Maternity Leave Timeline: Week-by-Week Guide for UK Employees

Published 10 January 2026 · 10 min read

When I was pregnant with my first, I had no idea how many deadlines and notifications were involved in maternity leave. Nobody tells you this stuff upfront. Miss one form, one date, and your maternity pay can be delayed or messed up completely. So I've put together the timeline I wish someone had given me -- week by week, everything you need to do and when.

First Trimester: Weeks 1 to 12

Confirming Your Pregnancy

Get yourself to your GP or midwife as soon as you suspect you're pregnant. They'll confirm it and estimate your expected week of childbirth (EWC) -- the week baby is due. That date drives every single maternity leave calculation, so you need it nailed down early.

You don't have to tell your employer yet. Most women wait until after the 12-week scan, when the miscarriage risk drops significantly. But if your job involves anything risky -- heavy lifting, chemicals, long hours on your feet -- tell them sooner so they can do a risk assessment. Your safety comes first.

Understanding Your Entitlements

Now's the time to get your head around what you're actually entitled to. Every employed woman in the UK gets 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave. All of it. Doesn't matter how long you've been in the job. That's 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML) plus 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave (AML). You don't have to take all 52 weeks, but you must take at least 2 weeks after the birth (4 if you work in a factory).

Statutory Maternity Pay covers 39 of those weeks. The last 13? Unpaid, unless your employer has an enhanced scheme. Pop your details into our SMP calculator to see what your weekly payments will look like.

Second Trimester: Weeks 13 to 27

Telling Your Employer (by Week 25)

You have to tell your employer by the 15th week before your due date. That's roughly the end of week 25 of pregnancy. You need to confirm you're pregnant, give them your expected week of childbirth, and tell them when you want your maternity leave to start.

They then have 28 days to write back confirming when your leave will end if you take the full 52 weeks. Keep that letter or email. It's your proof of the agreed dates.

                Don't stress about picking the perfect start date. You can change it later as long as you give 28 days' notice. Most women give an initial estimate and then adjust once they're further along and know how they're feeling.
            

Getting Your MATB1 Certificate (Around Week 20-21)

Your midwife or doctor will give you a MATB1 certificate from 20 weeks before your due date. This is the form your employer needs to process your SMP. Hand it over as soon as you get it. No MATB1, no SMP -- even if you tick every other box. Don't let it sit in a drawer.

Antenatal Appointments

You have a legal right to paid time off for all antenatal appointments -- not just scans, but also classes recommended by your midwife. Your employer can ask to see your appointment card after the first visit, but they cannot say no. Partners get unpaid time off for up to two appointments.

Third Trimester: Weeks 28 to 40

The Qualifying Week (Week 26 of Pregnancy)

The 15th week before your due date is the qualifying week. To get SMP, you need 26 weeks' continuous employment with the same employer by the end of this week, and your average weekly earnings have to be at least £123 (the lower earnings limit for 2025/26).

Don't qualify for SMP? You might still get Maternity Allowance from the government -- £184.03 per week (or 90% of your average earnings if that's lower) for up to 39 weeks. It's not as much as SMP for the first 6 weeks, but it's still something.

Preparing for Handover (Weeks 30-36)

Start getting your work sorted. Document your responsibilities, brief the people covering for you, write up a handover document with your key tasks, ongoing projects, and important contacts. You don't have to do this legally, but trust me -- it makes coming back so much easier, and your colleagues will appreciate it.

Starting Maternity Leave

The earliest you can start is 11 weeks before your due date (around week 29). Plenty of women work much later than that -- right up to the last couple of weeks. There's no right answer. It depends on how you're feeling, your commute, your job, and your finances.

Two things trigger maternity leave automatically: being off with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before your due date, or baby arriving early. So if you're planning to work until the very end, have a backup plan just in case.

Maternity Leave: Weeks 1 to 39 (Paid Period)

Weeks 1 to 6: Higher Rate SMP

For the first 6 weeks, you get 90% of your average weekly earnings with no cap. This is the good bit. For many women it's close to normal take-home pay. If your employer has an enhanced scheme, you might get full salary for this period.

Weeks 7 to 39: Standard Rate SMP

Then it drops. From week 7, SMP is the lower of 90% of your earnings or £184.03 per week. That's a big drop for most families. I cannot stress this enough: start saving before the baby arrives. Even putting aside a small amount each month makes a real difference when you're suddenly on £184 a week.

Keeping in Touch (KIT) Days

You can work up to 10 KIT days during maternity leave without losing any SMP or ending your leave. They're completely voluntary -- nobody can force you, and you can't demand them either. They're great for staying in the loop: popping in for a team meeting, doing some training, attending an important event. Your employer should pay you your normal rate on top of your SMP.

Be careful with KIT days: Even an hour's work counts as a full day. And once you've used all 10, any more work in a single week means you lose that whole week's SMP. Count them carefully.

Weeks 40 to 52: Unpaid Maternity Leave

SMP stops at week 39. Your maternity leave can continue to week 52, but those last 13 weeks are unpaid unless your employer tops them up. You're still employed, though. You still accrue holiday. You still get your contractual benefits (minus the pay). Your employer keeps paying into your pension during the paid period, but that stops when the pay stops.

Returning to Work

Coming back at the end of your full 52 weeks? You don't need to give any notice -- your employer already knows the date. Want to come back earlier? Give at least 8 weeks' notice.

If you're back within the first 26 weeks, you're entitled to exactly the same job, same terms. After 26 weeks, it's the same job if reasonably possible, or a suitable alternative on no worse terms.

                Don't forget your holiday. You accrue annual leave throughout your entire maternity leave. Lots of women tag their accrued holiday onto the end to get extra time at home, or use it to ease back with shorter weeks. It's your leave. Use it wisely.
            