Police Maternity Pay
Explained (2026)
18 Weeks Full Pay, 63-Week Rule & Repayment Clauses
" Police maternity pay provides 18 weeks of full Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP) for officers with 63 weeks of continuous service by their Expected Week of Childbirth. This is followed by Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and up to 13 weeks unpaid leave, totalling 52 weeks.
Section 01
The 52-Week Timeline Framework
The foundation of police maternity pay 2026 is built upon a rigid 52-week structure. Depending on your service length, this timeline dictates precisely when your pay phases shift from full salary down to statutory minimums and eventual unpaid leave.
Note: The above timeline assumes you meet the 63-week qualifying rule. If you do not, you will bypass the OMP phase entirely.
Calculate Your Exact Maternity Pay
Use our interactive police maternity calculator to see your week-by-week pay projection, including your specific repayment exposure based on your exact salary and rank.
Section 02
The Legal Basis
(Police Regs 2003)
Unlike private sector employees whose maternity rights are solely governed by the Employment Rights Act 1996, warranted police officers derive their primary entitlements from Regulation 33 and Annex L of the Police Regulations 2003.
Because police officers are technically Servants of the Crown rather than employees, these regulations act as the legal backbone protecting your pay and leave status. Any disputes regarding maternity pay are settled by referencing the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) circulars rather than standard employment tribunals.
EWC and The Qualifying Week
- • Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC): The week, starting on a Sunday, in which your doctor or midwife expects your baby to be born.
- • Qualifying Week: The 15th week before your EWC. This is the critical date used by Force Payroll to determine your eligibility for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and to calculate your Average Weekly Earnings.
Section 03
The 63-Week Rule Explained
The "Golden Threshold" of police maternity leave is the 63-week rule. To unlock the 18 weeks of full Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP), you must have served continuously as a police officer for at least 63 weeks by the start of your Expected Week of Childbirth.
This rule exists to ensure officers have contributed a minimum period of service before accessing heavily enhanced occupational benefits. Crucially, transferred service counts. If you transfer from the Met to a county force without a break in service, your total continuous time resets the clock.
Service breaks—such as unpaid career breaks—will pause the accumulation of your continuous service. However, periods of sickness, annual leave, or ordinary maternity leave from a previous pregnancy count towards the 63 weeks.
Worked Scenario A
Service Threshold Calculation
Officer Joins Force: 1 August 2025
Expected Baby Due Date: 15 October 2026
Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC): Week commencing Sunday, 11 October 2026
Result: By 11 October 2026, the officer will have served roughly 62.5 weeks. Because she falls just short of the 63-week mark by her EWC, she will not qualify for the 18 weeks of OMP, despite being so close.
Section 04
Occupational
Maternity Pay (OMP)
During the 18-week OMP phase, you are entitled to your Full Pay. This isn't just your base salary; it includes any pensionable allowances you normally receive, such as London Weighting or South East Allowance.
If you are serving in an Acting Rank immediately before your maternity leave begins, and the force determines you would have continued in that acting rank were it not for the pregnancy, your OMP should be paid at the higher acting rate.
A critical feature of police OMP is "absorption." OMP is designed to ensure you receive 100% of your normal salary, but it is not paid on top of Statutory Maternity Pay. Instead, your SMP is paid, and the force tops it up with OMP so the total equals your full salary. You never earn more than 100% of your standard pay.
Spreading OMP Pay
Many forces offer the option to "spread" the 18 weeks of full pay across a longer timeframe to smooth out cash flow during the unpaid tail-end of your 52 weeks.
For example, you could elect to receive your 18 weeks of full pay distributed as 36 weeks of half pay. While the total gross amount remains mathematically identical, this approach can alter your monthly tax thresholds and how long you receive a continuous wage.
Section 05
Statutory
Maternity Pay (SMP)
Even if you do not qualify for OMP, you are highly likely to qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), provided you meet the government's standard 26-week continuous employment rule by your Qualifying Week.
Unlike OMP, SMP is never repayable, regardless of whether you return to the force. It forms the backbone of your income from Week 19 to Week 39.
Worked Scenario B
The 8-Week AWE Window
To calculate your initial SMP rate, payroll looks at your Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) during a specific 8-week window ending with your Qualifying Week.
Pro Tip: Crucially, all gross pay in this 8-week window counts. If you work significant overtime, bank holidays, or receive acting pay during these two months, your AWE will be artificially inflated, resulting in higher statutory payouts during your SMP-only phase.
Section 06
Repayment Rules & One-Month Return
Enhanced benefits come with a strict string attached. You are legally required to return to duty for a minimum of one calendar month following the end of your maternity leave.
Failing to fulfill this one-month return allows the force to reclaim the 'occupational' portion of your pay (i.e. the difference between your OMP and what you would have received on SMP alone).
Critical Interpretation
What Constitutes a "Return"?
A valid return means being back on the force payroll as an active officer. This can be on a full-time, part-time, or heavily compressed flexible working arrangement. Crucially, if you fall ill immediately upon your scheduled return date, certified sick leave still counts towards your one-month duration under Equality Act protections.
Section 07
Pension Impact
Your police pension continues to accrue normally during the 39 weeks of paid maternity leave. However, pension contributions are automatically deducted based only on the actual pay you receive, not your standard full salary.
This means during your half-pay and SMP phases, your pension contributions dramatically fall, but your benefits accrue as if you were working full-time.
During the final 13 weeks of unpaid leave (Weeks 40-52), pension accrual stops. You have a legal right to "buy back" this missing service when you return, ensuring no permanent gap in your CARE pension accrual. Act quickly, as forces often limit the window to apply for missing service buy-back.
Section 08
KIT Days & Allowances
You are permitted to work up to 10 Keeping In Touch (KIT) days during your maternity leave without bringing your leave or statutory pay to an end. This is completely voluntary on both sides.
When you work a KIT day, you should be paid your standard daily rate or applicable overtime rate, depending on the day and force policy. This can be a highly lucrative way to inject cash during the unpaid tail-end of your leave.
Most non-pensionable allowances (unsocial hours, on-call stipends) will pause during your SMP-only and unpaid phases. Ensure you proactively cancel any force gym memberships or welfare fund contributions unless you wish them to accrue as arrears.
Section 09
Less Than
63 Weeks Service
If you do not meet the 63-week continuous service threshold by your Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC), you are unfortunately not legally entitled to the 18 weeks of full Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP).
However, this does not leave you without support. If you meet the government's standard 26-week rule by your Qualifying Week, you will still be entitled to the full 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).
In the event you have less than 26 weeks of service, you may not qualify for SMP either. In this scenario, you would need to claim Maternity Allowance directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) using an SMP1 form provided by your force payroll.
Worked Scenario C
Maternity Allowance
If a new student officer falls pregnant shortly after joining and cannot meet the 26-week SMP rule, she is still legally entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave.
Alternative Pay: Her leave will be entirely unpaid by the police force, but she can claim Maternity Allowance from the government for 39 weeks. She has exactly the same "return to work" and KIT day protections as an officer with 10 years of service.
Section 10
Early Births & Sick Leave
Maternity timelines are strictly regulated by the actual birth date. If your baby arrives early—before your maternity leave has officially started—your leave and pay periods automatically jump forward to begin on the day following the birth.
Similarly, if you go off sick with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks immediately prior to your Expected Week of Childbirth, your force can automatically trigger the start of your maternity leave, ending your standard sick pay.
Section 11
Shared Parental Leave
If you are in a police couple or your partner works elsewhere, you can choose to end your standard maternity leave early and convert the remaining weeks into Shared Parental Leave (SPL).
Warning: While SPL allows your partner to take time off to care for the child, the enhanced 18 weeks of full Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP) usually cannot be transferred. SPL relies heavily on the statutory flat rate. Always run calculations on both scenarios before committing.
Section 12
Promotion Boards &
Equality Rights
Under the Equality Act 2010, you cannot suffer a detriment to your career progression due to pregnancy or maternity leave.
You retain full eligibility to apply for promotion boards, specialist postings, and national exams (like the NPPF Step 2 or National Investigators Exam) while on maternity leave. The force is legally obliged to make Reasonable Adjustments to facilitate your participation.
Furthermore, if you are due an annual pay increment while on maternity leave, it must be applied to your salary seamlessly. Your OMP or acting pay will instantly jump to reflect your new pay scale point.
Attendance Management
It is unlawful for a police force to use pregnancy-related sickness absences as triggers in their standard attendance management or capability procedures (such as the Bradford Factor). These days must be recorded but extracted from disciplinary threshold calculations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much maternity pay do police officers get?
Police officers with 63 weeks of continuous service by their Expected Week of Childbirth receive 18 weeks of full Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP). This is followed by 8 weeks of half pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), 13 weeks of SMP only, and up to 13 weeks of unpaid leave, totalling 52 weeks.
What is the 63-week rule in police maternity pay?
The 63-week rule dictates that to qualify for the enhanced 18 weeks of full Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP), an officer must have 63 weeks of continuous service by the start of their Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC).
Do you have to repay police maternity pay if you resign?
Yes, if you do not return to work for at least one calendar month following the end of your maternity leave, the force can legally reclaim the Occupational Maternity Pay (OMP) portion of your salary. However, Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is never repayable.
Does maternity leave affect police pay increments?
No, under the Equality Act 2010 your seniority continues to accrue. If you are due an annual pay increment while on maternity leave, it must be applied to your salary, and any OMP you are receiving will immediately increase to reflect the new rate.
How does maternity leave impact the police pension?
During paid maternity leave (Weeks 1-39), your pension continues to accrue normally based on your full pensionable salary, although contributions are only deducted based on the actual pay you receive. During the unpaid period (Weeks 40-52), pension accrual stops, but you have a legal right to 'buy back' this lost service upon your return.
Can police maternity leave be extended?
The statutory and occupational maternity period is strictly capped at 52 weeks. Any absence beyond 52 weeks must be agreed upon with the force and is usually categorised as ordinary parental leave, annual leave, or an unpaid career break.
What happens if a police officer changes forces?
Police service is portable across the UK. Due to the mechanism of continuous service counting, if you transfer between UK police forces without a break in service, your total service time counts towards the 63-week qualifying threshold.
Do police detectives get different maternity rules?
No, the core maternity regulations apply equally to all warranted officers regardless of rank or role. However, detectives receiving specific non-pensionable allowances should be aware that these generally cease during the SMP-only and unpaid phases of leave.
Does paternity leave affect Occupational Maternity Pay?
Standard paternity leave does not affect the mother's OMP. However, if a police couple chooses to convert the maternity period into Shared Parental Leave (SPL), the enhanced occupational elements (OMP) do not automatically transfer to the partner. SPL primarily covers the statutory elements.
What happens if my baby is born early?
If your baby is born before your maternity leave has formally started, your maternity leave and pay periods automatically begin on the day following the birth, regardless of what was previously agreed.
How does sick leave affect the start of maternity pay?
If you are absent from work due to a pregnancy-related illness in the four weeks directly preceding your Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC), your maternity leave will be triggered automatically.
Can I use 'KIT' days while on police maternity leave?
Yes, officers can work up to 10 'Keeping In Touch' (KIT) days during maternity leave without ending their leave or losing statutory pay. These are typically paid at your standard daily rate or overtime rate depending on force policy.
What happens to London Weighting during police maternity?
London Weighting and similar pensionable allowances are included in your full-pay OMP calculation. However, once you transition into the SMP-only or unpaid phases of your leave, these allowances usually cease until you return to duty.
Are police officers eligible for promotion while on maternity leave?
Absolutely. You retain full eligibility to apply for and sit promotion boards while on maternity leave. The force has a legal obligation under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments for you during the selection process.
Do police officers accrue annual leave during maternity?
Yes, you continue to accrue your full annual leave entitlement, including bank holidays, throughout the entirety of your 52-week maternity period.
What counts as a 'return to work' for the one-month rule?
A return to work means you must be back on the force payroll as an active officer for one calendar month. This can be on a full-time or agreed part-time basis. In many cases, certified sick leave following your return date also counts towards this duration.
Can you use annual leave to delay the start of maternity leave?
No, you cannot use annual leave to delay the start of maternity leave beyond the birth of your child. However, you can use accrued annual leave before the birth to effectively stop working earlier than your formal maternity start date.
How is 'average weekly earnings' calculated for police SMP?
For Statutory Maternity Pay, the Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) is calculated based on the gross pay you actually received in the 8-week period leading up to the 15th week before your EWC. This crucially includes all overtime and allowances paid in that window.
Is police Adoption Leave the same as Maternity Leave?
Yes, in 2026 police Adoption Leave provisions virtually mirror maternity rights. The primary adopter is entitled to the same 18 weeks of full Occupational Pay provided they meet the continuous service rules based on the 'Matching Week'.
Related Resources
Further Reading
Interactive Tools
Disclaimer: Maternity regulations are complex. This guide is based on Police Regulations 2003 and the PNB agreements. Always consult with your Force HR and local Federation representative for specific personal advice.