Maternity Leave Calculator.
Work out your Paid Parental Leave, your unpaid NES entitlement, and the gap between the government payment and your own pay. Set to the birth-parent rules, including pre-birth start and special maternity leave.
Pop in your details
Here's your entitlement
See full calculation
| Component | Formula | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Birth-parent eligibility | Services Australia work + income tests | Worked 10 of last 13 mo, 330+ hrs, income $186,487 or less |
| Paid PPL | PPL Act 2010 | 26 weeks at $200.94/day |
| Pre-birth start | s.71(2)(b) Fair Work Act | Up to 6 weeks before due date |
| Special maternity leave | s.80, pregnancy-related illness | Reduces unpaid balance, not paid PPL |
| Transfer to safe job | s.81-82 | If hazardous, paid alternative work |
| Stillbirth/death of child | s.77A | Right to take/keep PPL preserved |
| Concurrent partner leave | s.72, cap repealed 1 Jul 2023 | No cap on concurrent unpaid NES leave |
| Income gap over PPL | (your pay − PPL) × 26 | $8,457.80 |
| Employer top-up | company-specific | Many large employers top up to 100% |
Disclaimer: This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. Results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation or your circumstances. This tool does not constitute legal or financial advice. We do not recommend taking actions based solely on these results. The calculator makes assumptions and results may be inaccurate due to changes in legislation, modern awards, or your personal circumstances. You use this information at your own risk. We can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. For official guidance, visit Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au). Fair Work Ombudsman.
The two entitlements, and how they stack
Australian maternity leave is not one thing. It is a government payment and a job protection, they come from different Acts, and they are claimed from different places.
Paid Parental Leave. 26 weeks for a child born or adopted from 1 July 2026, at $200.94 a day before tax. That is $1004.70 a week and $26,122 in total. Paid by Services Australia under the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010, not by your employer.
Unpaid NES leave. Up to 12 months, with a right to request a further 12, under section 70 of the Fair Work Act 2009. This is what protects your job. It runs whether or not you are receiving PPL.
Employer-paid maternity leave is a third, entirely separate thing. It is not a legal entitlement, it comes from your contract or enterprise agreement, and it sits on top of both of the above.
What PPL replaces of your pay
PPL is a flat rate tied to the national minimum wage, not a percentage of your salary. The higher your pay, the smaller the share it replaces, which is the number worth knowing before you plan the year.
| Pre-leave salary | Your weekly pay | PPL replaces | Gap over 26 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $1,154 | 87% | $3,878 |
| $75,000 | $1,442 | 70% | $11,378 |
| $90,000 | $1,731 | 58% | $18,878 |
| $110,000 | $2,115 | 47% | $28,878 |
| $140,000 | $2,692 | 37% | $43,878 |
Gross figures before tax, PPL at $1004.70 a week for 26 weeks. Weekly pay derived as salary / 52. Ignores any employer top-up, which many large employers provide and most small employers do not.
Eligibility: the two tests
PPL has a work test and an income test, and you need both. The Fair Work Act unpaid leave has a separate and simpler test of its own.
- Work test. Worked 10 of the last 13 months, and at least 330 hours in that 10-month period, with no gap longer than 12 weeks between working days.
- Income test. Individual adjusted taxable income of $186,487 or less for 2026-27. A family income test is available if you do not meet the individual one.
- Unpaid NES leave. 12 months of continuous service with your employer immediately before the expected date of birth. Casuals need 12 months of regular and systematic service with a reasonable expectation of ongoing work.
Starting before the birth
Unpaid parental leave can start up to six weeksbefore your expected date of birth under section 71(2)(b). Earlier than that needs your employer's agreement. Two other provisions matter in the run-up:
- Special maternity leave (s.80). Unpaid leave for a pregnancy-related illness. It reduces your unpaid parental leave balance, not your paid PPL.
- Safe job transfer (ss.81-82). If your usual role is unsafe during pregnancy, your employer must move you to a safe job on your existing pay. If no safe job exists, you are entitled to paid no-safe-job leave.
Section 77A preserves the right to take and keep parental leave in the event of stillbirth or the death of a child. Nothing in the entitlement is contingent on the outcome of the pregnancy.
Leave accrual while you are away
Unpaid parental leave does not count as service for annual leave or personal leave accrual, so your balances pause rather than build. It does count as continuous service for redundancy pay and, in most jurisdictions, for long service leave, so the period is not written out of your record. See whether you accrue leave while on leave for how this works across the different leave types.
Related calculators
- Parental leave calculator, the full hub covering paid PPL, unpaid NES leave, paternity and adoption alongside these maternity rules.
- Annual leave calculator to see what you have banked before you go, and the accrual calculator for what pauses while you are away.
- Personal leavefor sick and carer's leave once you are back.
- The National Employment Standards for how parental leave sits alongside the other nine entitlements.
Maternity leave questions.
What people ask when planning leave around a birth.
How much maternity leave do you get in Australia?
Am I eligible for Paid Parental Leave?
When can maternity leave start before the birth?
Is Paid Parental Leave taxed?
Does my employer have to top up my maternity pay?
Do I keep accruing annual leave while on maternity leave?
What happens if I get sick during pregnancy?
Can my partner take leave at the same time?
Where these figures come from.
Paid Parental Leave figures come from the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 (Cth) and were verified on 26 July 2026 against Services Australia: 26 weeks (130 days) for a child born or adopted from 1 July 2026, at $200.94 a day before tax, with 20 days reserved for each parent on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. PPL is paid as a daily rate for a five-day week, which is why the weekly figure sits marginally below the national minimum wage weekly rate.
Unpaid leave, pre-birth start, special maternity leave, safe-job transfer and the stillbirth provisions come from sections 70 to 82 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). Employer-paid parental leave is a contractual benefit with no statutory minimum, so this page does not estimate it. Nothing here is financial or legal advice; confirm your own position with Services Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman.