Maternity leave confirmation letter template
A maternity leave confirmation letter confirms in writing an employee's maternity leave dates and what the employee needs to know about it. It sets out the start and return dates, the notice needed to change them, what happens if the baby arrives early, holiday, antenatal appointments and keeping in touch days. It is sent after the employee has told the employer about the pregnancy and given the date they want leave to start.
Adapted from Acas (9 January 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What changes each time
10 values. Everything else is your wording, kept exactly.
The employee and the notification
- Employee's name
- How the employee gave notice
- Date of notification
Leave and return dates
- Maternity leave start date
- Return-to-work date
- Weeks of enhanced maternity leave
Who to speak to
- Contact for holiday queries
- Contact for keeping in touch days
- Organisation name
- Letter sent by
The rules it usually needs
Written in plain English when the template is set up.
- Only when…
“The enhanced maternity leave sentence appears only when the contract gives enhanced maternity leave of some weeks.”
Payroll's note gave 13 weeks, so the sentence is in, with the 13 weeks.
- Only when…
“The keeping in touch days section appears only when the employer is offering keeping in touch days.”
The typed note said they are offered, so the section is in, with the contact's name.
One worked example, start to finish
The maternity leave confirmation letter in DocuWeave, from upload to approval.
1The document uploaded
The Acas letter to confirm an employee's maternity leave of January 2026, a Word file, uploaded as it is.
- 2
The template it became
It found 11 sections and 10 values, and asked 4 questions before publishing. The enhanced leave sentence and the keeping in touch days section appear only when they apply.
3The paperwork dropped in
The employee's notification email, a copy of the MATB1 certificate, payroll's note and a typed note.
4What was found, with sources
11 of 11 values filled from the paperwork, each with the passage it came from.
5What it asked
1 thing for a person: the employee's name, which the paperwork gave only as a first name.
6The approved output
Approved, with Word and PDF downloads of exactly what was approved.
A free maternity leave confirmation letter to download
- Maternity leave letter, filled with fictional details (Word)
- Maternity leave letter, filled with fictional details (PDF)
Use it as it is, or upload it to DocuWeave and make it a template.
DocuWeave is not a law firm. A general template for common situations in England and Wales. It is not tailored to you and we do not update it when the law changes, so check it suits your situation before you use it. Terms.
Adapted from Acas (9 January 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions people ask
What should a maternity leave confirmation letter say?
The dates the leave starts and the return date if the full entitlement is taken, how much notice is needed to change them, what happens if the baby arrives early, and how holiday, antenatal appointments and keeping in touch days work.
How long is statutory maternity leave?
52 weeks, whatever the employee's length of service. An employee must take at least 2 weeks after the birth, or 4 weeks if they work in a factory.
How much notice does an employee have to give?
They must tell their employer about the pregnancy, the expected week of childbirth and when they want leave to start by the end of the 15th week before the baby is due. The employer then has 28 days to confirm the leave dates in writing.
What are keeping in touch days?
Up to 10 days an employee can work during maternity leave, by agreement, without ending the leave or losing statutory maternity pay for that week.
Can I use my own maternity leave letter instead of this one?
Yes. Upload your own Word or PDF version and DocuWeave turns it into a template in your wording, with the same kind of rules and the same filling from paperwork.
Use this template
It opens in DocuWeave as a template you can check, change and publish. Nothing is used until you do.