You’re entitled to a year’s maternity leave. You don’t have to take the full year, but you must take at least two weeks off work following the birth of your baby.
If you don’t qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay, you can apply for Maternity Allowance. How much you get depends on how much you earn and how much National Insurance you’ve paid.
When your partner gives birth, if you adopt a child or have a baby by surrogate, you may be entitled to one or two weeks paternity leave and paternity pay.
New parents may be able to use shared parental leave. This allows you to share up to 50 weeks of parental leave, and 37 weeks of pay with your partner.
Financial support is available if you are on a low income or unemployed.
You may also qualify for further benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance or Cost of Living payments.
Please see the GOV.UK benefits calculator to see what support you could get.
Universal Credit
If you’re unemployed or on a very low income and don’t qualify for Maternity Allowance or Statutory Maternity Pay, you may be entitled to Universal Credit.
This is a one-off payment of £500 from the Social Fund, to help with the cost of your baby. To qualify, you must have no other children under 16, and you or your partner must claim other benefits.
All 3 and 4 year olds in the UK are offered 15 or 30 hours of free childcare or early support. The hours can be used at one or more types of registered childcare providers
Tax-free childcare is a government scheme to help working parents, including the self-employed. It can be used at the same time as the 15 or 30 hours of free childcare. However, it can’t be used at the same time as childcare vouchers, Universal Credit or tax credits.
In England, you can get free prescriptions and NHS dental treatment throughout your pregnancy, up until your baby is 12 months old. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, prescriptions are always free.
This is an NHS scheme, giving eligible families with young children (or expecting a child) financial support to buy ‘healthy’ foods such as fruit, vegetables and milk.