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Having a baby

Maternity and
paternity pay

Maternity and paternity pay

You normally qualify for a year's Statutory Maternity Leave regardless of how long you've been in your job. You'll only get maternity pay for 39 weeks if you're eligible.

New parents in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can use Shared Parental Leave which allows you to share up to 50 weeks' parental leave and 37 weeks' pay with your partner.

You can visit the Money Advice Service website for full details of maternity and paternity leave and pay.

Your benefits and returning to work

Other benefits

  • You could be eligible for Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit
  • Also check if you can claim for Income Support, Housing or Council Tax relief
  • See if your work runs a childcare voucher scheme. This is a Government initiative which deducts a certain amount from your wages every month before tax to help pay for things like nursery fees.

Your pay when you go back to work

  • You may go back to work on different hours once you've had your baby
  • Or you may decide to change jobs to suit your new lifestyle
  • Our guide to calculating take home pay could help you work out what you'll bring home each month.

How much will I need?

Find out how much it could cost you to raise a child. If you need to get saving you can take a look at our accounts.
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How much does it cost to raise a child?

This calculator from MoneySuperMarket helps you work out the cost of raising a child.
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Take a look at our savings accounts

Our range of savings accounts could help you save up if you are planning to have a baby. Take a look and see what could work for you.

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