statutory maternity pay confusion - can somebody help please?

[Pheebs2021]

I will be looking at going on Maternity leave with my first baby around the 1st of June. I have found today, I will only be entitled to statutory maternity pay (complete surprise baby and never thought to check the policies!!) and this is my first baby.
I understand from the gov website, I will be having 33 weeks of getting £151.97 a week, however, I am unable to see what that equally gives me a month after my taxes, NI and the basic pension that is automatically deducted.
Is anybody able to direct me to a clear explanation or maybe explain it to me? I am just trying to work out what I will need to save in the next 7 months!

I think it works out to something like 550 per month. That's what I got. First 6 weeks were 90%

When you are on the flat rate stat maternity pay you don't pay tax or NI. Unless you have an unusual tax code or something else odd.

it's £604 a month for stat plus your 90% for 6 weeks.
don't forget you need to save for the last 12 weeks when you get nowt too!

You will get £84 a month in child benefit too

It depends what you're going to pick up in April and May before your maternity leave starts really. My maternity leave 4 years ago I did have a rebate one month but then I did end up paying tax on my SMP the rest of the time as I had already reached my allowance for the year.

my takehome before I go onto maternity will be approx £1400 a month, I'm just on the standard tax code.

Your HR department should give you a schedule of pay once you've given them a MATB1. You may receive different amounts whether it is a 4 or 5 week month (not that my old place were necessarily doing it correctly but it was variable).

You'll hold on to all your contracted benefits. So if your contract states you'll get 5% of your salary into a pension...you still get that at normal salary levels.

If you pay 5% into a pension...you only pay 5% of your mat pay.

I went on maternity leave on June 1st last year and my take home pay was only slightly more than yours, OP. I’m currently getting about £750 per month on leave, with about £73 being tax rebate.

When I was going on mat leave I used this website to work it all out.
maternity.money/maternity-pay-calculator

Just a watch out it changes per month based on how many whole weeks are in that month…drove me round the bend!

Thank you all for your insight.