A new maternity leave and pay rule has come into effect in England, yet reports indicate that full-time working mothers still face an average income shortfall of £15,892 during their maternity leave.
From 6 April 2026, statutory maternity pay, paternity pay, adoption pay, shared parental pay, and parental bereavement pay increased from £187.18 to £194.32 per week. Additionally, under the Employment Rights Act, paternity leave and unpaid parental leave became a day one right, though paternity pay still requires 26 weeks of continuous service.
Mothers on statutory maternity leave receive 90% of their average weekly earnings before tax for the first six weeks. After that, they drop to the statutory rate of £194.32 per week, or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks.
Financial Vulnerability Highlighted
New research from family lawyers HCB Widdows Mason points out that 90% of the average baseline equals £675.90, but the capped statutory rate of £194.32 is lower. This results in a significant income drop.
Lorraine Watts, a family law solicitor at HCB Widdows Mason, said: "The reality is that maternity leave exposes women to an acute financial vulnerability that many couples fail to anticipate."
"When you combine an income drop of nearly £16,000 with a 54% spike in baby essentials, it creates a high-pressure environment right at the start of a child's life."
"We frequently see what happens when the financial strain becomes too heavy. If a relationship breaks down under these pressures, the financial realities can be devastating."
"Child maintenance calculations are legally designed to cover raw essentials, but they rarely reflect the actual cost of raising a child in today's economic climate. This creates an imbalance, where the primary caregiver shoulders the long-term financial burden alone."
Call for Proactive Planning
"Proactive financial planning and completely transparent conversations about money before having children are no longer optional. Couples need to treat the choice to have a child with the same preparation as buying a house or writing a will."
"Failing to map out who will bear the financial brunt of taking time out of the workforce leaves relationships structurally fragile from day one."
