UK Shared Parental Pay Planner 2026/27

How should two parents split the 39 weeks of statutory pay?

Enter the due date, each parent's average weekly earnings and employment start, and how many weeks of maternity pay the mother takes first. You get both parents' eligibility, the pay for your plan and the household total for every way of splitting the shared weeks.

Written from the published rules without a live lookup. Rates and rules change; GOV.UK and HMRC decide. Not legal, payroll or employment advice.

Expected due date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Mother's average weekly earnings (£)

Mother's continuous employment started (YYYY-MM-DD)

Partner's average weekly earnings (£)

Partner's continuous employment started (YYYY-MM-DD)

Weeks of maternity pay the mother takes first (2 to 39)

Shared weeks the partner takes (optional)

Enter the details, then click Plan the split.

Result

Your plan, week by week

Phase	Weeks	Weekly pay	Amount

Every split of the shared weeks

Partner weeks	Mother weeks	Household total

What it does, and what it leaves to you

Covers: the qualifying week, the 26-week employment and earnings tests for each parent, the 39-week pool, SMP at 90% then the standard rate, ShPP at the lower of the standard rate and 90%, and the household total of each split.
Gives: a comparison of splits so you can see what a week with each parent is worth, and a text file you can take to an employer.
Not decided: how average weekly earnings are built, notice periods and the limit on notices, the other parent's work-and-earnings test, Maternity Allowance, adoption, employer enhanced pay and the leave rights themselves. Your employers, payroll provider or HMRC decide these.

Common questions

How does Shared Parental Pay work?

The mother's 39 weeks of maternity pay are a pool. If she ends her maternity pay early, the weeks she does not use can be paid as Shared Parental Pay to her or her partner, in blocks of at least one week. Each week pays the lower of the standard rate (about £194.32 from April 2026) and 90% of the parent's average weekly earnings.

How many weeks can be shared?

Up to 37: the mother must take at least 2 weeks of maternity leave and pay after the birth. Taking 26 weeks of SMP leaves 13 shared weeks.

Which parent should take the shared weeks?

Statutory pay is the lower of the flat rate and 90% of earnings, so the parent with higher earnings gets the flat rate and a lower earner may get less. If both earn over about £216 a week the pay is the same either way, and employer enhanced pay, childcare and leave rights usually decide.

Why does the first SMP block matter?

The mother's first 6 weeks of SMP are paid at 90% of her earnings, well above the flat rate for most people. Giving those weeks up costs more than the later flat-rate weeks.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent.