Petition Increase statutory maternity pay to match other government pay amounts

Becoming a parent can result in a significant reduction in income, causing many families to face cash flow problems.

Many working parents are forced to return to work before a time which is best for their own mental health/the wellbeing of the child due to financial difficulties.

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Statutory maternity pay is currently the lower of 90% of your weekly wage (pre-tax) or £145.18 per week.
This is significantly lower than the state pension (£164.35 p/w)
This is lower than the benefits cap (£384.62 p/w).

Although becoming a parent is (for many) a choice, SMP is not sufficient to pay monthly bills and also provide for a child. This means many parents either delay or do not have children (and pregnancies are more high risk with older mothers), or are forced to return to work.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

2,358 signatures

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10,000

Date closed 22 April 2019
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