The £15,892 maternity pay gap — how much will you actually get in 2026?

Recent reports have highlighted a terrifying statistic for expecting parents: a mother taking a full year of maternity leave on the legal minimum pay will earn £15,892 less than a worker on the National Living Wage.

As the cost of living remains high and the minimum wage rises to £12.71 an hour in April 2026, Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) has drastically failed to keep pace. For many families, this creates a severe financial cliff edge right when they are facing the enormous costs of a new baby.

How much is Statutory Maternity Pay in 2026?

If your employer only offers the legal minimum, the math is brutal. SMP is paid for a maximum of 39 weeks. It is calculated like this:

• The first 6 weeks: You receive 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax).
• The next 33 weeks: You receive £188.90 a week, OR 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower).

If you take the full 52 weeks of legal maternity leave, the final 13 weeks are completely unpaid.

At £188.90 a week, you are surviving on roughly £4.72 an hour (assuming a 40-hour week) — miles below the legal minimum wage.

Do you qualify for SMP?

To get SMP, you must have been working for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks up to the "qualifying week" (the 15th week before your expected week of childbirth). You must also earn on average at least £123 a week.

If you don't qualify for SMP (for example, you are self-employed or recently changed jobs), you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance from the government instead. This pays a maximum of £188.90 a week.

The Salary Sacrifice Warning

If you participate in Salary Sacrifice schemes at work (like a pension, cycle to work, or buying extra holiday), be incredibly careful when planning for maternity leave.

Your "average weekly earnings" used to calculate that golden 90% figure for your first 6 weeks are based on your gross pay after salary sacrifice. If you heavily sacrifice your salary in the crucial 8-week period before your qualifying week, you will permanently cripple your maternity pay.

Company Maternity Pay

The bleak £15k shortfall only applies to the legal minimum. Many employers offer "Enhanced" or "Company" maternity pay (for example, full pay for 3 months, then half pay for 3 months).

If you are planning a family, reading your HR handbook's maternity policy is the most important financial planning you can do. If the policy only says "Statutory Maternity Pay", you need to start building a significant cash buffer immediately.