Statutory pay calculators tell you one figure. They do not tell you what the household has to live on, month by month, while one or both of you are on leave, how to share the bills fairly when one income falls, or what childcare will really cost when you go back. This planner does, for the UK, with the 2026–27 rates.
- Leave pay, week by week: Statutory Maternity Pay (90% of average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then £194.32 or 90%, whichever is lower), Maternity Allowance as an alternative, Statutory Paternity Pay, shared parental leave and pay, unpaid weeks, your employer's enhanced pay in up to two bands, keeping-in-touch (KIT) days and holiday built up during leave. Take-home pay is estimated, or you enter your own deduction rate.
- Savings runway: money in, money out and savings for 24 months, the month savings would run out, and the month they would fall below the amount you want to keep.
- A fair split: list shared costs and compare four ways to share them (50/50, in proportion to income, a custom share, or equal money left over after each parent's own spending), month by month, as your incomes change.
- Baby costs: one-off and regular costs, in the months you expect them.
- Return to work: three scenarios side by side (for example full time, part time and a later return), each with its own return date, take-home pay and childcare, and a chart of savings.
- Childcare, decoded: compare up to four nurseries, childminders or patterns: daily or session prices, minimum bookings, England's funded hours given in term time or stretched over more weeks, voluntary charges, and the Tax-Free Childcare top-up with its £500-a-quarter limit.
- Rates and Sources: every official figure, read on GOV.UK and the nations' government sites on 27 Oct 2026, with the date to check it again and how to update it.
- The guide (PDF, 16 pages): the rules for 2026–27 in plain words, four money conversations to have together, the worked example, a one-page plan, what to do and when, and where to get free help.
A worked example follows Nadia and Owen, a fictional couple in England whose baby is due on Sunday 7 February 2027. Nadia's employer pays full pay for 8 weeks, including SMP, then half pay on top of SMP to week 20: her pay before tax falls from £653.85 a week to £521.25, then to £194.32. She ends maternity leave after 33 weeks, which leaves 6 weeks of pay for Owen's shared parental leave. In August 2027, Nadia's lowest month, the household is £222.26 short whichever way they split the costs. Going back 12 weeks later, unpaid (the rest of Nadia's shared parental leave and some Unpaid Parental Leave), would take their savings to £2,340.53 in December 2027, below the £2,500 they want to keep. With funded hours from 1 January 2028, a four-day nursery place costs £570.00 a month after Tax-Free Childcare.
It is not a general budget. For budgeting by payday all year round, see the SEV Payday Budget Spreadsheet; for a complete monthly money system, the SEV Finance & Abundance Planner.
Who it is for
- Couples in the UK expecting a baby, who want to see the whole year before it starts.
- Parents deciding how to share maternity and shared parental leave, and when each of you goes back.
- Anyone comparing nurseries and childminders, with funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare.
Contents
Planner sheet — What it does
Start Here — How it works, where it applies, free help, privacy and your licence
Your Plan — The result on one page, with checks on dates and weeks
Household — Due date, each parent's pay, savings, and the leave each of you plans
Leave Timeline — Parent A's pay for 78 weeks from leave start; Parent B's leave in blocks; KIT days
Monthly Runway — Money in, money out and savings for 24 months; where savings run out
Fair Split — Shared costs, four ways to split them, month by month
Baby Costs — One-off and regular costs, by month
Childcare — Up to four providers or patterns, with funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare
Return to Work — Three scenarios side by side, with a chart of savings
Rates and Sources — Every official figure, dated, with its source and how to update it
Guide section — Pages
Cover, licence and scope, how to use — 1–3
The rules for 2026–27: leave and pay, shared leave, Child Benefit, childcare — 4–7
Four money conversations, with space to write — 8–11
Worked example: leave and pay; savings and choices — 12–13
Our plan on one page; what to do, and when — 14–15
Help, sources and rates — 16
