Benefits you can get if you're pregnant - from free £500 grant to food vouchers
If you’re pregnant and expecting a baby, there are plenty of benefits you could be entitled to.
The average cost of raising a child from birth to 18 in the UK in 2023 – including housing and childcare – is £223,256, according to investment platform Moneyfarm. This is up 10% compared to 2022 and works out at about £12,400 a year, or £1,030 a month.
But help is available if you’re pregnant and worried about your finances. From free NHS prescriptions and dental care, to supermarket vouchers, we round up all the support you may be able to claim.
How much leave can you take?
If you are employed and pregnant, you are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave. If you are adoption a child, you are also entitled to 52 weeks leave. This is known as adoption leave.
If you're the father-to-be or partner of someone who is pregnant, you can get paternity leave of one or two weeks. You have to take your paternity leave within eight weeks of the baby being born.
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You and your partner may be able to get shared parental leave. You can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between you.
Statutory Pay
Your employer may give you paid time off when you have a baby - check your contract to see what you could be entitled to. The statutory rates below are the legal minimum your employer normally has to pay you.
Statutory Maternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay are paid for up to 39 weeks. Each is worth 90% of your average weekly earnings, before tax, for the first six weeks, then £172.48 or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for the next 33 weeks.
The remaining 13 weeks are unpaid. You need to earn at least £123 a week on average, and have been employed for 26 weeks when you reach the 15th week before your due date, in order to claim Statutory Maternity Pay.
For Statutory Adoption Pay, you need to have been employed for 26 weeks when you are matched with a child.
Statutory Paternity Pay is worth £172.48 or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. If you are taking shared parental leave, you can claim Statutory Shared Parental Pay. This is also worth £172.48 or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
Each of the above payments are taxable.
Maternity Allowance
If you're not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay, then you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance. This is paid for up to 39 weeks and you'll get £172.48 a week, or 90% of your average weekly pay, whichever is lower.
To claim Maternity Allowance, in the 66 weeks before your baby is due, you must have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks and earning £30 a week or more for at least 13 weeks. These weeks do not have to be together.
If you're self-employed and you've not paid enough Class 2 National Insurance contributions, you'll get a reduced rate of between £27 to £172.48 a week.
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You may still be eligible if you’ve been helping your self-employed spouse or civil partner with their business without being paid. Maternity Allowance is not taxable.
Sure Start Maternity Grant
The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off payment of £500 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that doesn't need to be paid back. You normally must have no other children under 16 and be claiming at least one of these benefits:
- Income-based jobseeker's allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance
- Income support
- Pension credit
- Child tax credit
- Working tax credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- Universal credit
You may also qualify if you’re getting a Support for Mortgage Interest loan. If you already have a child under 16, you may still qualify if you’re expecting a multiple birth. If you live in Scotland, you need to apply for the Pregnancy and Baby Payment instead.
Free prescriptions and dental care
You get free NHS prescriptions and NHS dental treatment while you're pregnant and for 12 months after your due date. You'll need to ask your doctor or midwife for form FW8 so you can get a maternity exemption certificate (MATEX).
Healthy Start
Healthy Start can be used to buy healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, as well as milk, formula for babies and vitamins. Money is loaded onto a physical card, which is topped up automatically every four weeks, so you can spend it in stores.
Any money that you don't spend in the four weeks between payments will remain on the card and can be spent on eligible healthy items in the future. You may be eligible if you're more than ten weeks pregnant or have a child under the age of four.
You'll get £4.25 a week for each week of a pregnancy, then £8.50 a week for each child aged up to one year old, then £4.25 a week for each child between one and four years old.
Those that claim the following benefits could be entitled to Healthy Start:
Child Tax Credit (only if your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less)
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Pension Credit (which includes the child addition)
Universal Credit (only if your family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month from employment)
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (but only if you are over 10 weeks pregnant)
Working Tax Credit run-on (the Working Tax Credit you receive in the 4 weeks after you have stopped working for 16 hours or more per week)
If you’re under 18 and more than 10 weeks pregnant, you’ll get Healthy Start money until your baby is born regardless of whether you claim benefits or not.
Check for other benefits
It might be worth taking ten minutes to check what other benefits you could be entitled to. Try one of these free caluclators:
- Policy in Practice benefits calculator
- entitledto benefits calculator
- Turn2us benefits calculator
For example, if you're not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, you may find you'll be able to get New Style Employment and Support Allowance. Or you may find you're entitled to Universal Credit if you're unemployed or on a low income.
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