Maternity leave notification letter

The letter

[date]

Dear [who you are writing to],

Notification of maternity leave

I am writing to tell you that I am pregnant and to give notice of my intention to take statutory maternity leave.

My baby is due on [expected date of childbirth].

I intend to start my maternity leave on [when you want leave to start].

I will send my MATB1 certificate as soon as it is issued, which is usually from about week twenty.

I understand that I can change the start date by giving 28 days' notice, and that leave will start automatically if the baby arrives early or if I am absent for a pregnancy-related reason in the four weeks before the expected week of childbirth.

Please confirm in writing the date my leave will end, as required by the regulations.

Yours sincerely,

[your name]

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What happens next

Your employer must write back within 28 days confirming the date your leave will end.
You can change the start date with 28 days of notice before the new date or the old one, whichever is earlier.
You need 26 weeks of service by the fifteenth week before the due date to qualify for statutory maternity pay.

This letter rests on Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999, regulation 4. It is a starting point, not legal advice — change anything that does not fit your situation.

Nathan Cole

I write the guides on HoursHQ and check every statutory figure against GOV.UK, Acas and the legislation itself before it goes live. Where the law is genuinely unclear, I say so rather than guessing.