Useful next calculations
Rates and sources
Twelve-month household cash-flow model using net leave-pay phases supplied by the user. It does not assess statutory entitlement or invent an employer enhancement.
| Band or figure | Rate |
|---|---|
| Leave pay | entered from your schedule |
| Return month | entered by you |
| Childcare and household costs | entered by you |
Source: GOV.UK — maternity and paternity pay calculator. Check the linked guidance and any live quote before acting.
When to use this calculator
- When you need a fast estimate before making a bigger decision.
- When you want to compare a few scenarios using the same assumptions.
- When you need a clearer starting point before using a detailed quote or formal document.
- When you want to sanity-check a figure you have seen elsewhere.
A worked example
These are the example figures the calculator opens with.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Leave pay per month, months 1–6 (£) | £1,800 |
| Leave pay per month, months 7–9 (£) | £800 |
| Leave pay per month, months 10–12 (£) | £0 |
| Partner or other reliable monthly net income (£) | £2,600 |
For those figures the calculator returns:
- Required starting buffer: £1,200.00
- 12-month net movement: £8,700.00
- Lowest monthly surplus: £200.00
- Lowest month number: 7.00
- Return month: 10.00
How to read your results
Return Month
A projected outcome under the growth rate you entered. Real-world returns fluctuate, so also check a more conservative assumption.
Method & assumptions
This interactive planner creates a twelve-month household timeline from the net leave-pay phases, partner or other reliable income, return month, post-return net pay, essential household costs, childcare and one-off costs entered. The table shows income, costs, monthly surplus and cumulative movement for every month.
Use amounts from the employer's written leave-pay schedule, payroll team or an official statutory-pay estimate. The default six-, three- and three-month phases are editable cash buckets, not claims about statutory entitlement or the timing of a particular employer scheme.
The tool does not assess maternity, paternity, adoption, shared-parental or neonatal-care pay eligibility; benefits; tax; pension effects; funded childcare; or actual pay dates. Confirm the schedule and rerun it when the employer or childcare quote changes.
Common mistakes
- Using optimistic assumptions without testing a more cautious scenario.
- Comparing outputs from different tools without checking that the inputs match.
- Treating the result as a final quote instead of a planning estimate.
- Rounding inputs too aggressively.
What to do next
- Try at least one more scenario so you can compare a realistic range.
- Use the related calculators below to cross-check the decision from another angle.
- Write down the key outputs from your best scenarios before you decide.
- If the result surprises you, change one input at a time to isolate the driver.