Eligible employees in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) can take up to 52 weeks of Statutory Maternity Leave. The leave right has no minimum service, hours or pay test, but it does require employee status and correct notice. Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is separate and has its own service, earnings, notice and pregnancy-proof conditions.
The leave right has no minimum service period
Tell your employer by the 15-week point
SMP is a separate decision
Scope: Great Britain, not Northern Ireland
This guide covers employees whose employment is in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has separate maternity-leave rules. Check the current Northern Ireland employment guidance before relying on Great Britain dates or rules for a Northern Ireland job.
For the NI-specific employer notice, SMP eligibility/payment timing and Maternity Allowance route, see the Northern Ireland Maternity Leave and Pay guide.
If a baby needs neonatal care, a separate leave and statutory-pay entitlement may apply on top of maternity leave. See the Neonatal Care Leave and Pay guide for eligibility, the claim sequence and how the leave is scheduled after maternity leave.
How much leave and when can it start?
Statutory Maternity Leave lasts up to 52 weeks: 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave followed by up to 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave. You do not have to take the full period, but you must take at least two weeks after the birth (or four weeks if you work in a factory).
Leave can usually start as early as 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. If the baby arrives early, leave starts the day after the birth. It also starts automatically if you are off work with a pregnancy-related illness in the four weeks before the expected week of childbirth. These start rules can affect SMP dates too, so tell your employer promptly if circumstances change. See the focused pregnancy-related sickness and automatic maternity-leave guide for the four-week window and the separate payment checks.
Check leave eligibility separately from SMP
To qualify for Statutory Maternity Leave, you must be an employee (not simply a worker) and give the required notice. There is no minimum length of service, hours or salary threshold for this leave right. Surrogacy does not qualify for Statutory Maternity Leave; a different adoption or intended-parent route may apply.
SMP has a separate eligibility test, including 26 weeks of continuous employment into the qualifying week, average weekly earnings of at least £129 under the current GOV.UK guidance, and the required notice and pregnancy evidence. If you do not qualify for SMP, the employer must give form SMP1 explaining why; you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance instead. See the Maternity Allowance claim guide for MA1, evidence and the benefit start window, and the UK maternity and paternity pay guide for 2026/27 payment rates and tax treatment.
Notify your employer and provide evidence
Usually, tell the employer at least 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth when the baby is due and when you want your leave to start. The employer may ask for written notice. GOV.UK says the employer must write within 28 days confirming the start and end dates.
SMP requires a separate notice and evidence step. Tell the employer at least 28 days before the date you want SMP to start (or as soon as reasonably practicable) and provide proof of pregnancy within 21 days of the SMP start date, or as soon as possible if the baby is born early. A MATB1 certificate or doctor/midwife letter is accepted. Keep copies of all notices and proof.
Plan your leave and pay notices
- 1Confirm the expected week of childbirth and whether your job is in Great Britain; use separate Northern Ireland guidance for an NI job.
- 2Tell your employer the due date and intended leave start by the 15-week point; ask for written confirmation of the start and end dates.
- 3Check SMP eligibility separately. Give the SMP notice at least 28 days before its planned start and provide MATB1 or other accepted proof within the required period.
- 4If SMP is refused, request form SMP1 within seven days of the decision and check whether Maternity Allowance may apply.
- 5Give at least eight weeks’ notice if you want to change the planned return date; confirm holiday, pay and any Shared Parental Leave arrangements.
For the date calculations, open the Great Britain Maternity Leave Timeline Planner. It keeps the 15-week leave notice, separate 28-day SMP notice, pregnancy-evidence deadline and return-date reminder distinct. It does not decide eligibility or estimate payment; use the UK Maternity & Paternity Pay Calculator for a gross-pay illustration.
Employment rights and returning to work
Employment rights continue during Statutory Maternity Leave. These include annual leave accrual and pay rises. If you take up to 26 weeks of maternity leave, you have the right to return to the same job. If you take more than 26 weeks, you normally have the right to return to the same job or, if that is not reasonably practicable, a similar job on the same or better terms and conditions. Pension contributions usually stop during an unpaid period of leave unless your contract says otherwise.
Holiday continues to accrue, and unused days may need to carry into a later holiday year if maternity leave prevents you taking them. See the Great Britain guide to holiday entitlement during maternity leave for carry-over and the effect of booking annual leave before maternity leave ends.
You may work up to 10 Keeping in Touch (KIT) days during maternity leave, but they are optional and both you and the employer must agree. Agree the work and pay before the day; taking KIT days does not end maternity leave or remove maternity pay rights.
If you want to change the return date, give the employer at least eight weeks’ notice. Eligible parents may choose to end maternity leave and use Shared Parental Leave, but that is a separate process with its own eligibility, notice and booking rules; see the Shared Parental Leave and Pay guide. Adoption uses a different process; the Great Britain Adoption Leave guide explains matching and placement notices, Statutory Adoption Pay and return rights. Maternity Leave is also distinct from the UK Paternity Leave guide, ordinary Unpaid Parental Leave guide and Parental Bereavement Leave guide.
For the separate right to attend pregnancy appointments before leave starts, see the Great Britain antenatal appointments guide, including its paid employee right and the partner’s limited unpaid allowance.
Before maternity leave begins, a workplace hazard may require a separate risk assessment, adjustments or suitable alternative duties; if the risk cannot be managed, maternity-ground suspension may apply. See the pregnancy workplace risk and suspension guide. This is an employer safety and pay process, not an SMP claim.