your expected Maternity Allowance start date and amount.
- Keep a record of childcare and housing costs, as they can interact with benefit assessments.
- Report changes promptly to avoid overpayments and later deductions.
What people talk about this online?
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Conclusion and next steps
Maternity Allowance is paid for up to 39 weeks and is usually capped at the standard weekly rate for the year, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if lower. For the current 2026/27 tax year, the standard rate is £194.32, up from £187.18 in 2025/26, with a £27 Lower Rate Maternity Allowance for specific cases.
Next steps: confirm you are not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay, secure SMP1 if needed, request MATB1, choose the best eligible earnings weeks, and submit MA1 with complete evidence.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute official financial or legal advice; please consult gov.uk or a professional advisor for your specific situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between maternity pay and Maternity Allowance?
Statutory Maternity Pay comes from your employer through payroll and is taxed. Maternity Allowance comes from the DWP directly, is tax-free, and exists specifically for people who don’t meet an employer’s SMP qualifying rules.
Why is maternity pay so low in the UK?
UK statutory rates are set as a minimum floor, not a full wage replacement, most weeks are paid at a flat rate rather than full salary. Some employers top this up through their own enhanced maternity pay policies.
Do you get 6 months full pay on maternity?
Not under statutory rules alone. Statutory Maternity Pay gives 90% of earnings for 6 weeks, then a flat weekly rate for 33 weeks; Maternity Allowance pays the flat rate or 90% (whichever is lower) throughout. Full pay for 6 months depends on your employer’s own policy.
What benefits do pregnant mothers get in the UK?
Options can include Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, Sure Start Maternity Grants for qualifying claimants, free prescriptions and dental care during pregnancy, and Healthy Start payments for lower-income households, alongside Universal Credit where eligible.
Does Maternity Allowance affect my State Pension?
No, claiming it can help rather than hurt. Weeks you receive Maternity Allowance usually come with automatic Class 1 National Insurance credits, which count toward your qualifying years for the State Pension.
Can you get Maternity Allowance and Statutory Maternity Pay at the same time?
No. They’re mutually exclusive; you claim one or the other based on your work situation and employer eligibility, not both simultaneously for the same pregnancy.
