Maternity Pay When You're Self-Employed: How Maternity Allowance Works in 2026

There's no employer to pay you Statutory Maternity Pay when you work for yourself, but that doesn't mean there's nothing. Self-employed parents in the UK can claim Maternity Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions, and in 2026 most will qualify for the full £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks. Whether you get the full rate or a fraction of it comes down to one thing: your Class 2 National Insurance record in a 66-week window before your baby is due. This guide explains the rules after the April 2024 Class 2 reforms, how to check and top up your record, how to claim on form MA1, how much work you can do while you're off, how Maternity Allowance interacts with Universal Credit, and what your partner can claim.

Quick answer

Self-employed parents claim Maternity Allowance (MA), not Statutory Maternity Pay. If you've been self-employed for 26 of the 66 weeks before your due week and have 13 weeks of Class 2 National Insurance paid or treated as paid in that window, you get £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks. With no Class 2 record, you get £27 a week, but you can pay voluntary Class 2 to lift it.

• Profits at or above £7,105 (2026-27): Class 2 is treated as paid automatically

• Below that, voluntary Class 2 costs £3.65 a week; 13 weeks is about £47

• Apply from 26 weeks pregnant on form MA1; payments can start 11 weeks before your due week

• Up to 10 days of work allowed without losing payment

• Maternity Allowance is tax-free but reduces Universal Credit pound for pound

Maternity Allowance vs Statutory Maternity Pay

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid by an employer to employees who meet its earnings and service tests. It pays 90% of average weekly earnings for the first six weeks and then £194.32 a week (or 90% of earnings if lower) for the remaining 33 weeks. If you're a sole trader, a partner in a partnership, or a freelancer without an employer, you can't get SMP from your own business.

Maternity Allowance is the state's alternative. It's paid by DWP through Jobcentre Plus, it's tax-free, and it doesn't count towards your Self Assessment income. It's also available to employees who don't qualify for SMP and to people who have recently stopped working.

If you run a limited company and pay yourself a salary through PAYE, you may qualify for SMP as an employee of your own company, provided your salary meets the £129 a week average weekly earnings threshold and service rules. Most director-shareholders on a small salary plus dividends should check both routes. This guide focuses on sole traders and partners, who can only get Maternity Allowance.

Maternity pay options at a glance (2026-27)

	Statutory Maternity Pay	Maternity Allowance (self-employed)
Who pays	Employer (reclaimed from HMRC)	DWP via Jobcentre Plus
Weekly amount	90% of earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% if lower	£27 a week to £194.32 a week, flat
Length	Up to 39 weeks	Up to 39 weeks
Key test	26 weeks with employer and earnings of £129 a week	26 of 66 weeks self-employed and 13 weeks of Class 2
Taxed?	Yes, through payroll	No — tax-free

Who pays

Statutory Maternity Pay

Employer (reclaimed from HMRC)

Maternity Allowance (self-employed)

DWP via Jobcentre Plus

Weekly amount

Statutory Maternity Pay

90% of earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% if lower

Maternity Allowance (self-employed)

£27 a week to £194.32 a week, flat

Length

Statutory Maternity Pay

Up to 39 weeks

Maternity Allowance (self-employed)

Up to 39 weeks

Key test

Statutory Maternity Pay

26 weeks with employer and earnings of £129 a week

Maternity Allowance (self-employed)

26 of 66 weeks self-employed and 13 weeks of Class 2

Taxed?

Statutory Maternity Pay

Yes, through payroll

Maternity Allowance (self-employed)

No — tax-free

Who qualifies: the 26-week employment test

To get Maternity Allowance for up to 39 weeks as a self-employed person, you must have been registered as self-employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the week your baby is due. The 26 weeks don't need to be in a row, and you can mix employment and self-employment: weeks as an employee earning at least £30 a week also count, and periods of unemployment in between don't disqualify you.

DWP calls the 66-week window the test period. It ends on the Saturday before the week your baby is due, and GOV.UK has a test period calculator that gives you the exact dates. You'll need them for the claim form.

You still qualify if your baby is stillborn from the start of the 24th week of pregnancy, or born alive at any stage of the pregnancy.

The 14-week route for spouses

If you've worked unpaid in your spouse's or civil partner's self-employed business for at least 26 weeks of the test period, and you haven't been employed or self-employed yourself, you may get £27 a week for up to 14 weeks. Your spouse or civil partner must be registered as self-employed with HMRC and have paid Class 2 National Insurance in the same 26 weeks. This is aimed at people who help with bookkeeping, deliveries or front-of-house in a family business without drawing a wage.

Do you qualify for full-rate Maternity Allowance?

0/5

• Registered as self-employed (or employed earning £30 a week+) for 26 of the 66 weeks before your due week
• Class 2 National Insurance paid or treated as paid for 13 of those 66 weeks
• Profits at or above the small profits threshold for the relevant tax year — or voluntary Class 2 paid
• Not getting Statutory Maternity Pay from an employer
• MATB1 or a midwife's letter confirming your due date

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How much you'll get: the Class 2 rules since April 2024

The amount of Maternity Allowance a self-employed person gets depends on Class 2 National Insurance, not on how much you earn. To get the full £194.32 a week, you need Class 2 contributions paid, or treated as paid, for at least 13 of the 66 weeks in your test period. With fewer weeks, DWP calculates a reduced amount based on how many weeks you have. With none, you get the lower rate of £27 a week.

This changed in April 2024 and many older guides are now wrong. Class 2 used to be a compulsory weekly charge for most sole traders. From 6 April 2024 the government removed the liability to pay. Now, if your profits for a tax year are at or above the small profits threshold, £7,105 for 2026-27, your Class 2 contributions are treated as paid for that year without you paying anything. If your profits are below the threshold, you don't have to pay but you can choose to pay voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week.

The timing problem

There's a catch. Whether your profits reach the threshold isn't known until the tax year ends and you file your Self Assessment return. HMRC's National Insurance Manual explains that in many cases enough of your test period is covered by the previous year's return. But if you started trading recently, or most of your test period falls in the current tax year, HMRC can't yet confirm that you're treated as having paid.

That's why GOV.UK warns that you may get £27 a week for a few weeks while your contributions are linked to your claim. After you apply, HMRC contacts you if you have fewer than 13 weeks, and tells you how many additional contributions you need to pay for the maximum. Once they're linked, your payments are increased and backdated. This can take several weeks.

If you pay voluntary Class 2 to secure the full rate and your Self Assessment return later shows profits at or above the small profits threshold for that year, HMRC says you're entitled to a refund of the Class 2 you paid. So paying to protect your Maternity Allowance costs you very little even in the worst case.

Maternity Allowance in numbers (2026-27)

£194.32 a week

Full weekly rate

13+ weeks of Class 2

£27 a week

Lower weekly rate

No Class 2 in the test period

39 weeks

Maximum length

Then unpaid if you take longer off

£3.65 a week

Voluntary Class 2

If profits below £7,105

Worked examples

Example 1: an established designer. Amara has been a self-employed graphic designer for four years. Her baby is due on Monday 15 March 2027, so her due week starts on Sunday 14 March and her test period runs from 7 December 2025 to 13 March 2027. Her 2025-26 profits were £18,000, well above the small profits threshold, so Class 2 is treated as paid for every week she was self-employed that year. The 17 weeks from 7 December 2025 to 5 April 2026 fall in her test period, which is more than 13. She qualifies for the full rate: 39 weeks at £194.32 a week = £7,578.48, tax-free. She might see £27 a week for the first few weeks while HMRC links her record, then a backdated top-up.

Example 2: a new business. Beth left her job in July 2026 and started a mobile dog-grooming business in August. Her baby is due in late March 2027. She'll have more than 26 weeks of self-employment in the test period, but her first year of trading profits won't be known until she files her 2026-27 return after April 2027, so HMRC can't yet treat her Class 2 as paid. To avoid relying on profits she can't yet prove, she pays 13 weeks of voluntary Class 2 when HMRC writes to her: 13 × £3.65 = £47.45.

That small payment is worth a lot. Without it she'd get 39 weeks at £27 a week = £1,053. With it she gets £7,578.48: an extra £6,525.48 for £47.45. If her 2026-27 profits turn out to be above £7,105, she can ask HMRC to refund the £47.45.

Example 3: a low-profit side business. Chloe sells handmade jewellery and expects profits of about £4,000 a year, below the threshold. Her Class 2 won't be treated as paid, so she pays voluntary Class 2 for 13 weeks of her test period to qualify for the full rate. Paying more than 13 weeks doesn't increase Maternity Allowance, though voluntary Class 2 does also count towards the State Pension and some other contributory benefits.

How to claim on form MA1

You can apply once you've been pregnant for 26 weeks. There's no online application: you use the Maternity Allowance claim form, MA1. You can print it and fill it in by hand, or fill in the PDF on a desktop or laptop and print it. DWP warns that the form can't be completed on a mobile phone or tablet, or in a web browser's built-in PDF viewer, so download a PDF reader first. If you can't print, you can order a paper form from the Maternity Allowance helpline.

The form asks about your work in the test period, including your self-employment and any employment, and you'll need your test period dates. Send it to the address on the form with your supporting documents.

Proof of due date. You need a MATB1 certificate or a letter on headed paper from your doctor or midwife, even if the baby has already arrived. Doctors and midwives issue the MATB1 no more than 20 weeks before the due date, so from about 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Proof of birth. If your baby has been born, add either the same letter from your doctor or midwife, the original birth certificate (not a photocopy), or a MATB1 with the birth section completed.

Evidence of earnings. If you were also employed during the test period, include original payslips. If you were refused SMP by an employer, include the SMP1 form they gave you.

Claiming Maternity Allowance step by step

1. 1

   Work out your test period

   Use the GOV.UK test period calculator to get the 66-week window before your due week.

   Maternity Allowance: how to claim
2. 2

   Get your MATB1

   Ask your midwife or GP for the MATB1 certificate; it can be issued from 20 weeks before the due date.

3. 3

   Complete form MA1

   Download it on a computer, fill in your self-employment and any employment details, and choose your start date.

4. 4

   Send it from 26 weeks pregnant

   Post it with your MATB1 and any payslips. Claim within 3 months of your start date so you don't lose money.

   Tip: Keep a copy of everything you send and note the date you posted it.

5. 5

   Respond to HMRC

   If HMRC writes about missing Class 2 weeks, pay the voluntary contributions it asks for so your rate is raised and backdated.

6. 6

   Confirm your last working day

   If you qualify, DWP sends a form asking you to confirm when you stopped work before your leave.

You should get a decision within 20 working days. If you think it's wrong, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration.

Choosing your start date

Maternity Allowance can start any time from the 11th week before your due week up to the day after the birth. Self-employed parents have more freedom than employees here: there's no employer to notify, so you can work right up to the birth if you want and let Maternity Allowance start the day after. Many choose to start a few weeks before the due date to rest. Whatever you choose, claim within 3 months of that start date to get the full amount you're entitled to.

Payments are made every 2 or 4 weeks into your bank, building society or credit union account.

Working during Maternity Allowance: keeping in touch days

Running a business doesn't stop because you've had a baby, and the rules allow for that. You can work on up to 10 days during your Maternity Allowance period without losing any payment. GOV.UK calls them keeping in touch days. For a self-employed person, that might mean finishing an invoice run, answering a key client, or doing one booked job.

You must report every day you work. Use the Maternity Allowance helpline or write to the office that pays you. Work beyond 10 days can reduce or stop your Maternity Allowance, and failing to report work can lead to an overpayment you must repay, a £50 fine, or in deliberate cases a benefit fraud investigation. Because the allowance is counted in days, it makes sense to batch admin into a few full days rather than doing a little work on many days; if you're unsure whether something counts, call the Maternity Allowance helpline before you do it.

Plan ahead for the business while you're off. Tell regular clients your dates, set an out-of-office message, and decide whether a trusted freelancer can cover urgent work. Paying a subcontractor to keep things running isn't you working, but you still need to stay within the rules for any days you do yourself.

Maternity Allowance, Universal Credit and other help

If you get Universal Credit, your award is reduced by an amount equal to your Maternity Allowance, so the total you receive usually goes up or stays the same rather than doubling. Unlike Statutory Maternity Pay, which Universal Credit treats as earnings with any work allowance applied, Maternity Allowance is deducted in full. Report it in your Universal Credit account as soon as it starts.

There is one benefit for self-employed claimants on Universal Credit. Once your baby is born you move into the group with no work-related requirements, so the minimum income floor stops applying and your Universal Credit is based on your actual earnings. Your situation is usually reviewed when your child turns one. Our Universal Credit for the self-employed guide explains the floor and the start-up period in detail.

Other benefits can change too: Jobseeker's Allowance stops, and Housing Benefit, Carer's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Council Tax Reduction may change. If you're on Universal Credit and you get Maternity Allowance, you also receive Class 1 National Insurance credits automatically.

Sure Start Maternity Grant. If you or your partner get certain benefits, including Universal Credit, and this is your first child (or a multiple birth), you may get a one-off £500 grant in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You must claim within 11 weeks of the due date or within 6 months after the birth. In Scotland, apply for the Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead.

Child Benefit is paid regardless of whether you're employed or self-employed. Claim it soon after the birth even if you think the High Income Child Benefit Charge might apply: claiming gives you National Insurance credits towards your State Pension while your child is under 12, which matters in years when your profits are low.

Paternity and shared parental options for self-employed families

Statutory Paternity Pay is only for employees and some workers who earn at least £129 a week on average. Paternity leave is now a day-one right for employees, but there's still no paternity allowance for self-employed partners. A self-employed father or partner who takes time off simply goes unpaid unless the household plans around it.

Shared Parental Pay with an employed partner. If the mother is on Maternity Allowance and her partner is an employee, the partner may be able to take Shared Parental Leave and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (£194.32 a week or 90% of earnings if lower). The mother must end her Maternity Allowance early by giving binding notice to Jobcentre Plus. The weeks of Maternity Allowance she doesn't use, out of 39 weeks, become available as Shared Parental Pay for her partner. The mother must have worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due week and earned at least £390 in total across 13 of those weeks, and the partner must meet the employee tests with their employer. Once Maternity Allowance is ended, it can't be restarted.

When the mother is employed and the partner self-employed. If the mother is the employee, her self-employed partner's work history can help her qualify to take Shared Parental Leave and Pay herself, using the same 26-in-66 weeks and £390 test for the partner. The self-employed partner can't receive any statutory pay.

Use the Shared Parental Leave and Pay planning tool on GOV.UK to model the options. For most self-employed mothers with an employed partner, the deciding factor is whether the partner's employer offers enhanced shared parental pay.

Maternity Allowance timeline — example due week starting 14 March 2027

7 Dec 2025

66-week test period begins

From about 20 weeks pregnant

Ask your midwife for the MATB1 certificate

26 weeks pregnant

Send form MA1 with MATB1

27 Dec 2026

Earliest Maternity Allowance start date (11th week before due week)

Within 20 working days of claim

DWP decision; HMRC may write about Class 2

Up to 39 weeks after start

Maternity Allowance ends

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Assuming you're not eligible because you're self-employed. Plenty of freelancers never claim because "maternity pay" sounds like an employer benefit. If you've been trading for six months or more of the last 66 weeks, check.

Not registering with HMRC. The employment test is based on being registered as self-employed. If you've been trading informally, register as a sole trader now; the earlier you do, the more weeks count.

Ignoring HMRC's letter about Class 2. If you're paid £27 a week and HMRC asks you to pay voluntary contributions, pay promptly. The top-up is backdated, but only once the contributions are linked.

Claiming late. You lose money if you claim more than 3 months after your chosen start date. Send the MA1 at 26 weeks even if you plan to start later.

Losing track of working days. Keep a simple log of the date and what you did each time you work. Going over 10 days can mean lost payments and overpayments to repay.

Forgetting Self Assessment. Maternity Allowance isn't taxable, but your profits before and after the baby still are. Your 31 January payment and payments on account still fall due, so check our Self Assessment guide and payments on account guide when planning cash flow.

Official links

• Maternity AllowanceEligibility, rates and changes
• Maternity Allowance: how to claimTest period and documents
• Maternity Allowance claim form (MA1)Download the form
• Self-employed National Insurance ratesSmall profits threshold and voluntary Class 2
• HMRC NIM75001: Class 2 and Maternity AllowanceHow Class 2 counts for MA
• Shared Parental Leave and PayEnding MA early so a partner can claim
• Sure Start Maternity Grant£500 for some families

What to do next

Work out your test period dates now, check that you've been registered as self-employed for long enough, and look at your last Self Assessment return to see whether your profits cleared the small profits threshold. If they didn't, or you're newly self-employed, budget around £50 for voluntary Class 2. Then plan your cash flow for the months you're off with the budget planner, and if you're thinking about a home move around the same time, read our guide to mortgages for the self-employed, since lenders look closely at income during maternity leave.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

Can you get maternity pay if you're self-employed?

You can't get Statutory Maternity Pay, which is paid by employers, but you can claim Maternity Allowance from DWP. If you've been self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your due week, you get between £27 a week and £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks, depending on your Class 2 National Insurance record.

How much is Maternity Allowance for the self-employed in 2026?

The full rate for 2026-27 is £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks, about £7,578 in total. You get it if you've paid, or are treated as having paid, Class 2 National Insurance for at least 13 weeks of the 66-week test period. With no Class 2 contributions, the rate is £27 a week.

Do I need to pay Class 2 National Insurance to get full Maternity Allowance?

Only if your profits are below the small profits threshold (£7,105 for 2026-27). Since April 2024, self-employed people with profits at or above that level are treated as having paid Class 2. Below it, you can pay voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week; 13 weeks costs about £47 and can lift you from the lower to the full rate.

When can I claim Maternity Allowance?

You can apply once you've been pregnant for 26 weeks, using form MA1. Payments can start from the 11th week before your due week and no later than the day after the birth. Claim within 3 months of your chosen start date or you can lose money. DWP aims to decide within 20 working days.

Can I work while getting Maternity Allowance?

You can do up to 10 days of work during your Maternity Allowance period without losing any payment. These are known as keeping in touch days. You must report every day you work. Working more days than that can reduce or stop your payments.

Can a self-employed father get paternity pay?

Statutory Paternity Pay is only for employees and some workers earning at least £129 a week. There is no paternity allowance for self-employed partners. If the mother is employed, a self-employed partner's work history can still help her qualify for Shared Parental Pay; if the mother gets Maternity Allowance, an employed partner may be able to take Shared Parental Pay.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Maternity Allowance (overview, eligibility, what you'll get, how to claim, changes) — GOV.UK · accessed 9 October 2026
2. 2.Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 — DWP · accessed 9 October 2026
3. 3.NIM75001 — Class 2 National Insurance contributions: Maternity Allowance: background — HMRC · accessed 9 October 2026
4. 4.Self-employed National Insurance rates — GOV.UK · accessed 9 October 2026
5. 5.Maternity Allowance claim form (MA1) — DWP · accessed 9 October 2026
6. 6.Shared Parental Leave and Pay — GOV.UK · accessed 9 October 2026
7. 7.Paternity pay and leave — GOV.UK · accessed 9 October 2026
8. 8.Income Tax: tax-free and taxable state benefits — GOV.UK · accessed 9 October 2026
9. 9.Sure Start Maternity Grant — GOV.UK · accessed 9 October 2026
10. 10.Maternity Allowance — Working Families — Working Families · accessed 9 October 2026