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Maternity leave: introduction
If you're a mother who is an employee, you have the statutory right to a minimum amount of maternity leave. Your employer may also offer their own maternity leave scheme
The basics of maternity leave
Statutory maternity leave is for 52 weeks. You may be entitled to receive Statutory Maternity Pay for up to 39 weeks of the leave.
To qualify for maternity leave you must be an ‘employee’. If you are unsure if you are an ‘employee’, follow the link below.
Personalised help
you can get personalised help on what you qualify forYou get personalised help on what you may qualify for by using the Tailored Interactive Guidance on Employment Rights (TIGER) tool.
The tool will produce a personalised statement of the maternity leave and pay that you may qualify for, along with an interactive calendar to help you plan your leave.
Company schemes
Your employer may have their own scheme which could be more generous than the statutory scheme. Check your contact of employment or staff handbook for details or ask your employer. Your employer can't offer you less than the statutory scheme.
Qualifying for statutory maternity leave
As an 'employee' you have the right to 26 weeks of 'Ordinary Maternity Leave' and 26 weeks 'Additional Maternity Leave' - making one year in total. Provided you meet certain notification requirements, you can take this no matter how long you've been with your employer, how many hours you work or how much you're paid.
Maternity leave: find out more
Where to get help
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) offers free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues. You can call the Acas helpline on 08457 47 47 47 from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm Monday to Friday.
The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) offers free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues for residents of Northern Ireland. You can contact the LRA on 028 9032 1442 from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) can provide free and impartial advice. You can find your local CAB office in the phone book or online.
If you are a member of a trade union, you can get help, advice and support from them
More useful links
- Working when pregnant (employment section)
- Find out about flexible working (employment section)
- Detailed guidance on maternity rights from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) (opens new window)
- Detailed guidance on maternity rights in Northern Ireland from the Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI) (opens new window)
- Advice for employers on maternity, paternity and adoption from Business Link (opens new window)
- Advice for employers in Northern Ireland on maternity, paternity and adoption from nibusinessinfo (opens new window)
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