I'm pregnant; do I qualify for maternity pay?

To qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) you have to have been employed for a minimum of 26 weeks (6 months) prior to the notification week, which is 15 weeks before the baby is due - basically this means that you can't be pregnant when you start a new job. SMP is payable for a maximum period of 39 weeks. The first six weeks of SMP are at 9/10ths of your average gross weekly earnings and the remaining weeks of the maternity pay period (up to a maximum of 33 weeks) are paid at the current SMP rate, or continue at 9/10ths of the average gross earnings, whichever is the lower.