Maternity and Parental Leave in the UK 2027: Pay Rates and New Rights
Maternity and parental leave 2027 at a glance
Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and neonatal care pay is £194.32 a week until April 2027, then rises by 3.5% to roughly £201 a week.
Maternity leave stays at 52 weeks, 39 of them paid. Paternity leave stays at 2 weeks.
Self-employed mothers do not get Statutory Maternity Pay. They claim Maternity Allowance instead.
New in 2027: unfair dismissal rights after 6 months (January), bereavement leave including pregnancy loss (April) and stronger dismissal protection for pregnant employees and new mothers (October).
Statutory pay rates from April 2027
On 28 October 2026 the government confirmed that statutory payments, including Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), will increase by 3.5% in line with September 2026 inflation. Applied to the current £194.32, that works out at roughly £201 a week. The exact figure will appear in the DWP benefit rates table for 2027/28; until April 2027 the £194.32 rate applies.
The same flat rate covers Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Shared Parental Pay, Parental Bereavement Pay and Neonatal Care Pay. To qualify, an employee’s average weekly earnings must reach the Lower Earnings Limit, which is £129 a week for 2026/27. The 2027/28 limit will be published with the National Insurance thresholds.
Maternity leave and Statutory Maternity Pay
Every employee can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, whatever their length of service. The first 26 weeks are ordinary maternity leave, the next 26 additional maternity leave. Two weeks after the birth are compulsory.
SMP is paid for 39 weeks:
Weeks 1 to 6: 90% of average weekly earnings, with no cap.
Weeks 7 to 39: the flat rate or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
To get SMP, the employee must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks by the qualifying week (the 15th week before the baby is due), earn at least the Lower Earnings Limit and give the employer notice plus the MATB1 certificate.
Self-employed? You claim Maternity Allowance
Sole traders and freelancers cannot get SMP because there is no employer to pay it. Maternity Allowance is paid by the DWP for up to 39 weeks and is tax-free.
How much you get depends on your Class 2 National Insurance record in the 66 weeks before the due date:
Full rate (£194.32 a week, rising with the April 2027 uprating) if you have paid, or are treated as having paid, Class 2 contributions for at least 13 weeks. You are treated as having paid when your profits reach the Small Profits Threshold of £7,105 for 2026/27.
£27 a week if no Class 2 contributions are recorded.
You can apply from the 26th week of pregnancy using form MA1.
Check your National Insurance record before you claim. If HMRC finds a gap, it will tell you how many voluntary Class 2 contributions you need. At £3.65 a week for 2026/27, topping up is far cheaper than losing the full rate.
Paternity, shared parental and neonatal care leave
Paternity leave is 1 or 2 weeks, taken as a single block or two separate weeks at any time within 52 weeks of the birth. Since 6 April 2026 it is a day-one right, so new employees no longer need 26 weeks of service to take it (pay still requires it). Statutory Paternity Pay uses the standard flat rate.
Shared parental leave lets the mother end her maternity leave early and share the rest with her partner: up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them.
Parents of babies admitted to neonatal care for 7 or more consecutive days within the first 28 days of life get up to 12 weeks of extra leave, paid at the flat rate if they meet the earnings and service conditions.
Unpaid parental leave (18 weeks per child before their 18th birthday) also became a day-one right in April 2026.
What the Employment Rights Act changes in 2027
The government published month-by-month dates on 22 October 2026. Three of them matter for parents:
1 January 2027: employees can claim ordinary unfair dismissal after 6 months in the job instead of 2 years, and the cap on compensation is removed. Dismissal because of pregnancy or maternity leave is already automatically unfair from the first day.
April 2027: a new statutory right to bereavement leave, including pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. The leave is unpaid and covers both the mother and her partner.
October 2027: enhanced protection against dismissal for pregnant employees and new mothers. It will run from the moment the employer is told about the pregnancy, through maternity leave and for 6 months after return. Dismissal in that period will only be lawful if the employer can show it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
The 2027 dates come from the government timetable and still depend on regulations being made. Employers should update family leave and dismissal policies during 2027, but check the final wording of each regulation before relying on it.
For employers: reclaiming statutory pay
Employers advance SMP, SPP, SAP, ShPP and Neonatal Care Pay through payroll and reclaim it from HMRC on the Employer Payment Summary. For 2026/27 the recovery rate is 92%, or 109% for small employers whose total Class 1 National Insurance in the previous tax year was £45,000 or less. The 2027/28 recovery rates will be confirmed alongside the new pay rates.
FAQ:
1. How much is Statutory Maternity Pay in 2027?
Until April 2027 it is 90% of average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% of earnings if lower. From April 2027 the flat rate rises by 3.5% to roughly £201 a week; the exact figure will be published by the DWP.
2. Can I get maternity pay if I am self-employed?
Not SMP, but you can claim Maternity Allowance from the DWP for up to 39 weeks. You get the full rate if you have paid or are treated as having paid Class 2 National Insurance for at least 13 weeks in the 66 weeks before the due date, otherwise £27 a week.
3. How long is paternity leave in the UK in 2027?
1 or 2 weeks, taken together or as two separate weeks within 52 weeks of the birth. Since April 2026 the leave is a day-one right.
4. When does the stronger protection against dismissal for pregnant employees start?
The government timetable sets October 2027. Protection will run from notification of pregnancy until 6 months after maternity leave ends.
5. Can employers reclaim Statutory Maternity Pay?
Yes. For 2026/27 employers reclaim 92% from HMRC, or 109% if their total Class 1 National Insurance for the previous tax year was £45,000 or less.
Conclusion:
The headline numbers for 2027 are simple: statutory family pay goes up 3.5% in April, leave lengths do not change, and the self-employed still rely on Maternity Allowance and their Class 2 record. The bigger shift is legal. Between January and October 2027 parents gain earlier unfair dismissal rights, bereavement leave after pregnancy loss and a much stronger shield against dismissal around maternity leave.
