Maternity leave in the UK: what happens to the time, the pay and the household budget?

How long can maternity leave last?

Eligible employees can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave. The first 26 weeks are Ordinary Maternity Leave and the final 26 weeks are Additional Maternity Leave.

That does not mean you are necessarily paid for 52 weeks. Statutory Maternity Pay can normally run for up to 39 weeks, which can leave a later period of leave with no maternity pay unless an employer scheme or another source of household income covers it.

When can maternity leave start?

Maternity leave can usually start from 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. There are circumstances where it can start automatically, including some pregnancy-related absences close to the due date.

For budgeting, your chosen start date matters because it determines when normal salary stops and when maternity pay phases begin.

Why the unpaid part catches people out

The phrase “a year of maternity leave” can sound like a year of maternity pay. It is not. If you plan to take close to the full 52 weeks, the later weeks can create the largest savings drawdown because statutory pay may already have ended.

That is why Bump & Balance models the whole leave period rather than multiplying one average maternity-pay figure by the number of months you plan to be away.

What should you decide before maternity leave starts?

• roughly when you want leave to begin
• whether 6, 9, 12 months or another return date feels right
• what your employer actually pays at each stage
• what your household normally spends each month
• which parts of your lifestyle you want to protect while income is lower
• what you expect baby to add in one-off and ongoing costs