Children and childcare
Maternity Allowance: how much, who qualifies and how to claim
The DWP’s payment for mothers whose employer cannot pay Statutory Maternity Pay, and for the self-employed.
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Maternity Allowance replaces earnings for up to 39 weeks around the birth for women who cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay from an employer, including the self-employed and those who recently stopped work. In 2026/27 an employee receives £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is less, up from £187.18 last year; average pay of about £215.91 a week or more gives the full rate. To qualify you must have been employed or registered as self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the week the baby is due, and as an employee have earned at least £30 a week in 13 of those weeks. Self-employed women get between £27 and £194.32 a week depending on how many Class 2 National Insurance contributions they paid, with the full rate after 13 weeks. You can claim once you are 26 weeks pregnant. Universal Credit is reduced pound for pound by Maternity Allowance, so the gain shows mainly for families not on Universal Credit.
Your Maternity Allowance in 2026/27
Maternity Allowance a week
£162.00
| Over 39 weeks | £6,318 |
| Universal Credit reduced by | £702.00 a month |
Average pay counts only for employees; the self-employed rate depends on Class 2 contributions.
The rates for 2026/27
| Your situation | Weekly amount | For how long |
|---|---|---|
| Employed, or recently stopped work | 90% of average pay, up to £194.32 | 39 weeks |
| Self-employed with 13 or more weeks of Class 2 | £194.32 | 39 weeks |
| Self-employed with fewer Class 2 weeks | Between £27.00 and £194.32 | 39 weeks |
| Self-employed with no Class 2 paid | £27.00 | 39 weeks |
| Unpaid work in a spouse’s or civil partner’s business | £27.00 | 14 weeks |
The allowance is aimed at women who miss Statutory Maternity Pay, for example because they changed job late in pregnancy, earn through several short contracts or work for themselves. Over the full 39 weeks the maximum is £7,578. Since maternity leave can last 52 weeks, the last 13 weeks of a full year off are unpaid.
The test period: 26 weeks out of 66
The test period is the 66 weeks before the week the baby is due. Within it you need at least 26 weeks in which you were employed or registered as self-employed, and the weeks do not have to be consecutive or with the same employer. Gaps between jobs and spells of unemployment do not matter as long as the total is reached. Employees must also have earned, or been treated as earning, £30 a week or more in 13 of the weeks; those 13 weeks set the average used for the 90% calculation.
A woman due in late March who worked in a café from the previous January to September and then left would usually pass if she earned at least £30 in 13 of those weeks: her employment covers more than 26 weeks of the test period, even though she has stopped work. GOV.UK’s eligibility page links to a test period calculator that gives the exact dates from the due date.
A pregnancy that ends early does not necessarily end the claim. The allowance can still be paid if the baby is stillborn from the start of the 24th week of pregnancy, or born alive at any point.
Self-employed: how Class 2 decides the rate
For the self-employed, earnings play no part. What matters is registration with HMRC for 26 weeks of the test period and the number of Class 2 contributions paid in it. 13 weeks of contributions give the full £194.32; none gives £27.00; anything in between gives a rate calculated on the weeks paid. Those short of the weeks can pay voluntary contributions after claiming. At £3.65 a week, 13 weeks cost £47.45, against a possible increase of £6,525 over the life of the award. Few payments in the benefit system repay themselves so quickly.
Expect £27.00 a week for the first few payments while HMRC links the contributions to the claim; the difference is then paid as arrears.
Helping in a spouse’s business
A woman who is neither employed nor self-employed but has done unpaid work for her husband’s, wife’s or civil partner’s business for 26 weeks of the test period can receive £27.00 a week for 14 weeks. Her partner must have been registered as self-employed and paying Class 2 contributions over the same weeks. The claim needs extra details about the business and the work done.
Maternity Allowance and Universal Credit
Maternity Allowance counts as unearned income for Universal Credit, so the award falls by the full monthly equivalent: the standard rate takes about £842.05 a month off. A family entitled to more Universal Credit than that still gets the difference, and the work allowance does not apply to Maternity Allowance the way it does to wages. The Universal Credit calculator lets you enter the allowance as other income to see the result.
Other benefits move too: Jobseeker’s Allowance stops, and Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance and ESA can change, though GOV.UK notes that the total usually rises or stays level. Maternity Allowance also brings Class 1 National Insurance credits automatically, protecting your State Pension record during the leave, and it can bring the household under the benefit cap.
Claiming, step by step
- Wait until you are 26 weeks pregnant, then get form MA1, online or by post.
- Attach original payslips for the weeks you rely on, proof of the due date such as a MAT B1 or a midwife’s letter, and form SMP1 if your employer refused SMP.
- Choose a start date between the 11th week before the due week and the day after the birth, and post the claim within 3 months of that date.
A decision normally follows within 20 working days, and payments arrive every two or four weeks. The three-month time limit is set in the Claims and Payments Regulations. If you are refused, a mandatory reconsideration is the first step. For a first baby on a low income, also claim the Sure Start Maternity Grant of £500, or in Scotland the Best Start Grant.