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Maternity leave policy

Author: Claire Birkinshaw and Zeba Sayed

When to use this model maternity policy

Use this model policy to set out your organisation's approach to supporting employees who are pregnant or have recently given birth. It covers time off for antenatal appointments, as well as entitlement to maternity leave and pay.

About this resource

Status

This resource is kept under review and updated in line with developments.

Updates

The sections in this policy on Notice to take maternity leave and Maternity pay have been updated to reflect that employers should accept a copy of the MAT B1 from 1 April 2026 and do not have to be shown the original. Providing medical evidence of the expected week of childbirth via this form is an important step for a pregnant employee who wishes to be paid SMP during their maternity leave.

Maternity leave and pay calculators

Use the maternity notification deadline calculator to give an employee an indication of by when they must provide their official maternity notification, and the earliest they can start their maternity leave.

Use the additional maternity leave end date calculator to work out the end date of an employee's additional maternity leave.

Use the statutory maternity pay service eligibility calculator to ascertain if a pregnant employee has sufficient continuous service to qualify for statutory maternity pay.

If the employee is paid either weekly or monthly, use the maternity pay earnings eligibility calculator to ascertain if they earn enough to receive statutory maternity pay.

Where an employee qualifies for statutory maternity pay, use this statutory maternity pay calculator to calculate their entitlement.

Policies and procedures

Maternity leave policy

When to use this model maternity policy

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About this resource

Maternity leave and pay calculators

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