Maternity Leave Budget Calculator
Savings needed to cover the income gap during maternity leave
Calculate how much savings is needed to cover expenses during maternity leave. Enter leave length to see additional savings needed and income during leave.
What this tool does
This calculator models the financial gap between household expenses and available income during a maternity leave period. Enter your normal after-tax monthly income, the maternity pay you'll receive (statutory or employer-provided), the length of leave in weeks, your current savings, and typical monthly household expenses. The calculator then estimates total expenses across your leave period, total income from maternity payments, and shows whether a shortfall exists and by how much. The result illustrates what additional savings may be needed to maintain your household spending throughout the leave. Monthly expenses drive the shortfall most significantly, alongside leave length. This is useful for planning ahead before leave begins. Note that the calculation assumes consistent monthly expenses and doesn't account for changes in spending patterns, additional income sources, or variations in statutory rates that may differ by location.
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Formula Used
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Calculations or display — let us know.
Disclaimer
Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
The Income Cliff
Most statutory maternity pay schemes replace a fraction of salary. SMP pays 90% for 6 weeks, then the lower of 184.03/week or 90% for 33 weeks, then nothing for the remaining 13 weeks of the 52-week entitlement. has no federal paid leave; state programs vary from none to 12 weeks at 70% pay. Employer top-ups close part of the gap but rarely all of it.
The Three Variables That Matter
Expenses during leave (up 10-30% from baseline due to baby costs), income during leave (typically 20-60% of pre-leave), and leave length interact multiplicatively. A 12-month leave at 30% pay replacement against 115% baseline expenses needs dramatically more savings than a 3-month leave at 70% replacement.
Building the Savings Before
Common practice is to target 6-12 months of monthly expenses in a dedicated pre-leave savings account. This calculator makes that target concrete by subtracting known leave-period income from known leave-period expenses. The output is the hard dollar figure that needs to sit in the account before leave starts.
Quick example
With normal monthly income of 4,000 and statutory or employer monthly pay during leave of 1,200 (plus leave length of 39 and current maternity savings of 5,000), the result is 11,220.87. Change any figure and watch the output shift — it's often more useful to see the pattern than to memorise the formula.
Which inputs matter most
You enter Normal Monthly Income (After Tax), Statutory or Employer Monthly Pay During Leave, Leave Length, Current Maternity Savings, and Monthly Household Expenses. Not every input has equal weight. Adjusting one input at a time toward extreme values shows which ones move the result most.
What's happening under the hood
Leave length in months equals weeks divided by 4.33. Income during leave equals monthly pay times leave months. Expenses during leave equals monthly expenses times leave months. Shortfall equals expenses minus income. Savings gap equals shortfall minus current savings. Results are estimates for illustration purposes only. The formula is listed in full below. If the number looks off, you can retrace the calculation by hand — that's the point of showing the working.
What the number doesn't include
Life events generate side costs: time off work, travel for guests, aftercare, lost weekends. The figure here covers the direct costs. Noting the indirect ones alongside avoids the post-event surprise.
What this doesn't capture
Life events generate side costs the figure doesn't include: time off work, lost income, travel for others, aftercare. Add 10–15% to the direct number as a buffer; the items you haven't thought of usually fill most of it.
Maternity leave savings gap over 39 weeks weeks is 11,212.47.
Inputs
This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.
Sources & Methodology
Methodology
The calculator converts leave length from weeks to months by dividing by 4.33, then computes total income during leave by multiplying statutory or employer pay by leave months, and total expenses by multiplying monthly household expenses by leave months. The income shortfall is calculated as total expenses minus total income during the leave period. The savings gap is determined by subtracting current maternity savings from this shortfall, showing the additional funds needed to cover the difference. The model assumes a constant monthly income and expense level throughout the leave period, with no adjustment for inflation, tax changes, or additional revenue sources. Results are estimates for illustration purposes only and do not account for variations in individual circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Include partner income?
Do baby expenses need to be added?
What if my employer tops up maternity pay?
How early when do people start building this?
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