Maternity dates planner
Enter your baby's due date and planned leave start. See your leave calendar and when to tell your employer.
What the calendar assumes
This two-date planner allows a chosen start through the day after your due date. That is a planning limit, not the legal deadline. Maternity leave must start no later than the day after your baby is actually born. The due date cannot tell us the birth date, so your actual start may change. Confirm it with your employer.
The week your baby is due runs from Sunday to Saturday. Each leave week is 7 calendar days. The calendar shows the first 26 weeks, followed by another 26 weeks, starting from your chosen day. It assumes you take all 52 weeks and your start stays unchanged. It does not add holiday, neonatal care leave or Shared Parental Leave.
Your baby arriving before your planned start, or pregnancy-related illness near your due week, can change the start. Ask your employer to confirm your dates in writing. The first day after full leave may not be a day you normally work. Check your return date and any holiday with your employer.
The supported date range is a limit of this calendar, not a rule about who can take leave. Due dates must be in 2000 to 2098; leave starts must be in 1999 to 2098.
When to contact your employer
Tell your employer when your baby is due and when you want leave to start by the Saturday shown in your result. They can ask for this in writing and must write back within 28 days to confirm your leave dates. Give at least 28 days' notice to change your start date. Give at least 8 weeks' notice to change your return date.
Maternity pay has its own notice and eligibility rules. This calendar does not decide whether you qualify for leave or pay. Your employer can confirm how the rules apply to you.
A worked example
For a baby due on 17 March 2027, the due week runs from 14 March 2027 to 20 March 2027. Tell your employer by 5 December 2026. The earliest planned start is 27 December 2026. With leave starting on 1 March 2027, the first 26 weeks end on 29 August 2027. All 52 weeks end on 27 February 2028, with the next day 28 February 2028.
A leap-day example gives the same pattern. With a due date of 29 February 2028 and a leave start of 1 February 2028, full leave ends on 29 January 2029. The following day is 30 January 2029. Both examples assume full leave and an unchanged start.
Check pay and holiday separately
For weekly pay before deductions, use the Statutory Maternity Pay calculator. To estimate pay after deductions from the earnings and employer pay you enter, use maternity pay after tax. Read its tax-year and timing assumptions before comparing it with payroll.
For Agenda for Change maternity pay, see the NHS maternity pay calculator. Your employer can confirm which NHS pay terms apply to you.
The holiday entitlement calculator covers a separate holiday calculation. Agree any holiday around your leave with your employer. The take-home pay calculator gives a normal salary estimate; maternity pay needs its own calculation.
Questions
When can maternity leave start?
The usual earliest start is 11 weeks before the Sunday of the week your baby is due. Leave must start no later than the day after the actual birth. This planner caps your chosen start at the day after your due date as a planning assumption. Birth or pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before your due week can bring leave forward. Confirm your actual dates with your employer.
When do I need to tell my employer?
Tell your employer when your baby is due and when you want leave to start by the end of the week that falls 15 weeks before your due week. That week ends on a Saturday. Your employer can ask for notice in writing and must confirm your leave dates in writing within 28 days.
Do I have to take all my leave?
You can take up to 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave. You must take at least 2 weeks after the birth, or 4 weeks if you work in a factory. This calendar shows full leave; ask your employer to confirm a shorter plan.
Does this calendar work out maternity pay?
This calendar shows leave dates. It does not work out maternity pay or decide whether you qualify for leave or pay. Your employer can confirm your entitlement and any extra pay under its maternity policy.
Official rules and sources
GOV.UK maternity leave guidance explains the leave periods and automatic starts. The DWP detailed guide defines the due week and the notice deadline at the end of the earlier week. The employer notice guidance covers date changes and written confirmation. HMRC guidance on changed circumstances explains early births and pregnancy-related absence.
This page gives information, not advice. Check your planned dates with your employer.