There are two rates of Statutory maternity pay (SMP). For the first six weeks, SMP is paid at the higher rate, ie 90 % of the employee's normal weekly earnings. Following a recent case at the European Court of Justice, 'normal weekly earnings' will have to include any pay rises made up to the end of her maternity leave, although the government has yet to decide how the law will be changed to implement this. For the remaining 33 weeks, SMP is paid at the lower rate, now £117.18 a week (from April 2008), or 90 % of the woman's average earnings if this is less than £117.18 per week. There are plans to extend SMP to 12 months by the end of the next Parliament. The government is also proposing to introduce a new right for mothers to transfer a proportion of their maternity leave and pay to fathers.
