The calculator above shows your take-home pay month by month through maternity leave, from enhanced or statutory pay to any unpaid weeks. Pay is the part people plan first. But several other things carry on during leave, or change because of it, and they affect your finances long after you return. This guide covers the ones most often overlooked.
Your pension keeps going
During paid maternity leave, your employer must keep paying pension contributions as if you were earning your normal salary. Your own contributions are based on what you're actually paid, which may be much lower. For someone on Statutory Maternity Pay of £194.32 a week, employee contributions fall sharply while the employer's stay at their normal level. That's one of the most valuable protections of maternity leave, and it's worth checking your pension statements to make sure it has happened.
Unpaid leave is different. Contributions normally stop during the unpaid weeks at the end of the leave, unless your employer's scheme says otherwise. If you're taking the full 52 weeks, check how your scheme treats those final months.
Holiday builds up while you're away
You keep building up your normal holiday entitlement throughout maternity leave, including bank holidays. Many people take that holiday at the end of their leave, which extends the time off at full pay. On a typical full-time entitlement, a year's leave can build up five or six weeks of holiday, so planning when to take it can significantly ease the drop in pay at the end of statutory pay.
Keeping-in-touch days
You can work up to 10 keeping-in-touch days during maternity leave without ending it or losing Statutory Maternity Pay. They're optional for both you and your employer. They're useful for training, team days or a gradual return. How you're paid for them is a matter for agreement, but many employers pay your normal daily rate, sometimes topped up on top of SMP. A few KIT days in the unpaid weeks can make a noticeable difference to take-home pay in those months.
Tax can come back to you
Pay usually drops a lot during maternity leave, but your tax code assumes you'll earn at your normal rate all year. Because PAYE is cumulative, you'll often pay less tax in the low-paid months and sometimes get a refund through payroll. If your leave spans two tax years, the effect can be bigger, because a low-earning year leaves part of your Personal Allowance unused. Check your payslips. If tax seems too high, contact HMRC before the year ends.
Planning your return
Many parents return part-time. Before agreeing a pattern, run the reduced salary through the pro-rata salary calculator. Part-time pay usually falls by less than the cut in hours, because tax and student loan take a smaller share of a lower salary. Childcare costs matter too. Tax-Free Childcare and funded childcare hours both depend on each parent earning at least a minimum amount and staying under £100,000 of adjusted net income.
If your partner is eligible, Shared Parental Leave lets you split up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between you. Sharing can make sense financially if one of you has more generous enhanced pay, or if spreading leave lets you both stay closer to work.
Statutory Paternity Pay for partners
Partners can take up to two weeks of paternity leave, which since 2024 can be taken as two separate weeks at any time in the first year after the birth or adoption. Statutory Paternity Pay is paid at the same flat weekly rate as the later weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay, £194.32, or 90% of average earnings if that's lower. Many employers enhance it. If your partner's employer pays enhanced paternity leave, factor it into the household plan alongside maternity pay.
Next steps
Build your leave from enhanced, statutory and unpaid blocks above to see the monthly picture. The statutory sick pay calculator covers sickness absence, and the pro-rata salary calculator shows what a part-time return pays.