What is maternity leave costing your pension?

Calculate the impact of reduced contributions during maternity leave — and what it compounds to over 30 years.

Pension Gap Calculator

Women retire with 37% less pension than men. Maternity leave is a key driver. Know your gap.

£

How maternity leave affects your pension

When your income drops during maternity leave, your pension contributions drop too. The combination of reduced contributions and 30 years of lost compound growth can cost tens of thousands of pounds in retirement.

The average pension gap between mothers and non-mothers runs into six figures over a lifetime.

What your employer must do

During weeks where you receive Statutory Maternity Pay, your employer must continue paying their pension contributions based on your full, pre-leave salary — not your reduced maternity pay. Many employers get this wrong, and many women do not know to check.

Check your payslips: Compare your employer's pension contribution during SMP weeks against what they paid before leave. If the amount has dropped, raise it with HR — they are legally required to maintain it.

Explore more tools

💷
Maternity Pay Calculator
Week-by-week pay breakdown
🧸
Childcare Cost Planner
Nursery, childminder & nanny
🩺
Recovery Tracker
Personalised week by week
🏋️‍♀️
Exercise Library
Safe postpartum workouts
🥗
Nutrition Planner
Meals for new mothers