To qualify for occupational maternity pay as a teacher, you need 1 year's continuous service as a teacher with one or more local authorities by the start of the 11th week before your due date. To keep the 12 weeks of half pay, you must return to teaching for at least 13 weeks.
Teachers in local authority schools in England and Wales get occupational maternity pay under the Burgundy Book: 4 weeks at full pay, 2 weeks at 90% of pay, then 12 weeks at half pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay. Many academies use the same scheme, but they can set their own, so check your contract. The government has announced plans to increase full pay to 8 weeks from the 2027/28 school year.
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is available to most employees as long as they earn on average at least £129 per week. It is paid at 90% of your average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 per week, or 90% of your earnings if that is lower, for 33 weeks. Check if you qualify on GOV.UK.
From Monday 6 April 2026, Statutory Maternity Pay increases from £187.18 to £194.32 per week.
This calculator is guidance only, based on information made publicly available by the UK government and the Teachers scheme. Check your contract or ask HR to confirm what you'll get. For more on maternity pay visit GOV.UK.