Making the most of maternity leave: pay, KIT days, holiday and shared leave

The short answer: In 2026/27 you can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave. Statutory Maternity Pay lasts up to 39 weeks: 90% of your average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week (or 90%, if lower). To make the most of it, plan your holiday, 10 keeping in touch days and any shared leave early.

How much maternity leave and pay can I get?

If you're an employee, you can take up to 52 weeks of leave, and pay usually covers the first 39. The gap between those two numbers is the thing most worth planning around.

Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks, made up of 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave. You don't have to take all of it. You do have to take 2 weeks after the birth (4 if you work in a factory). And it doesn't matter how long you've worked for your employer or how many hours you do.

Pay is a different story. Here's what Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) gives you:

Based on 2026/27 statutory rates. Your employer's scheme may pay more.

SMP is paid like your wages, and tax and National Insurance come off. To qualify, you usually need to earn at least £129 a week on average and have worked for your employer for 26 weeks without a break into the 15th week before your due date. If you don't qualify, your employer must give you form SMP1 within 7 days of deciding, and you may be able to get Maternity Allowance instead.

Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future.

How can I make my maternity pay go further?

Start with your employer's maternity policy, because that's where the biggest differences are. Statutory pay is only the minimum.

Acas notes that an employer doesn't have to pay anything for the last 13 weeks, but many offer enhanced pay. For example, someone might get 26 weeks of full pay, then 13 weeks of SMP. Things worth checking in your policy:

• How much enhanced pay you get, and for how long. Ask whether it's on top of SMP or includes it.

• Whether you'd have to pay it back. Some contracts ask you to repay the enhanced part if you don't come back, or leave soon after. You never have to repay SMP itself.

• Pay rises. A pay rise can change your SMP, depending on when it's given, and you're entitled to any pay rises given while you're away.

Timing matters too. The earliest you can usually start leave is 11 weeks before your due week, and SMP usually starts when your leave does. Starting later keeps more paid weeks for after the birth. Just know that if you're off sick with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before your due week, your leave starts automatically.

Then there's the paperwork. Tell your employer at least 15 weeks before your due date when the baby is due and when you want leave to start. For SMP, give at least 28 days' notice and proof of pregnancy, such as your MATB1 certificate. If you want to see what lands in your account each month, our guide to what you'll actually get paid on maternity leave walks through it.

Do I still build up holiday on maternity leave?

Yes. Your holiday keeps building up for the whole of your statutory maternity leave, including bank holidays. So a year off can mean coming back with a lot of paid days to use.

Most people who work 5 days a week get at least 28 days of paid holiday a year, which is 5.6 weeks. Part-time workers get 5.6 weeks too, just fewer days. Someone working 3 days a week gets at least 16.8 days. Your contract may give you more.

You can't take holiday and maternity leave at the same time. But you can take holiday you've built up before or after your leave. If you can't use it all in the holiday year because you're on leave, your employer must let you carry it over to the next one.

Before you go, agree with your employer:

1. how much holiday you'll build up before and during your leave

2. whether you'll take it before or after your leave, or split it

3. how much you'll carry into the next holiday year

4. what happens to any extra days your contract gives you on top of the legal minimum (some employers pay these out instead)

Can I use annual leave to extend my maternity leave?

You can use it to extend your time off, but taking it ends your statutory maternity leave. Holiday is paid, so it can be worth more to you than the unpaid end of your leave.

Acas lists a few ways to combine them:

• take some holiday before your leave and some after you go back

• use all of the year's holiday before your leave starts

• end your maternity leave early and take holiday instead

• take most of it after your leave, carrying some into the next holiday year

The catch is in the third option. Acas gives the example of someone who takes 39 weeks of maternity leave and then 2 weeks of paid holiday. Taking that holiday ends her statutory maternity leave, so she can't go back and use the remaining 13 weeks. Think of it as swapping unpaid weeks for paid ones, not adding them on.

What are KIT days, and are they worth doing?

Keeping in touch (KIT) days let you do up to 10 days' work during your leave without ending it. They're optional, and you and your employer both have to agree. Nobody can make you do them.

People often use them for training, team meetings or getting back up to speed before returning. Whether they're worth it depends on what you want from them. Done well, they can earn you some money in unpaid weeks and make the first week back feel less like the first day of school.

The rules from Acas are worth knowing before you agree to any:

• Agree the work and the pay first. Normal pay for the day is the simplest option, and it can't be less than the minimum wage. Ask how the pay fits with your maternity pay for that week.

• Part of a day counts as a whole day. An hour on a video call could use one up.

• Don't go over 10. An 11th day ends your statutory maternity leave and pay automatically.

If you move on to Shared Parental Leave, you can work up to 20 more days, called shared parental leave in touch (SPLIT) days. These are on top of your 10 KIT days.

Your employer must still tell you about promotions, training, redundancies and reorganisations while you're away, whether or not you do any KIT days.

Can I switch some of my maternity leave to shared parental leave?

Yes, if you and your partner both qualify. You end your maternity leave early, and the weeks left over can be shared. Between you, you can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in your baby's first year.

You can take it in one go or in blocks with work in between. You can be off together or take turns. The government's own example: if you've taken 22 weeks of maternity leave and SMP, you can share 30 weeks of leave and 17 weeks of pay.

Statutory Shared Parental Pay is £194.32 a week or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. That's the same as SMP after week 6, so there's no 90% period at the start. Your partner can also take 2 weeks of paternity leave, before or after any shared leave.

To use it, you need to:

1. check you both meet the work and pay tests, such as 26 weeks with the same employer by the 15th week before the due date

2. give your employer at least 8 weeks' written notice of your leave dates

3. give 8 weeks' notice of any changes, too

What happens to my pension and State Pension on maternity leave?

While you're paid, pension contributions carry on. Your own contributions are based on what you actually get paid, but your employer's are based on your normal salary. That's worth knowing when you check your payslips.

If your pay stops, your employer still has to keep paying into your pension for the first 26 weeks of your leave. After that, it depends on your contract, so check your employer's maternity policy. Our guide to what happens to your pension on maternity leave covers this in full. If you and your partner share leave, our guide to how Shared Parental Leave affects your pay and both your pensions explains what changes.

Capital at risk. The value of your pension can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you pay in.

For your State Pension, one small step makes a big difference. Claim Child Benefit even if you don't want the payments. While your child is under 12, the claim gives you National Insurance credits that count towards your State Pension, so you don't get gaps in your record when you're not working.

Example: planning a year off

Made-up figures, for illustration only.

Amira earns £600 a week before tax and works 5 days a week. Her employer pays statutory amounts only. Over a year's leave she'll build up 28 days of holiday.

Her SMP works out like this:

• Weeks 1 to 6: 90% of £600 is £540 a week, so £3,240

• Weeks 7 to 39: £194.32 a week, so £6,412.56

• Total over 39 weeks: £9,652.56 before tax

She looks at three ways to plan the rest:

Assumes 28 days of holiday equals 5.6 weeks, and KIT days paid at her normal £120 a day. Figures are before tax.

Plan B gets her back sooner with no unpaid weeks, but she gives up the last 13 weeks of leave. Plans A and C give her the most time at home. Neither is "right". It depends on her savings, childcare and how she feels about going back. The maternity leave money planner can help you run your own numbers.

What can I do now?

1. Read your employer's maternity policy, and note any enhanced pay and repayment rules.

2. Work out your SMP with the GOV.UK maternity planner or our planner.

3. Ask HR how much holiday you'll build up, and agree when you'll take it.

4. Decide whether you'd like KIT days, and agree the work and pay before each one.

5. Talk to your partner about shared leave early, as it needs 8 weeks' notice.

6. Claim Child Benefit once your baby arrives.

Still got questions?

Can I change my return date? Yes. You must give your employer at least 8 weeks' notice if you want to go back earlier or later than planned.

Will I get my job back? After 26 weeks or less, you can return to the same job. After longer, it's the same job, or a similar one on the same or better terms if that's not possible. Our guide to going back to work after maternity leave covers your rights.

What if my baby needs neonatal care? You may get up to 12 weeks of neonatal care leave and pay, added onto the end of your maternity leave.

Is there any other leave I can take later? Each parent can take 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child, up to their 18th birthday. It's usually up to 4 weeks a year, in whole weeks.

Do I have to tell my employer when I'm pregnant? To take maternity leave, you need to tell them at least 15 weeks before your due date. Telling them earlier means they can do a health and safety check for you.