Family Money Helper Planner

The Family Money Helper is a practical spreadsheet workbook for expecting parents who want a clearer picture of their money before, during and after maternity leave.

Use it to estimate maternity pay, map your monthly income, plan savings, compare leave lengths, estimate baby costs, and understand how nursery fees could affect your budget when childcare starts.

It is designed for UK families and uses 2026/27 statutory maternity pay and childcare figures as reference points. You can add your own salary, maternity policy, planned leave dates, savings, partner income, regular costs, baby costs and nursery plans.

What’s included:

- Maternity leave setup

- Workplace maternity policy planner

- Weekly maternity pay breakdown

- Monthly income forecast

- Savings target planner

- Savings and income smoothing

- Baby costs planner

- Nursery fees planner

- Nursery plan comparison

- Leave length comparison

- Built-in guide and source notes

The planner is especially useful if you want to answer questions like:

- How much might I receive while I am on maternity leave?

- Which months could feel tight?

- How much should I try to save before leave starts?

- How long can I afford to take off work?

- How might nursery fees change our monthly budget?

- What happens if we choose a different childcare pattern?

You will receive spreadsheet files designed for Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Apple Numbers support is not currently included.

Please note: this planner gives estimates only. It does not provide financial advice, tax advice, benefits advice or employment advice. Always check your payslip, employment contract, maternity policy and official GOV.UK guidance before making financial decisions.