How much Statutory Maternity Pay do I get in the first six weeks on a £30,000 salary?

Full answer

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid for up to 39 weeks and is structured in two parts: the first six weeks are paid at 90% of your average weekly earnings, with no upper cap, while the remaining 33 weeks are paid at the lower of 90% of average weekly earnings or the standard weekly rate of £194.32 for 2026/27. On a £30,000 annual salary, average weekly earnings work out to roughly £576.92 (£30,000 divided by 52 weeks), so the first six weeks of SMP at 90% comes to approximately £519.23 a week, totalling around £3,115.38 over the six weeks. For the remaining 33 weeks, since 90% of average weekly earnings (£519.23) is higher than the £194.32 standard rate, SMP drops to the standard rate of £194.32 a week for the rest of the 39-week period, giving £6,412.56 for those 33 weeks, and bringing total SMP over the full 39 weeks to approximately £9,527.94 before tax. SMP is treated as normal earnings for Income Tax and National Insurance purposes, so both are deducted as usual, though since SMP is often lower than normal salary, the amount of tax and National Insurance due each pay period is typically less than when working normally. Many employers offer enhanced (contractual) maternity pay on top of the statutory minimum, particularly for staff with longer service, so it is worth checking your specific employer's maternity policy rather than assuming only SMP applies.

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