Maternity Allowance 2026/27: Who Qualifies, How Much and How to Claim

Maternity Allowance is a tax-free weekly payment from the DWP for up to 39 weeks if you cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay. In 2026/27 it is £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if less. To qualify you need to have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your baby is due, and if employed, have earned £30 a week in 13 of them. Self-employed parents get £27 to £194.32 depending on Class 2 National Insurance. Claim on form MA1 from 26 weeks pregnant.

If you are self-employed, between jobs, on a short contract or your employer has said you cannot get maternity pay, Maternity Allowance is the payment to check. It can be worth over £7,500 across 39 weeks, it is not taxed, and you claim it from the government rather than an employer. Here is who qualifies, how much you get and how to claim so you do not lose weeks of payments.

What Maternity Allowance is

Maternity Allowance is a weekly payment from the Department for Work and Pensions for up to 39 weeks while you are off having a baby. It is for people who cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay from an employer, for example because they are self-employed, have not been in their job long enough, earn under £129 a week, or have recently stopped working.

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If you are an employee who does qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay, you cannot get Maternity Allowance as well; SMP will usually be worth more because of the uncapped first six weeks.

Who qualifies

Everything hangs on the “test period”: the 66 weeks up to and including the week before your baby is due. You can usually get Maternity Allowance for up to 39 weeks if, in that period, you were:

• Employed for at least 26 weeks, and earning, or classed as earning, £30 a week or more in at least 13 of those weeks. The weeks do not have to be together, and they can be spread across different jobs.
• Or registered as self-employed with HMRC for at least 26 weeks.

A mixture of employed and self-employed weeks can also add up to the 26. It does not matter if you had gaps out of work. If you do unpaid work for your spouse or civil partner’s self-employed business, and were not employed or self-employed yourself, you may get a smaller amount for up to 14 weeks.

How much you get

If you were employed or recently stopped working

You get £194.32 a week, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is less, for up to 39 weeks. The DWP works out your average from any 13 weeks in the test period that you choose, so pick the best-paid stretch when you fill in the form. For example, if you earned £300 a week, 90% is £270, so you get the full £194.32. If you earned £150 a week, you get £135.

If you are self-employed

You get between £27 and £194.32 a week, depending on how many weeks of Class 2 National Insurance contributions you have paid, or have been treated as paying, in the test period. With 13 or more weeks you get the full £194.32. With none you get £27 a week.

Since April 2024, self-employed people with profits above the small profits threshold are treated as having paid Class 2 contributions without actually paying them, so many will already qualify for the full rate. If your profits are lower, HMRC will write after you claim to say how many voluntary Class 2 contributions you need to top up, at £3.65 a week in 2026/27. Thirteen weeks costs about £47 and can lift your allowance from £27 to £194.32 a week, which is one of the best-value payments you will ever make.

If you help in your partner’s business

You get £27 a week for up to 14 weeks, as long as your spouse or civil partner was registered as self-employed and paying Class 2 contributions for the same 26 weeks.

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When and how to claim

1. Wait until you have been pregnant for 26 weeks. That is the earliest you can claim.
2. Fill in the Maternity Allowance claim form, MA1, from GOV.UK. You can complete it on screen and print it, or order a paper copy.
3. Choose your start date. Payments can begin any time from 11 weeks before the week your baby is due; if you are still working, they start the day after the birth at the latest.
4. Send the form with your original payslips (or proof of self-employment), proof of your due date such as your MATB1 or a letter from your midwife, and form SMP1 if your employer refused you maternity pay.
5. Expect a decision within about 20 working days.

Before you claim, the GOV.UK maternity entitlement calculator shows whether you are more likely to get SMP or Maternity Allowance and helps you work out your test period dates.

While you are getting Maternity Allowance

• You can work up to 10 “keeping in touch” days without losing any allowance, but you must report each one.
• Tell the DWP straight away if you go back to work, start a new job, become entitled to SMP, move, or change bank details. Not reporting a change can mean an overpayment to repay and a £50 fine.
• If you get Universal Credit, it will be reduced by the amount of your Maternity Allowance, pound for pound. Report the allowance in your Universal Credit journal. You may still get more overall, and Universal Credit can help with childcare costs.
• You get Class 1 National Insurance credits for the weeks you are paid, which protect your State Pension record.

Maternity Allowance is not taxable, so it will not change your tax code, and it does not affect Child Benefit. If you get Universal Credit, check the £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant too. When you go back to work, Tax-Free Childcare is open to self-employed parents.

If your baby dies

You can still get Maternity Allowance if your baby is stillborn from the start of the 24th week of pregnancy, or is born alive at any stage of pregnancy and then dies. Tell the DWP what has happened so they can make sure your payments are right.

Quick questions about Maternity Allowance

How much is Maternity Allowance in 2026?

The full rate is £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks, or 90% of your average weekly earnings if that is less. Self-employed parents get between £27 and £194.32 depending on their Class 2 National Insurance record.

Can I get Maternity Allowance if I am self-employed?

Yes, if you have been registered as self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your due week. How much depends on Class 2 contributions, which you can top up after you claim.

Is Maternity Allowance taxed?

No. Maternity Allowance is a tax-free state benefit, unlike Statutory Maternity Pay.

When should I apply for Maternity Allowance?

From 26 weeks pregnant, and within three months of the date you want payments to start. Payments can start from 11 weeks before your due week.

Can I get Maternity Allowance and SMP?

No. If your employer pays Statutory Maternity Pay you cannot also get Maternity Allowance. If they refuse SMP, they must give you form SMP1, which you send with your claim.