Rates for 2026/27
Rates change every April, so any figure you read online needs a tax year attached to it. This page gives the 2026/27 rates as published on GOV.UK, for the period from 5 April 2026 to 3 April 2027. If your payment period straddles two tax years, the rate can change at the April boundary; the rate that applies is the one in force for each week, not a single rate locked in at the start of the claim.
The standard rate
For 2026/27, if you are employed or have recently stopped working, you receive £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 39 weeks. The 90% rule is the part people most often miss. It means the standard rate is a ceiling, not a guaranteed amount. If your average weekly earnings were £180, for example, 90% of that is £162, so you would receive £162 a week, not £194.32. If your average weekly earnings were £300, 90% is £270, which is above the ceiling, so you would receive the full £194.32.
| Average weekly earnings | 90% of earnings | Weekly Maternity Allowance, 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| £150 | £135 | £135 |
| £180 | £162 | £162 |
| £215.91 | About £194.32 | About £194.32 (the crossover point) |
| £300 | £270 | £194.32 (ceiling applies) |
The worked figures in this table are simple arithmetic from the published rate and the 90% rule. Your actual average weekly earnings are worked out by the Department for Work and Pensions from the evidence you send, using the best 13 weeks in your test period, so do not treat a rough calculation from one payslip as final.
Self-employed claimants: £27 to £194.32
If you are self-employed, you can receive between £27 and £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks. How much you receive depends on how many Class 2 National Insurance contributions you have made in the 66 weeks before your baby is due. To receive the maximum amount, you must have been registered with HM Revenue and Customs for at least 26 weeks in that period and have paid Class 2 contributions for at least 13 of those 66 weeks.
If you have paid fewer than 13 weeks of contributions, your rate is calculated from the number of weeks you have paid. If you have paid no Class 2 contributions at all, you are entitled to £27 a week. GOV.UK notes that you may receive £27 for a few weeks at first while your contributions are linked to your application, with payments increased and backdated if necessary, and that you can top up your contributions after you apply to increase your rate. That top-up step is worth acting on quickly: a small number of voluntary contributions can make a large difference over 39 weeks, and the Department will tell you how many weeks you are short.
The 14-week route
Women who qualify through unpaid work for a spouse or civil partner's business receive £27 a week for up to 14 weeks. That figure is sometimes quoted online as if it were the general Maternity Allowance rate, which causes needless worry. It is not the general rate. It applies only to that one narrow route.
Tax and National Insurance credits
GOV.UK states that you will not have to pay tax on Maternity Allowance. Separately, Maternity Allowance brings Class 1 National Insurance credits automatically, which help you qualify for some other benefits and for the State Pension. That credit is a real, if quiet, part of the value of claiming: even in weeks when the cash amount is modest, the credit is building your National Insurance record. If you also receive Universal Credit, GOV.UK notes that you will get different National Insurance credits, so the interaction page explains that combination in detail.
Sources: GOV.UK, Maternity Allowance: what you will get; GOV.UK maternity and paternity pay checker outcomes (weekly rate between 5 April 2026 and 3 April 2027).