Maternity Budget Calculator
Monthly budget during maternity leave.
Estimate monthly budget during maternity leave covering reduced income and baby costs. Enter pre-leave monthly income to see monthly gap.
What this tool does
Enter pre-leave income, leave income, and additional baby costs. The tool shows monthly gap.
Enter Values
Formula Used
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Disclaimer
Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
3,500 pre-leave monthly income drops to 1,000 during leave = 2,500 income gap. Add 500 new baby costs = 3,000 monthly shortfall. Cover with savings, partner income, or pre-planning. Running numbers before pregnancy reduces the financial panic.
Run it with sensible defaults
Using pre-leave monthly income of 3,500, leave monthly income of 1,000, new baby monthly costs of 500, leave duration of 9, the calculation works out to 3,000.00. Nudge the inputs toward your own situation and the output recalculates instantly. The defaults are meant as a starting point, not a recommendation.
The levers in this calculation
The inputs — Pre-Leave Monthly Income, Leave Monthly Income, New Baby Monthly Costs, and Leave Duration — do not pull with equal force. Not every input has equal weight. Flip one at a time toward extreme values to feel which ones move the needle most for your situation.
How the math works
Income gap plus new costs. Multiply by months for total needed. The working is transparent — you can verify every step yourself in the formula section below. No black box, no opaque "proprietary model".
What the number doesn't include
Life events generate side costs: time off work, travel for guests, aftercare, lost weekends. The figure here covers the direct costs. Noting the indirect ones alongside avoids the post-event surprise.
What this doesn't capture
Life events generate side costs the figure doesn't include: time off work, lost income, travel for others, aftercare. Add 10–15% to the direct number as a buffer; the items you haven't thought of usually fill most of it.
Related calculations worth running
Plans get firmer when you triangulate. Alongside this one, the new baby monthly cost calculator, the returning to work calculator, and the maternity leave budget calculator tend to come up in the same conversations. Running two or three together exposes inconsistencies in any single assumption — which is usually where the useful insight lives.
Maternity budget gap produces a monthly figure based on the inputs provided.
Inputs
This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.
Sources & Methodology
Methodology
Income gap plus new costs. Multiply by months for total needed.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Total to save before?
Partner contribution?
Statutory vs enhanced?
Return-to-work plans?
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