Maternity Allowance

*If you are on this page because you are experiencing delays to the processing of your MA claim, you can contact the DWP Maternity Allowance team on: 0800 169 0283 (telephone); 0800 169 0286 (textphone)*

When you are employed or self-employed, and take time off to have a baby, you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance (MA). If you are employed, you may be eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and your employer may also offer enhanced maternity pay (sometimes called ‘occupational’ or ‘contractual’ maternity pay).

This article provides an detailed breakdown of Maternity Allowance, eligibility requirements, how much you can expect to receive, and where to go for more information. An easy and quick way to find out what maternity pay you are entitled to is to use the Government Calculator.

This article covers:

• What is Maternity Allowance?
• Am I eligible for Maternity Allowance?
• How much is Maternity Allowance?
• Frequently asked questions about Maternity Allowance

What is Maternity Allowance?

Maternity Allowance (MA) is a benefit for women who are working, or have worked recently, but who do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).

You might get MA if:

• you are employed , but not eligible for SMP
• you are registered self-employed and paying Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs), or hold a Small Earnings Exception certificate
• you have recently been employed or self-employed
• you are not employed or self-employed, but you regularly take part in the business of your self-employed spouse or civil partner

If you qualify for it, MA is paid by Jobcentre Plus directly to you. MA can be paid for up to 39 weeks. If you are not employed or self-employed but you take part in the business of your self-employed spouse or civil partner you may be able to get MA for 14 weeks.

You cannot get it in addition to SMP, and it could affect any other benefits you claim, such as Universal Credit or Tax Credits. The amount you get depends on your eligibility.

Am I eligible for Maternity Allowance?

To qualify for MA on the basis of paid work, you have to satisfy two rules:

• the employment rule
• the earnings rule

You have to satisfy these rules in a test period. The test period is the period of 66 weeks up to and including the week before the week your baby is due (your expected week of childbirth). For more on how to calculate your test period, see our article on Calculating maternity pay.

To get MA you must not be eligible for SMP from any employer.

The employment rule

You must have been employed and/or registered self-employed for at least 26 weeks in your 66 week test period prior to your due date.

The 26 weeks do not have to be in a row and it does not matter how much you earn. You do not have to be physically at work to be employed or self-employed; you might have been on statutory maternity leave for an earlier pregnancy, for example.

If you are self-employed, you must be registered with HMRC. If you do not register or you register late, you may not qualify for MA. If you were employed in the 15th week before your baby is due, you will need form SMP1 from your employer which sets out why you do not qualify for SMP.

The earnings rule

If you are employed, your average earnings must be at least £30 a week (gross). If you have more than one employer, all earnings will count when working out the average. Your earnings are averaged over any 13 weeks in your test period. The 13 weeks do not have to be in a row and you may choose the weeks with the most earnings to help you get more MA.

If you are self-employed, your entitlement is based on whether you have paid, or are treated as having paid Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) (rather than your actual earnings).

You can also qualify for MA for 14 weeks on the basis of unpaid work you have done for your spouse or civil partner if they have been registered as self-employed, and they have paid or treated as having paid Class 2 NICs for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your baby is due.

You can also qualify for MA for 14 weeks on the basis of unpaid work.

How much is Maternity Allowance?

Employed work

If you qualify on the basis of paid work: MA is paid at either 90 % of average earnings or the flat rate (whichever is lower) for 39 weeks. In April 2026-27, the flat rate is £194.32 per week.

If you are employed, to work out average gross weekly earnings, DWP will add together your gross earnings from the 13 weeks in the test period that you’ve earned the most and divide by 13. To prove your earnings, they will ask you for 13 original payslips (if paid weekly) or 4 payslips (if paid monthly).

Self-employed

If you are registered as self-employed for at least 26 weeks in the test period, how much MA you get depends on your Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs).

If you’ve paid or are treated as having paid Class 2 NICs you will receive the full flat rate of MA which is £194.32 per week (from April 2026-27). See below for more information about who must pay Class 2 NICs to qualify for MA.

For self-employed earnings from tax years on and after 6 April 2024

If your self-employed earnings meet or are above the ‘Small Profits Threshold’ (£6,845 per year in tax year 2025/26 and £7,105 per year in tax year 2026/27) you are treated as though you have paid Class 2 NICs without actually having to pay them.

If your self-employed earnings are below the ‘Small Profits Threshold’ you are not treated as having paid Class 2 NICs and may have to pay them voluntarily to get the full flat rate of MA. 

For self-employed earnings from tax years 2022/23 and 2023/24

If your self-employed earnings meet or are above the ‘Lower Profits Threshold‘ (£12,570 per year) you have to pay Class 2 NICs. 

If your self-employed earnings are between the ‘Small Profits Threshold‘ (£6,845 per year) and the Lower Profits Threshold (£12,750 per year) you are treated as though you have paid Class 2 NICs without actually having to pay them. 

If your self-employed earnings are below the ‘Small Profits Threshold’ (£6,845 per year) you are not treated as having paid Class 2 NICs and may have to pay them voluntarily to get the full flat rate of MA.

If you are self-employed and you haven’t paid Class 2 NICs, aren’t treated as having paid them and choose not to pay them voluntarily you will only get the lower rate of MA which is £27 MA for 39 weeks (unless you can qualify on the basis of employed work).

When you claim MA, you will be given the opportunity to pay Class 2 NICs early if this will help you qualify for the higher rate of MA.

If you are employed and self-employed

If you’re self-employed and have paid or are treated as having paid 13 weeks Class 2 NICs, you don’t need to worry about what you’ve also earned from employment in the 13 week period. You’ll get the full flat rate of MA based on your Class 2 NICs so don’t need to worry about choosing the 13 weeks you were paid the most.

However, if you haven’t paid or are not treated as having paid 13 weeks Class 2 NICs and want to combine earnings from employment and self-employment, your MA is going to be based on 90% of your average earnings in the 13 weeks of employment. You’re probably better off paying voluntary Class 2 NICs to get the full flat rate of MA if your combined employed and self-employed earnings aren’t enough to get the full flat rate.

Unpaid work

If you qualify on the basis of unpaid work you will receive £27 per week for 14 weeks only.

An easy and quick way to find out what MA you are entitled to is to use the Government Calculator, or you can read our article on Calculating maternity pay.

How to claim Maternity Allowance

You can download a MA Claim Form to apply with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

You will need to provide a certificate from your midwife giving the expected date of birth of your child (a form MAT B1) and other supporting evidence.

If you are (or have recently been) employed but that your employer or ex-employer has decided you are not entitled to SMP, it should give you form SMP1 explaining why and you should send it to the DWP to support your claim.

When should I claim?

The earliest you claim will be accepted is the 15th week before your baby is due (around week 26 of your pregnancy). Payments can start up to 11 weeks before the baby is due, and you can choose when your leave and pay should start.

Do not wait for too long to claim MA. You may be able to backdate your claim for up to 3 months under certain conditions but you risk losing out if you are late.

Frequently asked questions

Below are some of the most common questions we get on our helpline about Maternity Allowance (MA).

This advice applies in England, Wales and Scotland. If you live in another part of the UK, the law may differ. If you are in Northern Ireland you can visit the Labour Relations Agency or call their helpline Workplace Information Service on 03300 555 300.

Our helpline and online contact form is now closed as we wind down our operations. Our free legal advice pages remain available and up to date until further notice. You can find a list of trusted organisations that may be able to help you below.